A Connecticut girl allegedly starved to death by her mother and her boyfriend had a sole blueberry in her stomach when she died, according to a chilling autopsy report.
The body of Jacqueline ‘Mimi’ Torres–Garcia was found in an advanced state of decomposition near an abandoned home in New Britain – about 30 miles south of New Haven – last October.
The 11-year-old’s mother Karla Garcia, 29, and her ex–boyfriend Jonatan Nanita, 30, have been accused of her murder.
Jacqueline was facing ‘severe malnourishment’ when she died of fatal child abuse, according to the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
She also had amphetamines and an antihistamine in her system, according to her autopsy.
However, Jacqueline had never been prescribed those drugs or diagnosed with a disorder that would require the stimulants.
Her weakened body had very little body fat and also showed signs of severe muscle atrophy.
Garcia, Jacqueline’s mother, has pleaded not guilty to murder. Nanita exercised his right to a probable cause hearing last month and has not yet entered a plea.
Jacqueline ‘Mimi’ Torres–Garcia, 11, was in an advanced state of decomposition when her remains in New Britain last October
The preteen’s remains only weighed 27 pounds after they were found near an abandoned home
Karla Garcia, Jacqueline’s mother, and Jonatan Nanita, her mom’s ex-boyfriend are accused of starving the girl to death
Jacqueline was allegedly starved, ziptied and prevented from going to the bathroom, according to arrest warrant affidavits cited by the Hartford Courant.
Her mother told investigators that she had not fed Jacqueline for roughly two weeks before her death.
The family previously lived in a condo in Farmington, and it is believed that Jacqueline’s tragic death happened there around September 2024.
The preteen’s body was allegedly stored in the basement of the condo for months before the family moved.
Once they were in New Britain, Nanita allegedly disposed of the child’s remains in a tote near the abandoned home.
He told police that Garcia, his girlfriend at the time, asked him to get rid of the tote’s belongings.
She never ‘confirmed that Jacqueline was in the bin’ but ‘would give him hints,’ according to FOX61.
The girl’s remains only weighed 27 pounds when they were found last October, with a near absence of fat under her skin.
Jacqueline had amphetamines and an antihistamine in her system, although she had not been prescribed those drugs
She was allegedly starved and ziptied without being allowed to go to the bathroom before dying
She did not have recent fractures or major trauma but was found ‘folded into a tight fetal position,’ per the autopsy cited by WTNH.
The drugs found in her system included diphenhydramine, an antihistamine sold under the brand name Benadryl.
Garcia was initially granted custody of Jacqueline in 2022. Until then, the girl lived with her paternal grandmother until she was 9.
The mother obtained full custody months before Jacqueline’s death.
Officials have noted that the girl was homeschooled, which made it harder to verify that she was alive.
The Consolidated School District of New Britain previously said Jacqueline was a student in the district from kindergarten through fifth grade, but that her mother withdrew her from school when she was about to start sixth grade.
Garcia went so far as to deceive the Department of Children and Families (DCF) by pretending that someone else on a video call was her daughter – even though this happened months after Jacqueline died.
The girl’s father, Victor Torres, previously told KSFB that he had only learned of Jacqueline’s death through police.
He plans to sue the DCF for $100million for negligence in connection to his daughter’s grisly death.
The mother’s sister, 28-year-old Jackelyn Garcia, was also arrested in connection to her death
The child’s mother was charged with murder with special circumstances, conspiracy to commit murder with special circumstances, risk of injury to a minor, first–degree unlawful restraint, intentional cruelty to a child under the age of 19, tampering with evidence and improper disposal of a dead body.
She is set to appear in court on January 30.
Nanita, her ex–boyfriend, was charged with murder with special circumstances, conspiracy to commit murder with special circumstances, risk of injury to a minor, unlawful restraint and intentional cruelty to a child.
Last month, he exercised his right to a probable cause hearing. Nanita is yet to enter a plea, WFSB reported.
The girl’s aunt, 28–year–old Jackelyn Garcia, was charged with cruelty to persons, first–degree unlawful restraint, first–degree reckless endangerment and four counts of risk of injury.
She lived with the family and allegedly saw how they were abusing Jacqueline, but did nothing to stop it, according to police.
