Connecticut’s child welfare agency had numerous interactions with the family of Jacqueline Torres Garcia, the girl whose remains were discovered in New Britain last week, but found insufficient evidence she was in danger, according to new information it released Friday.
The Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) shared a detailed history of its involvement with Torres Garcia and her siblings, releasing the information one day after lawmakers offered pointed criticism of the agency’s handling of the case.
DCF described a series of encounters with the family stretching back more than a decade. The agency also divulged that its staff conducted a video call with someone they believed to be Torres Garcia in January 2025 — weeks after police allege the girl was murdered by family members.
Investigators believe Torres Garcia likely died in fall 2024 while her family lived in Farmington. Police allege her body was kept in a basement before being moved when her family relocated several months later.
New Britain police discovered her body Oct. 8, 2025 inside a storage bin after receiving a report of suspicious activity at an abandoned property in the city.
The girl's mother and her mother's boyfriend have been charged with her murder. An aunt was also charged with unlawful restraint, risk of injury to a minor and intentional cruelty to a person under 19 years old.
The case has sparked an outpouring of grief in the city, along with calls for a transparent accounting from DCF about its involvement with the family.
The case has also reignited a contentious public policy discussion about whether Connecticut does enough to ensure the safety of children who are homeschooled.
Torres Garcia attended public schools in New Britain for most of her life before her mother withdrew her from the school system to receive instruction at home in August 2024, according to school officials.
History of DCF involvement
In a lengthy statement released Friday, DCF said it aims to “correct misinformation that is being publicly reported” about the agency’s involvement with Torres Garcia, which dates back to the girl’s birth in January 2013.
Her mother, Karla Garcia, was residing in a detention center at the time. Torres Garcia was therefore placed in the custody of a paternal relative, and remained in her care until after she turned 9, according to DCF. The relative also became the guardian of her younger sibling.
Court filings show the children lived with their paternal grandmother in New Britain. DCF said the parents saw them regularly at her home.
In the years that followed, the agency provided services to the family a handful of times: from April 2014 through June 2016; and briefly in 2017 and 2021, following reports related to a younger sibling, according to DCF.
The mother and father then regained guardianship of the children in May 2022, with support from DCF, the prior relative guardian and the child's attorney, according to DCF.
“The Department's recommendation was made after conducting a review of the family's history and current circumstances, an interview with Jacqueline and her sibling and an assessment of the parents' current ability to care for them at that time,” the agency said.
The children moved in with their mother. Court records show the parents lived separately and were never married.
'Active and evolving criminal investigation'
DCF’s last contact with Torres Garcia came during a subsequent investigation in September 2022 concerning her younger siblings. The agency said it closed the case after determining there was “insufficient evidence to substantiate child abuse and neglect or seek removal of the children from the home.”
“She and her siblings were determined to be safe at that time and were visible to the community,” the DCF statement reads. “The school-aged children were enrolled in school, and the children's medical provider was contacted and did not express concerns.”
After that time, DCF noted that Torres Garcia attended medical appointments on three occasions, with the last in May 2024. A family court judge then awarded Karla Garcia sole custody of the children the following month.
DCF’s last interaction with the family came in January 2025, when it received allegations concerning a younger sibling of Torres Garcia.
Investigators believe Torres Garcia had already died by that time.
According to DCF, the girl’s mother said that Torres Garcia was being homeschooled and staying temporarily out-of-state with a relative. DCF then conducted a video call with a person who the mother claimed to be Torres Garcia, according to the agency. It closed the case a few months later because no additional concerns were noted.
“This remains an active and evolving criminal investigation and we will continue to be as transparent as possible following the completion of our review,” the agency said Friday.
The public accounting came after a pair of high-ranking Democratic lawmakers chastised DCF for its handling of the case. In a joint statement, the House and Senate chairs of the legislative Committee on Children said the agency failed to protect Torres Garcia, calling her death a “horrific situation” that “should not have happened.”
“It's clear that DCF did not meet the moment here, and we need answers as to how and why this happened, as well as assurances that we can make certain it never happens again," reads the statement, which was released previously by state Sen. Ceci Maher and state Rep. Corey Paris.
Police in Farmington declined a previous request to discuss DCF's involvement, saying the timeline of the case is still under investigation.
