A 22-year-old woman admitted that she posed as Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia during a Zoom call with social services months after the 11-year-old had already died – a charade the child’s mother allegedly orchestrated to hide her death, according to testimony revealed in court Wednesday.
Jacklyn Goulet testified in a Connecticut courtroom that she was asked to pretend to be Mimi during a January 2025 video call with the Department of Children and Families because the girl’s mother Karla Garcia feared losing custody of her children if the call did not take place, Greenwhich Time reported.
The testimony was revealed at a probable cause hearing for Garcia and her boyfriend, Jonatan Nanita, who are both charged with murder with special circumstances and other offenses in connection with Mimi’s death.
Mimi’s remains were found in a tote bag behind an abandoned home in New Britain in October 2025, but police believe she died in September 2024. Authorities allege Mimi suffered years of abuse, was restrained with zip ties and denied food by her mother and Nanita.
Mimi’s 28-year-old aunt, Jackelyn Leeann Garcia, also faces charges. She is accused of participating in the abuse but is not charged with murder.
In her testimony on Wednesday, Goulet said she had never met Mimi or Garcia’s other children. Garcia asked her to impersonate Mimi during a DCF call after caseworkers requested to see the child following a complaint, according to NBC Boston, citing court testimony.
Goulet told the court she had no idea the child was already dead and believed Mimi was staying with an aunt in another state, as she was previously told.
On the day of the Zoom call last year, Garcia wrote down the names and ages of her other children so Goulet could answer if questioned by DCF.
When asked by the DCF worker if she missed her siblings, she testified that she said, as Mimi: “I said I talked to them every day on the phone and that we Face-timed.” She said she also told the DCF worker that she made good grades and that she had friends.
Tim O’Keefe, an attorney for Mimi’s father, Victor Torres, called Goulet’s testimony “disturbing,” according to Greenwhich Time . O’Keefe represents Torres in a $100 million claim against DCF.
“We continue to monitor all proceedings in this case, including the criminal prosecutions,” O’Keefe said. “The information that we are learning is incredibly disturbing. The family is committed to making sure that all responsible people and entities are held fully accountable for what occurred involving these two young children. We encourage all persons with relevant information to come forward to proper authorities.”
Farmington police testified Wednesday that Mimi’s DNA was found on a mattress in a basement closet, on the linoleum beneath it, and on the subfloor below. Nanita’s right palm print was found on the tote that held her remains, according to Detective James McKeown.
Nanita told investigators that Karla Garcia and Jackelyn Garcia would hit and punch the child and force her to kneel in a corner for so long she would urinate and defecate on herself, McKeown testified.
Nanita said he would take the other children out of the house or stay in his room playing video games during the abuse. He later told police that one day, after taking the other children to McDonald’s, he returned home and Karla Garcia told him Mimi was dead upstairs. Nanita told McKeown that he did not call for help because he had no phone.
Court documents allege Nanita helped dispose of Mimi’s body and later filed paperwork to make it appear the child was still alive so the family could receive additional food assistance.
An autopsy report, which was obtained as part of a probate court filing, found that the girl’s stomach contained a single blueberry. Amphetamines and antihistamines were also found in her system, neither of which were prescribed, FOX61 reported.
No injuries were found on her body, but the Medical Examiner described her as being “emaciated,” weighing just 27 lbs. at the time of her death. Her cause of death was “fatal child abuse with starvation.”
Garcia and Nanita face charges of murder with special circumstances.
Nanita also faces charges of improper disposal of a body, fraud, and larceny. Jackelyn Garcia is charged with participating in the abuse.
Litchfield Superior Court Judge Robert D’Andrea will decide whether there is enough evidence to continue after the hearing concludes. Proceedings will continue Thursday.
