Four-year-old Ariel Garcia (left, middle) was found dead beside a road in Washington state on March 29, 2024, a day after he went missing. Janet Garcia, his mother, is now charged with murder. Everett police apprehended Garcia, 27, shortly after her son was reported missing and took her car. (Everett Police Department)
A Washington state mother is in jail after her 4-year-old son was found dead beside the road, according to police.
Janet Garcia, 27, is accused of first- and second-degree murder and assault of a child in the death of Ariel Garcia in Everett, which is about 30 miles north of Seattle.
A relative reported Ariel missing under “suspicious circumstances” around 4 p.m. Wednesday, the Everett Police Department said in a press release. Around 100 local, state, and federal investigators launched a thorough search and determined the boy had last been seen Wednesday morning. Although the case did not meet the criteria for an AMBER alert, the Washington State Patrol issued an Endangered Missing Persons Advisory to the media and local residents on Thursday.
Police took Garcia into custody a few hours after Ariel went missing for making “false and misleading statements” to investigators. They also seized her car. Ariel’s body was found just before 6 p.m. Thursday along I-5 in the Tacoma area, south of Seattle. Garcia was arrested on Friday.
“I am completely devastated for the family and friends of Ariel Garcia, and they will remain in my thoughts as they mourn this incredibly tragic loss,” said Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin in a statement.
Local ABC affiliate KOMO, citing an arrest affidavit, reported investigators found a large amount of blood in the apartment where Ariel and his mother lived. She also had blood on her shirt, the affidavit reportedly said.
She reportedly claimed Ariel had fallen and hit his head that morning and she took him to the hospital. But the wait was “too long so she left,” the affidavit reportedly said. She then dropped the boy off at a home in Seattle while she boarded a bus, she claimed.
Ariel was also at the center of a custody dispute between his mother and grandmother, KOMO reported. Court records obtained by the TV station said Ariel’s grandmother filed a petition for guardianship two days before he disappeared.
More on Law&Crime: Babysitter beat toddler to death after child’s vomiting interrupted her hours-long marijuana session, police say
“I love my grandson, and I want to protect him from whatever his mom is capable of while she is on drugs. He trusts me and feels safe with me. Since I have cared for Ariel all these years, I am already aware of his needs,” his grandmother reportedly wrote in an affidavit.
The grandmother went on to say that Garcia is “not capable of parenting” while on drugs and has been exhibiting “very violent and unpredictable” behavior, the petition reportedly said. Garcia also would allegedly leave Ariel and another child alone without supervision so she could go to the bar and drink alcohol.
The cause of Ariel’s death has not been disclosed by authorities, except to say that he was killed in a violent manner.
Garcia was transported to the Snohomish County Jail where she is currently located. She is being detained without bail..
“The Everett Police Department expresses our sympathy to the family and friends of young Ariel Garcia. This is not the result we had wished for,” stated Everett Chief of Police John DeRousse.