A Washington state mother is accused of savagely murdering her 4-year-old son, Ariel Garcia, by stabbing the child more than 16 times, according to court documents obtained by Fox 13.
Janet Garcia, 27, is charged with first-degree and second-degree murder, as well as assault of a child. The documents state that she also lied to police about what happened several times.
Garcia allegedly used a "sharp force object" to kill her son and attempted to flee, police told Fox 13.
Washington State Patrol issued an endangered missing person alert for Ariel in the early hours of March 28, several hours after he was last seen, and the Everett Police Department launched a regional search effort involving nearly 100 officers, agents and investigators from multiple jurisdictions, including the FBI.
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Police were initially called to an apartment that Janet and Ariel had been staying at, where the homeowners noticed a large amount of blood on the floor, according to court documents.
Upon arrival, Fox 13 reported that police cut out the carpeting, where they found the blood had seeped into the carpet padding and onto the subflooring, leading them to believe a serious injury had occurred.
In a text message conversation between Janet and another woman, Janet said Ariel fell, so she took him to the hospital. However, it was later revealed that Janet was in a group home in Ridgefield, where police later contacted her.
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Court documents state that Garcia's story was filled with inconsistencies, first saying that Ariel fell from his bed, but later said that he jumped and fell.
Garcia also reportedly told police that she tried checking Ariel into two hospitals, but later left him at a friend's house, though she couldn't remember the house, court documents stated.
Just before 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 28, after an hours-long search, Everett police were notified that a body had been located along an interstate in Pierce County. Detectives responded to the location and were able to confirm the deceased was Ariel.
Detectives said that Ariel's body was wrapped in a blanket and that there were around 16 sharp-force wounds to the front of his body, as well as a cluster of wounds to his upper back.
Three days prior to discovering his body, Maria Garcia, Ariel's grandmother, filed for "emergency minor guardianship," alleging that the child's mother "has a long history of alcohol and substance abuse that has gotten worse in the last few months," Fox 13 reported.
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The court documents obtained by the news station also revealed that Maria Garcia said her daughter’s behavior is "very violent and unpredictable" and asked the court to give limited or no visitation to the child's mother, citing physical child abuse.
The court documents obtained by the news station also revealed that Maria Garcia said her daughter’s behavior is "very violent and unpredictable" and asked the court to give limited or no visitation to the child's mother, citing physical child abuse.
During her first court appearance, a judge set Garcia's bail at $5 million.
Ariel's aunt, Daisy Salazar, has also set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses.
"Ariel was one of the most loving little man that I know. Never did I ever see him walking around without a smile," Salazar wrote. "Any funds not spent on the funeral services will be used for the welfare and care of Ariel’s brother."
