Docs: WA mother stabbed son 16+ times, repeatedly lied to police
EVERETT, Wash. - The mother of a boy who was found dead repeatedly lied to police and stabbed her son over 16 times, according to court documents.
Janet Garcia, 27, is faces charges of first-degree and second-degree murder, as well as assault of a child.
Police say Garcia used a sharp force object to kill her son, Ariel, and attempted to flee south.
Court documents state that 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.
Police arrived at the apartment and 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.
Police say Ariel's grandmother won emergency custody over him just days prior to him going missing.
In a text message conversation between Janet and another woman, Janet said Ariel fell, and he took him to the hospital.
It was later revealed that Janet was in a group home in Ridgefield, where police later contacted her.
Court documents state that Janet's story was filled with inconsistencies, first saying that Ariel fell from his bed, but later said that he jumped and fell.
Janet also 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 docs say.
Police said they noticed what appeared to be blood on Janet's clothes, including spots on the back of her shirt and small droplet marks on her shoes.
The FBI used Janet's phone to track her movements, which led them to an area south of I-5 and north of 47th Avenue SW near Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
After a short time, agents discovered Ariel's body wrapped in a blanket in the area. Police said there were around 16 sharp-force wounds to the front of his body, as well as a cluster of wounds to his upper back.
Janet Garcia will be in court Monday at 1 p.m.
Bail was set at $5 million.
A GoFundMe for Ariel's funeral expenses has been created.
In a statement, Ariel's family said:
"Queriamos empezar por dar las gracias por todas sus oraciones y condolencias que nos han mandado. A todos de la communidad de PNW, personal medico, personal de la ley y a todos que nos an mandado amor y apoyo en este tiempo dificil. Estamos muy sorprendidos de la cantidad de amor que hemos estado recibiendo de parte de los vecinos y gente de la communidad. Apreciamos a todos que han respetado nuestra privacidad en este momento. Tambien queremos mandar gratitud especial para todos los que han impactado la vida de Ariel positivamente.
Ariel fue un nino de 4 anos muy amoroso. Le encantaba manejar su bicicleta alrededor de la vecindad, jugar con carros de policia y amaba mirar Blippi. Ariel siempre cargaba una sonrisa que era contagiosa. La hora favorita de Ariel era cuando pasaba tiempo con su familia. Nuestro pequeno angelito siempre decia que le gustaria ser un policia cuando creciera. El trajo mucha alegria y felicidad a nuestras vidas. El se llevo un pedazo de nuestros corazons junto con el.
Porfavor tengan en cuenta que no vamos a comentar nada sobre el caso, gracias por entender.
Si tienen la voluntad de donar para los servicios funebres de nuestro Angelito, aqui esta el enlace para que donen. Muchas gracias por su contribution."
Translated to: "We want to start off by thanking everyone for the many prayers and condolences sent. Everyone in the PNW community, medical staff, law enforcement, and everyone and anyone who has given us any love and support. We are so shocked at the amount of love we have been receiving by neighbors and people from the community. We appreciate everyone who has also respected our privacy. We also want to send special gratitude to those who have positively impacted Ariel’s life. Teachers, friends, family, and our church group have all contributed to his happiness.
Ariel was such a loving 4-year-old. He enjoyed going for a ride on his bike around the neighborhood, playing with his police cars, and loved to watch Blippi. Ariel always carried a smile that was contagious. Ariel’s favorite time of the day was when he was around all his cousins and family. Our little angel always stated he was going to be a police officer when he grew up. He brought a lot of joy and happiness into our lives. He took a piece of our hearts along with him.
Please note that we will not be commenting about the case, thank you for understanding."
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