The estate of Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-García, whose body was found in New Britain in October, has filed paperwork with the state’s claim commissioner requesting permission to sue the state’s Department of Children and Families for alleged negligence in its handling of the child’s case a nd for allegedly failing to protect her younger sister. The estate, represented by Torres-García’s father Victor Torres, seeks $100 million in damages — $75 million in Torres-García’s case and an additional $25 million in her sister’s case. The paperwork includes a long list of allegations of negligence on the part of DCF, including a failure to protect the girl from her mother, Karla García, and her mother’s ex-boyfriend, Jonatan Nanita, who have since been charged in her death. Connecticut’s chief medical examiner found that the cause of the 11-year-old’s death was fatal child abuse with starvation, and a homicide. Ken Mysogland, the bureau chief of external affairs for DCF, said in a statement that the department hasn’t yet “been formally notified of the claim and when it is received, we will assess it to determine the most appropriate course of action.” According to paperwork filed on Thursday with Connecticut’s claims commissioner, the lawsuit will argue, in part, that DCF failed to perform adequate wellness checks on Torres-García. That allegation is made in light of information released by DCF that another child had impersonated Torres-García during a wellness check conducted via Zoom in early 2025. At the time, DCF said that its caseworker was notified that Torres-García was visiting a relative out of state, and because the primary abuse allegation being investigated regarded her sibling, the agency allowed the wellness check of Torres-García to be made via Zoom. DCF welfare checks on children are normally conducted in person, with few exceptions, according to the agency. Lawmakers and advocates have demanded answers as to why the wellness check occurred via Zoom, and how the agency could have been fooled. In the document, the estate also accuses DCF of negligence in its training and supervision of employees, officers, agents and/or servants of DCF who were involved in the case, and also accuses DCF of prematurely closing the case involving Torres-García and her family. Paperwork was also filed by Connecticut’s Department of Administrative Services on Thursday that indicates that the state is investigating whether the heirs of Torres-García could owe funds to reimburse “for aid, care or services provided by the State of Connecticut.” According to Leigh Appleby, a spokesman for DAS, such a letter is routinely sent “when DAS is in the process of investigating whether the estate or any of the estate’s beneficiaries has a debt,” to any of the agencies, like DCF, that DAS is responsible for collecting. CT Mirror reporter Dave Altimari contributed to this story. ...read more read less