Petitions Call For ‘Mimi’s Law’ In Aftermath Of Girl’s Murder

CONNECTICUT — New online petitions are calling for changes to help protect children following the murder of 12-year-old Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia.

The girl’s body was discovered Oct. 8 in a plastic storage container at an abandoned property at 80 Clark St. in New Britain.

One petition on Change.org, calls for accountability and the creation of “Mimi’s Law.” This petition is aimed at federal lawmakers. As of Wednesday morning, the petition had garnered just over 2,550 signatures.

Los Fidel, a New Haven resident who started the petition, said, “Ultimately, my goal is to make sure nothing like this happens to another child.”

A second petition, also on Change.org, called “Justice for Mimi — Reform Connecticut DCF Now” has garnered 20 signatures as of Wednesday morning, and it is aimed at state lawmakers.

The victim’s mother, Karla Garcia, and her mother’s boyfriend, Jonatan Nanita, both face murder and other charges in connection with her death.

The victim’s aunt, Jackelyn Garcia, is facing risk of injury, intentional cruelty and unlawful restraint charges. All three are New Britain residents.

According to police, they believe the victim died in the fall of 2024 while her family was residing in Farmington. Police believe her body was kept in the family’s basement and subsequently moved when her family relocated from Farmington in March 2025.

Police have said the victim was home-schooled, which limited the community’s ability to recognize she was missing.

One petition states, “Her body was found over a year after her death. For more than twelve months, no one reported her missing. There were no welfare checks. No alarms raised. She had been erased in silence.”

“Many in our community believe this was not just the failure of individuals—it was the failure of a system,” the petition says.

It notes that because the victim was homeschooled, there was no teacher to notice her “absence or her pain.”

The petition seeks legislative changes to help make sure no child disappears unnoticed again.

It calls for laws that:

• Require periodic in-person welfare checks for homeschooled children.
• Mandate DCF (Department of Children and Families) accountability when repeated concerns go uninvestigated.
• Strengthen parental access and oversight rights to prevent one parent from cutting off the other entirely.
• Prohibit convicted child abusers from paroling into or residing in any home with minor children.

“Mimi’s life mattered. Her death must mean something,” the petition says. “Let her story move lawmakers to fix the cracks that let her fall through. Let’s make sure no child is ever forgotten again.”

The other petition demands “a common-sense reform package so no child disappears into silence again.”

It also calls for welfare verification in custody and default orders, homeschool safety oversight, real-time inter-agency communication, and transparency and accountability.

The victim had attended kindergarten through fifth grade in the Consolidated School District of New Britain, according to Superintendent Tony Gasper.

On August 26, 2024, which would have been Jacqueline’s first day of sixth grade, her mother, Karla Garcia, filed an official “Notification of Withdrawal Out of New Britain School District” form, stating that the student’s new address would be in Farmington. On that same day, Garcia filed a “Notice of Intent: Instruction of Student at Home” form with the district.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Jacqueline Torres-Garcia,” Gasper said. “We will continue to partner with local and state law enforcement.”

Susan I. Hamilton, interim commissioner for the state Department of Children and Families, said the agency is reviewing its complete history with the family.

State Rep. Liz Linehan, D-Cheshire, said Wednesday lawmakers were looking into this issue following the death of Matthew Tirado.

Tirado, a disabled teenager, died in 2017 from prolonged child abuse and neglect, and his mother, Katiria Tirado, is serving an 11-year sentence for manslaughter, state records show.

Linehan noted there were additional reports out of the state Office of the Child Advocate involving children who had open DCF cases who were removed from public school for homeschooling.

“It was my position then, and it is my position now, that the law allows for abusive parents to exploit loopholes and unenroll their children from public school under the guise of homeschooling to prevent a DCF referral from the school if a child is being abused,” Linehan said, in a statement Wednesday in response to the Torres-Garcia case.

“True homeschooling families are doing what they feel is right for their children, and I support that wholeheartedly, but the system is not set up to adequately prevent child abusers from utilizing homeschooling as a way to subvert the authorities,” Linehan added.

Linehan asked homeschooling groups and families to come forward and talk to lawmakers.

“I would love for homeschooling groups and families to come to the table to discuss ways we can ensure that the ability to homeschool and the good work they do with their families is not corrupted by those who are hiding abuse from the watchful eyes of our public schools," she said.

All three people arrested in the Torres-Garcia case were arraigned Tuesday and remain incarcerated. They are due back in court on Nov. 14.

Read more:
Cops Capture Man Wanted In Slaying Of 12-Year-Old Girl Whose Body Was Found In New Britain: PD
Mother Arrested In Slaying Of 12-Year-Old Girl Whose Body Was Found In New Britain: PD
Farmington PD Involved In New Britain Case Where 12-Year-Old Girl's Body Was Found
Human Remains Discovered In New Britain Belong To Adolescent Female: PD
Human Remains Discovered In Container In New Britain: PD