An 11-year-old girl who was allegedly starved to death by her mother had only a single blueberry in her stomach when she died, according to an autopsy released this week. Jacqueline Torres-Garcia, known as Mimi, was found dead on October 8 in the basement of a vacant home in New Britain, Connecticut.
A report from the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner concluded that the child suffered from severe malnutrition and muscle atrophy at the time of her death. The autopsy found the 11-year-old had almost no body fat and weighed just 27 pounds. Investigators said her body was in an advanced state of decomposition and was discovered folded tightly into a fetal position. The report also found diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl, in her system, despite no medical prescription or diagnosis requiring the drug.
Authorities have charged Jacqueline’s mother, Karla Garcia, 29, with murder and multiple related offenses. Garcia has pleaded not guilty and is being held on a $5 million bond. She is scheduled to appear in court on January 30. Police allege Garcia intentionally withheld food from her daughter for weeks and subjected her to prolonged abuse. According to court documents, Garcia told investigators she had not fed Jacqueline for approximately two weeks before her death.
Garcia’s former boyfriend, Jonatan Nanita, 30, is also charged with murder and conspiracy. Prosecutors allege he helped restrain the child and later disposed of her remains. Nanita has not entered a plea and requested a probable cause hearing last month. Investigators believe Jacqueline died in September 2024 while living with her family in a condominium in Farmington. Police say her body was stored in the basement of that residence for months before being moved. Authorities allege Nanita later placed her remains in a plastic container and hid it in the yard of an abandoned home in New Britain.
Police documents allege Jacqueline was zip-tied, prevented from using the bathroom and subjected to extreme neglect. No recent fractures or major trauma were found, but investigators said the lack of food and prolonged confinement led to her death. Jacqueline had previously lived with her paternal grandparents until 2022, when Garcia regained custody. She was later removed from public school and home-schooled, a factor investigators said made it harder to verify her welfare. Authorities also allege Garcia misled the state Department of Children and Families after Jacqueline’s death by using another child to pose as her daughter during a video call.
Jacqueline’s father, Victor Torres, told local media he learned of his daughter’s death from police. He has said he plans to file a $100 million lawsuit against the Department of Children and Families, alleging negligence. A third family member, Jacqueline’s aunt, Jackelyn Garcia, 28, has also been arrested. Police allege she lived in the home, witnessed the abuse and failed to intervene. She is charged with cruelty to persons, unlawful restraint, reckless endangerment and multiple counts of risk of injury and is being held on a $1 million bond. Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing.
