A Washington state mother was accused of savagely murdering her 4-year-old son by stabbing her young child 41 times, according to court documents obtained by Fox 13.
Janet Garcia, 27, was charged with first-degree murder on Friday in the death of her son, Ariel Garcia, in Everett, Washington in March 27.
Charging documents initially identified 16 “sharp force wounds,” but an autopsy determined there were 41.
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At Garcia’s arraignment on Monday, prosecutors argued the number of stab wounds showed the attack against Ariel was “prolonged,” the Everett Herald reported.
The autopsy said Ariel died of “homicidal violence.”
A grandmother was granted emergency custody of her 4-year-old grandchild just days before the child was reported missing and later found dead, court documents reveal. (Everett Police Department)
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Charging documents said that Garcia had relapsed on methamphetamine.
On March 27, Garcia’s roommate discovered a bloodstain in their apartment and alerted local police.
Washington State Patrol issued an endangered missing person alert for Ariel in the early hours of March 28, several hours after he was last seen, and the Everett Police Department launched a regional search effort involving nearly 100 officers, agents and investigators from multiple jurisdictions, including the FBI.
The documents detail the discovery of Ariel’s body with 41 stab wounds, near Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM).
Surveillance footage captured Garcia carrying a ‘toddler-sized object’ wrapped in a blanket.
The mother of the 4-year-old boy found dead in Washington state has been arrested in connection to his death. (Everett Police Department)
Custody Battle:
Just days prior to the 4-year-old’s brutal murder, his grandmother filed for “emergency minor guardianship,” claiming that the child’s mother had “a long history of alcohol and substance abuse that has gotten worse in the last few months.”
According to court documents obtained by the station, Garcia and her mother, Ariel’s grandmother, had been arguing over text over Garcia being unable to see her children.
The child’s grandmother also filed for emergency custody of Garcia’s other child, Ariel’s 7-year-old half-brother, the same day Ariel was reported missing.
The charging documents said that during the investigation, family members said that they observed Garcia being “physically and verbally aggressive” towards her two young children.
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When investigators spoke to the 7-year-old after his mother’s arrest, he said that Garcia had been “hurting him a lot” and that she was “too aggressive with him,” according to court documents.
The child alleged his mother choked him and dragged him down the stairs, and that his head hurt from her treatment.
Garcia remains in Snohomish County Jail, held on $3 million bail.
If convicted, she faces life in prison.
Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.