Warrants Reveal New Details In Homicide Of Girl, 12, Whose Body Was Found Inside Abandoned Container

CONNECTICUT — Jacqueline Torres-Garcia was bound with zip-ties for “bad” behavior, and she was deprived of food for about two weeks prior to her death, newly-released documents show.

The 12-year-old girl’s body was discovered Oct. 8 in a plastic container at an abandoned property at 80 Clark St. in New Britain.

Police believe the victim died at her family’s former home at 135 Wellington Dr. in Farmington.

The victim’s mother, Karla Garcia, and Jonatan Nanita, Karla Garcia’s ex-boyfriend, are both facing 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.

On Tuesday, arrest warrant affidavits filed against the three New Britain residents were made public.

The warrants, obtained by WFSB, detail what the three suspects told police after the discovery of the remains.

Police said Karla Garcia ultimately admitted to investigators that she and Nanita stopped giving Jacqueline food for about two weeks prior to her death, according to the warrants.

Karla Garcia reported she’d stop feeding the victim and restrain her in zip-ties because she was “bad.” Karla Garcia admitted she and Nanita would mistreat Jacqueline together because she was “bad, she didn’t listen, she didn’t respect them,” according to the warrant. Garcia claimed the victim did things she wasn’t supposed to do, such as striking other kids.

Karla Garcia admitted to police Jacqueline died in her bed, and Nanita told her she wasn’t breathing anymore. She claimed Nanita handled putting the body in a bin and later disposing of it in New Britain himself, the warrant asserts.

According to police, the confession came after initial denials.

Karla Garcia initially told police her daughter was fine and visiting a friend, the warrants show.

Both Karla Garcia and Nanita later pointed the blame at each other while being interrogated, according to the warrants.

Karla Garcia at one point gave a different account of what happened to her daughter. She told police Jacqueline was upset about her mother being pregnant again. She claimed the victim pushed her on a staircase, and they both fell down the stairs. She told investigators Nanita then kicked the victim in the head and dragged her away, and she never saw her again.

While the victim’s cause of death is still pending further studies, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner told police there were no signs of recent trauma or internal bleeding. Rather, the office indicated the victim showed signs of severe and prolonged malnourishment, the warrants show.

Nanita, meanwhile, initially claimed he had no idea where the victim was, and he denied moving any bin. He later claimed Karla Garcia had asked him to get rid of a tote. He subsequently told police he remembered seeing blood on the walls and floor near a staircase, and he asked Karla Garcia about it, and she told him not to worry about it, according to the warrants.

Police indicated Nanita later acknowledged during interviews that he knew Jacqueline was in the bin.

According to police, when people asked about Jacqueline’s whereabouts, her mother would tell people she ran away or was staying with a friend. Police indicated in the warrants that both Karla Garcia and Nanita admitted to concealing the victim’s death and then lying to friends, family and authorities.

The victim’s aunt, Jackelyn Garcia, was interviewed, and she confirmed to police that Jacqueline was deprived of food, and that Karla Garcia and Nanita would zip-tie the girl as punishment and make her stand in a corner, documents show.

Police believe the victim’s body was kept in the family’s basement and later moved when her family relocated from Farmington in March 2025. According to police, Nanita brought it to the Clark Street location shortly before its discovery.

Read the arrest warrants in their entirety at WFSB.com.

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