Insets, left to right: Karla Garcia (New Britain Police Department), Jonatan Nanita (NBPD), Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia (GoFundMe).
A Connecticut mother and her boyfriend are accused of lying to the state to get SNAP benefits for the mom's dead 12-year-old after they allegedly abused, murdered, and stowed away her body inside a 40-gallon "tote" container, which they tried hiding in a cemetery before dumping it at an abandoned house.
The Connecticut Department of Social Services alleges that Karla Garcia and Jonatan Nanita, who are both charged with murder, have been receiving SNAP benefits — federal funds doled out as part of the government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — throughout 2025 following the slaying of Garcia's child, Jacqueline "Mimi" Torres-Garcia, in September 2024, according to local CBS affiliate WFSB.
DSS investigators discovered that Garcia submitted SNAP renewal forms for herself and five children, including Jacqueline, in January 2025 and August 2025, officials said. She failed to report that Jacqueline was no longer part of her household and also did not report that Jonatan Nanita was living with her.
Nanita, meanwhile, received SNAP benefits between Oct. 16, 2024, and October 2025 while claiming he was homeless, according to DSS.
WFSB reports that had the couple told the truth about their situation, they both would have had fewer benefits. The two of them allegedly signed paperwork acknowledging that they could be fined up to $250,000 and imprisoned for up to 20 years if they lied.
Garcia's daughter suffered "prolonged physical abuse and malnourishment prior to her death" at the hands of the couple and is believed to have been murdered in the town of Farmington, police said. Garcia and Nanita allegedly kept the youngster's body "in the family's basement" — inside the tote — then moved it after relocating to New Britain in March. Jacqueline was living with the couple at the time and being homeschooled, which led to her disappearance going largely unnoticed, according to officials. The child's body weighed approximately 26 to 27 pounds when she was found.
"[The daughter] was folded at the waist with the legs curled up against the torso and knees facing the skull," Garcia and Nanita's arrest warrants state about Jacqueline's condition when found.
"The skin appeared to be glued to the bones," the warrants alleged. "The condition of the corpse was due to severe malnourishment, not decomposition."
Garcia admitted to cops that Jacqueline died "sometime in her bed, but she wasn't sure exactly when," the arrest warrants allege.
"She stated Jonatan Nanita came downstairs one day and told her (Garcia) that Jacqueline Torres-Garcia was not breathing anymore," according to the documents. "Garcia stated Jonatan Nanita moved Jacqueline Torres-Garcia's body to the basement, but she never went down there to see what he did with it. Garcia stated the smell became so bad that they began to stay at hotels and with other friends."
The couple allegedly pointed fingers at each other while being questioned by police and "gave different accounts concerning what had happened" to Jacqueline, per the police documents.
Garcia originally told New Britain detectives that her daughter "was fine, and visiting a friend," according to the warrants. She allegedly admitted to arguing with Jacqueline over Garcia being pregnant with another child, claiming that Jacqueline "was upset that she was pregnant again," the warrants say.
"She stated that during the argument Jacqueline pushed her down the stairs inside her house causing both of them to fall down the stairs," police allege. "Garcia stated that Jonatan became upset with Jacqueline, kicked her in the head, and dragged her off. Garcia stated that she never saw her daughter again after that. Garcia denied any knowledge of the tote containing her daughter."
Garcia's sister, Jackelyn Garcia, 28, allegedly took part in the abuse of Jacqueline and spoke to cops about what she saw leading up to the girl's death, according to the arrest warrants. She is charged with risk of injury to a child, unlawful restraint, and child cruelty.
"Jackelyn admitted to seeing her niece zip tied on a couple of occasions," her warrant says. "Jackelyn was asked how long Mimi was deprived of food and she stated she did not know but that when she last saw her, she was already skinny. Jackelyn was asked several times during this interview what happened. [Cops] informed Jackelyn that Mimi died in her bed from malnutrition from not eating for weeks. Jackelyn stated when she went to Farmington, she observed her skinny. Jackelyn further stated Mimi was always in the corner of the house and that the zip ties started at the 'end.'"
Police say Jackelyn Garcia took photos of Jacqueline while she was "zip tied, severely malnourished, and lying on dog pee pads to use as a bathroom."
Jackelyn Garcia told investigators that there was an incident in which "Mimi peed or defecated herself and she watched Jonatan pick her up by her shoulders and bring her downstairs." According to the warrants, Jackelyn Garcia said Nanita hit Jacqueline and she heard her crying. Jackelyn Garcia insisted she had "nothing to do" with Jacqueline's death, but she was aware of the tote that contained her body, police say.
"Jackelyn stated that Karla told her that Jonatan moved the bin with his Acura and that Jonatan said he had to get rid of the bin because it was beginning to smell in the car," her warrant says.
DSS investigators say Karla Garcia is charged with conspiracy to commit larceny by defrauding a public community and giving false statements in connection with the alleged SNAP benefits fraud. Nanita is charged with larceny by defrauding a public community and giving false statements.
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