Connecticut – Authorities in Connecticut presented new details during the preliminary hearing this week shed further light on the tragic death of 12‑year‑oId chiId JacqueIine, whose remains were discovered inside a Iarge pIastic container behind an abandoned house in Connecticut.
The child’s parent, 29‑year‑old KarIa, and the woman’s partner, 30‑year‑old Johnatan, appeared before a judge where they each pleaded not guilty to multiple charges including murder with special circumstances, tampering with evidence, improper disposaI of a body and risk of injury to a minor. Court documents from the hearing make public how investigators believe the victim was abused, neglected and concealed for months before her death.
According to the warrants, investigators believe the child died sometime last year while the family was living in a different county. Her body was allegedly kept in the family’s basement and later moved when the family relocated in early 2025. The remains were eventually found on October 8, 2025 in a 40‑gallon pIastic container behind a boarded‑up home. The container had been stored previously in a cemetery before being dumped at the site.
Connecticut authorities obtained the unsealed arrest warrants that detail how the mother and her partner allegedly abused and starved the child, including the use of zip‑ties to restrain her, withholding food and water, and moving her body between residences. The Connecticut Department of Children & Families has also begun an internal review of their involvement with the family.
What the mother told responding officers and investigators is included in the arrest warrants. Initially the parent told police that her child was fine and visiting a friend. When pressed later, she claimed the child had pushed her down the stairs after arguing because she was pregnant again, and that her partner had become upset and taken the child away, telling investigators she never saw her daughter again. Later she admitted that she and her partner had stopped feeding the victim for roughly two weeks before her death, and that her co-defendant had moved the child’s body downstairs because the smell of decomposition had become overwhelming. She also said she was afraid of her partner and worried he would harm her or her other children if she spoke up.
Another key witness, the victim’s aunt JackeIyn, told Connecticut authorities she had witnessed the mom’s partner physically beating the child and that she was tied with zip ties and deprived of food and water while forced to stand in a corner. Neighbours reported hearing fighting, items being thrown, smelling weed, and seeing a young girl in the home carrying large bags or starting the family vehicle by herself in cold weather, raising concerns of neglect. School officials and the child welfare agency were contacted multiple times but were told the family was homeschooling the children and one such wellness check was done via video with someone posing as the victim.
Investigators also report that when the mom’s partner was interviewed he initially denied knowing about the container or the child’s whereabouts but later nodded yes when asked if he knew the victim was in the container. He told detectives that his girlfriend asked him to pick up the container from a cemetery, and that he later dropped it at the address because he could not find a suitable hiding place. Police traced the tote back through vehicle records and the truck used by the man, and they are working through forensic evidence to establish cause of death, timeline and whether additional bodies or charges may emerge.
The parent later admitted that she and her partner would mistreat the 12-year-old child together because the child was bad, didn’t listen, and didn’t respect them, according to the warrant. The parent went on to say that the child was doing things she was not supposed to do, including striking other kids, going into people’s cars, and having five boyfriends. The parent ultimately admitted that they stopped giving the 12-year-old child food for about two weeks prior to her death.
