In a heartbreaking revelation that has shaken Connecticut to its core, newly unsealed arrest warrants have exposed the harrowing final months of 11-year-old Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia’s life. Listed as “homeschool out of state” in August 2024, Mimi vanished from public view, her school records showing zero attendance over the subsequent six months. No alarms were raised, no follow-ups conducted by authorities. Those “silent months,” as investigators now call them, were not a period of quiet education but a veil for unimaginable abuse, neglect, and ultimately, her death. What happened in that time? The warrants paint a picture of starvation, restraint, and concealment that allowed a child’s suffering to go unnoticed until her decomposed remains were discovered over a year later, on October 8, 2025, stuffed in a 40-gallon plastic tote behind an abandoned house in New Britain.

The case, which has ignited furious debates over child welfare oversight and homeschooling regulations, centers on Mimi’s mother, Karla Garcia, 29; her boyfriend, Jonatan Nanita, 30; and her aunt, Jackelyn Garcia, 28. All three face severe charges, including murder with special circumstances for Karla and Nanita, and cruelty to persons under 19 for Jackelyn. As details emerge from police interviews, bodycam footage, and DCF timelines, the public is left grappling with a profound question: How could an entire system fail one little girl?

Mimi’s story begins in the working-class streets of New Britain, Connecticut, where she attended public school from kindergarten through fifth grade. Described by her paternal grandfather, Felix Osorio, as “happy all the time” and someone who “liked to play,” she was a bright spot in a family marked by instability. But behind closed doors, cracks were forming. Court records show the Department of Children and Families (DCF) had intermittent involvement with the family dating back to Mimi’s birth in 2013. Investigations into neglect allegations surfaced in 2020 and 2021, but by 2022, the family appeared stabilized—Mimi attended medical appointments in November 2022 and 2023, and there were no further abuse reports. In June 2024, Karla Garcia was granted sole custody of Mimi and her younger sister by family court, a decision DCF had no role in.

That fragile normalcy shattered in August 2024. On August 26—the first day of sixth grade at New Britain’s public middle school—Karla Garcia filed a Notification of Withdrawal form with the district. She claimed the family had relocated to Farmington, about 15 miles west, and intended to homeschool Mimi. The school district, complying with state law, updated her status to “homeschooled out of state.” No curriculum plan was required; no welfare check mandated. Connecticut is one of only 12 states that doesn’t even require parents to notify districts of homeschooling intent, let alone provide progress reports or in-person verifications. Mimi’s record went blank. Zero classes. Zero absences flagged. The system moved on.

Those silent months, from August 2024 to January 2025, were anything but peaceful. Warrants detail a descent into horror at the family’s Farmington condominium on Wellington Drive. Police believe Mimi died in the fall of 2024—possibly as late as September 19—after weeks of deliberate starvation and physical restraint. Karla Garcia confessed to investigators that she and Nanita withheld food from Mimi for about two weeks as punishment for being “bad.” The girl, once vibrant, was reduced to 26-27 pounds at death, her skin “glued to the bones” from malnourishment. Photos recovered from Jackelyn Garcia’s phone show Mimi zip-tied to a bedframe, lying on pee pads like an animal, her emaciated frame barely covered by a t-shirt. “She was kept in a corner,” one warrant states, “deprived of basic human needs.”

Nanita and Karla allegedly took turns “disciplining” her, with Nanita admitting to using zip ties and even a belt in fits of rage. The abuse wasn’t impulsive; it was systematic. Warrants reveal text messages between Karla and Jackelyn discussing Mimi’s “behavior problems,” with Karla writing, “I can’t take it anymore.” Jackelyn, who lived with the family from June to August 2024, allegedly participated in the restraint and photographed the aftermath, sending images to her sister as if documenting a routine chore.

When Mimi stopped breathing—likely from starvation and dehydration—panic set in, but not remorse. Instead of calling 911, the trio concealed her body. They wrapped it in blankets, placed it in a large plastic tote, and stored it in the basement of their condo. The warrants describe how the family sprayed bleach to mask the growing odor, a smell so pungent that neighbors later reported it as “like something died.” Bodycam footage released this week from a December 29, 2024, noise complaint call captures officers at the door, hearing muffled screams and detecting bleach fumes, but finding no probable cause to enter. It was the only in-person police contact during four welfare calls to the address; the rest were dismissed as unfounded.

As winter turned to spring, the family moved back to New Britain in March 2025, tote in tow. They dumped it behind 80 Clark Street, an abandoned eyesore overgrown with weeds. Mimi’s body, now fully decomposed, lay hidden for seven more months. During this time, the deception deepened. In January 2025, DCF responded to a report about abuse of Mimi’s younger sibling. When caseworkers asked about Mimi, Karla claimed she was “homeschooled out of state” and visiting relatives. To prove it, she arranged a Zoom call—featuring another child posing as Mimi, coached to mimic her voice and mannerisms. DCF, lacking authority for unannounced visits on homeschooled children, closed the case.

The end came not from vigilance, but chance. On October 8, 2025, an anonymous tip led Farmington police to the Clark Street property. Officers pried open the tote and found skeletal remains, identified via dental records as Mimi’s. The medical examiner’s preliminary report cited “prolonged neglect and malnourishment” as the cause, with the exact manner—homicide—pending further toxicology. Arrests followed swiftly: Karla and Nanita on October 13, charged with murder, tampering with evidence, and cruelty; Jackelyn two days later on lesser but still grave counts. All three pointed fingers during interrogations—Karla blaming Nanita’s “rage,” Nanita claiming Karla orchestrated the punishments, Jackelyn insisting she only “watched.” They remain held on bonds totaling $11 million, with court dates set for November 14.

Mimi’s father, Victor Torres, who lives out of state and lost custody years ago, expressed devastation in media interviews. “I didn’t know,” he told WFSB, tears streaming. “She was my everything.” Her grandfather, Osorio, led a horse-drawn funeral procession on October 25, where hundreds gathered, leaving teddy bears and balloons at a makeshift memorial outside the abandoned house. “Justice for Little Mimi,” read signs waved by supporters, a rallying cry echoing on social media where #JusticeForMimi trended nationwide.

The outcry has zeroed in on systemic failures. DCF’s timeline, released October 17, admits no red flags on Mimi specifically post-2021, despite the sibling report. “We were deceived,” a spokesperson said, highlighting the Zoom impostor. Critics, including the Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE), argue Connecticut’s lax homeschool laws enabled the cover-up. “No notification, no monitoring—it’s a loophole abusers exploit,” said CRHE’s Tess Ulrey. This isn’t isolated; just months prior, a Waterbury man revealed decades of torture under homeschool guise.

Lawmakers are responding. State Rep. Brandon Fidel, D-New Britain, introduced “Mimi’s Law,” mandating annual in-person welfare checks for homeschooled children, body cameras for DCF visits, and bans on convicted abusers cohabitating with minors. “We can’t let this happen again,” he said at a press conference, flanked by Mimi’s family photos. The Select Committee on Children plans hearings next month, with advocates pushing for national standards. Homeschooling supporters, like the National Home Education Legal Defense, counter that blame shouldn’t stigmatize legitimate families, urging focus on DCF’s lapses instead.

Farmington Police Chief Paul Melanson, whose department led the probe, shared in a WTNH exclusive how the case haunts his team. “We responded to those calls—screams, smells—and didn’t see it,” he said, voice breaking. “Mimi deserved better.” Bodycam videos, now public, show officers knocking in December 2024, Karla opening the door with a toddler on her hip, claiming “just kids playing.” No search. No salvation.

As the investigation continues—additional charges filed against Nanita this week for evidence tampering—the silent months stand as a stark indictment. Mimi’s absence wasn’t a clue missed; it was a system designed to look away. In her memory, Connecticut—and perhaps the nation—must confront the shadows where children like her disappear. The warrants aren’t just legal documents; they’re a child’s final cry for the oversight she never got