An autopsy report released this week in the case of Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-García, the 11-year-old found dead in a plastic bin late last year in New Britain, confirmed that her death was caused by child abuse and starvation. The child had a single blueberry in her stomach at the time of her death, according to the state’s autopsy. The report also stated that she weighed only 27 pounds, had “marked emaciation,” and a “near-absence” of fat on her body. She also had amphetamines, a stimulant that wasn’t prescribed to her, in her system. Police found Torres-García’s body in a plastic container behind an abandoned house in October. Her mother, her mother’s boyfriend and her aunt have all been charged in relation to her death, which officials have said occurred in 2024. Karla García, Torres-García mother, has been charged with seven felonies including a murder charge, child abuse, unlawfully restraining her daughter and illegally disposing of a body. García’s boyfriend, Jonatan Nanita, has been charged with the same felonies and larceny for allegedly defrauding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The child’s aunt, Jackelyn García, has been charged with three felonies related to child abuse and unlawful restraint. All three have hearings scheduled later this month. The autopsy says witnesses confirmed that Torres-García was restrained with zip ties. The case has also reinforced calls for more regulation of the state’s homeschooling system. In July 2024, the girl’s mother emailed school officials to alert them she planned to homeschool her daughter. Less than two months later, the child was dead, according to court records. Documents from the two school districts García, the girl’s mother, emailed regarding her plans to educate her daughter show that the homeschooling plan likely hid abuse from people who would have been required to report it to the state. It’s the second high-profile case in recent months related to homeschooling in Connecticut. In February, officials found that a Waterbury man had been allegedly locked away for decades after being pulled out of school in the fifth grade. Democrats convened a hearing to discuss the issue last session, which led to thousands of protesters gathering at the Capitol arguing against regulation of homeschooling. Speaker of the House Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said Wednesday night that there will likely be legislation about Torres-García’s case, which may include homeschooling and the Department of Children and Families. DCF had a history with the family. He said there’s more need to look at situations in which a family has a DCF history and gets withdrawn from school. “If you’ve had a lot of interaction with DCF and law enforcement and you just suddenly withdraw your kid, we might need to have better follow up on that,” Ritter said, noting the conversation is highly politicized. “That might get really ugly. Republican versus Democrat.” House Minority Leader Rep. Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, said he would support more oversight of families who withdraw their children from school and have active cases with DCF, but doesn’t want to see the legislation stretch into broad homeschooling regulation. “The broader conversation about homeschooling and to what degree they should be registered is a much more complicated conversation because it immediately moves into the realm of curriculum review, approval, testing,” Candelora said. “That defeats the whole point of homeschooling. To me, that’s a separate issue, and I don’t want to see us use a tragedy as an opportunity to regulate homeschooling.” ...read more read less