Woman Testifies She Posed As 11-Year-Old On DCF Zoom Call — Child's Remains Later Found In 40-Gallon Bin

A witness testified in court that she impersonated an 11-year-old Connecticut girl during a Department of Children and Families (DCF) video interview in early 2025. The child's remains were later recovered from a 40-gallon container at an abandoned New Britain property.

What The Witness Said

On Jan. 28, 2025, 22-year-old Jacklyn Goulet told a judge during a probable-cause hearing that she posed as Jacqueline 'Mimi' Torres-Garcia during a January 2025 Zoom call with DCF. Goulet said she agreed to the deception at the request of Mimi's mother, Karla Garcia, and maintained she did not believe Mimi was dead at the time. Goulet testified that Garcia visited her Hartford apartment, wrote down the names and ages of her other children, and was present — along with an aunt — during the video interview so Goulet could answer questions about the family.

Goulet said a DCF worker asked the person on the call whether she missed her siblings. She testified that she answered, saying she spoke to them daily and FaceTimed with them, and described friends and school grades. According to Goulet, the worker asked no other substantive questions during the session.

Alleged Threats and Later Revelations

Goulet told the court she had been told Mimi was staying with an aunt in another state and that the family feared DCF would remove the children. She also testified that, after learning Mimi had died, she FaceTimed with Karla Garcia, who allegedly said Garcia's boyfriend, Jonatan Nanita, had killed Mimi and threatened to kill Goulet and the children if they spoke about the case.

Investigation and Discovery

Police responded on Oct. 8 to a report of suspicious activity at an abandoned building at 80 Clark St. in New Britain and found a large container in the backyard that held human remains. Officials later identified the remains as those of 11-year-old Jacqueline 'Mimi' Torres-Garcia. Investigators concluded the child had been deceased for some time and likely died in the fall of 2024 while the family lived in Farmington; authorities say the family moved in March 2025 and allegedly transported the remains with them.

When the container was opened, investigators found the child's body inside a plastic bag, wrapped in a comforter and sheets, and placed in a laundry basket within the 40-gallon bin, according to court affidavits.

Medical Findings and Charges

A medical examiner later ruled the cause of death as fatal child abuse by starvation and the manner of death as homicide. Documents reviewed by authorities indicate the child weighed only 26 to 27 pounds at the time of death. Investigators say Mimi was not reported missing and that, in the two weeks before her death, she reportedly was not given food and was often restrained with zip ties.

Days after the discovery, Karla Garcia was arrested and charged with multiple counts, including murder with special circumstances, conspiracy to commit murder with special circumstances, improper disposal of a body, and intentional cruelty to a child under 19. Jonatan Nanita faces charges including improper disposal of a body, fraud, and larceny. Mimi's aunt, 28-year-old Jackelyn Leeann Garcia, has been charged with participating in the abuse but has not been charged with murder.

A judge will decide whether there is sufficient probable cause to continue prosecuting Nanita after his hearing concludes.

If you suspect child abuse: Call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or visit www.childhelp.org. Calls are toll-free, confidential, and available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.