A 22-year-old woman on Wednesday admitted to a Connecticut court that she pretended to be 11-year-old Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia during a Zoom call last year with the Department of Children and Families.
According to the witness, the call took place about one year ago, roughly three or four months after the young girl likely died.
Mimi’s remains were found on Oct. 8 in a plastic container behind an abandoned house in New Britain. Her death was ruled a homicide from fatal child abuse with starvation. Investigators believe the 27-pound girl had been dead for about a year before her body was found.
Mimi’s mother, 29-year-old Karla Garcia, the mom’s former boyfriend, 30-year-old Jonatan Nanita, and Garcia’s 28-year-old sister, Jackelyn Garcia, were all charged in connection with her death.
During a probable cause hearing for Nanita on Wednesday, the witnessed admitted she impersonated Mimi in a virtual meeting with DCF, according to NBC Connecticut.
She reportedly told the court she never met the victim, but has known Karla Garcia since they were kids. She claimed to have been unaware that Mimi was already dead when she told DCF everything was fine and school was going well.
According to the witness, Garcia told her that Mimi was living with a family member in another state and DCF was threatening to take the child into custody.
Upon learning the girl was dead, the witness reportedly contacted Garcia, who then claimed her boyfriend was responsible for her daughter’s death and had threatened to kill her and the rest of her family if Garcia gave him up.
A judge is being asked to drop murder charges against Nanita. The defendant claims he tried to save his ex-girlfriend’s daughter by administering CPR, according to Connecticut CBS affiliate WFSB.
Nanita’s probable cause hearing continues on Thursday. Garcia is due in court Friday.