RIDGEFIELD, Wash. — The mother of a 4-year-old boy reported missing earlier this week from Everett, Washington, has been arrested for murder in Vancouver. The boy, Ariel Garcia, was discovered dead on Thursday.
Everett Police Department said the mother, Janet Garcia, faces charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder and first-degree assault of a child. Garcia was in custody with assistance of the Clark County Sheriff's Office and was booked into Snohomish County Jail Friday evening. Her court appearance is Sunday at 1 p.m.
Police said at the time that Ariel disappeared under "suspicious circumstances" after leaving the apartment with a family member. According to KGW news partner KING in Seattle, he was last seen around 7 a.m. Wednesday at an Everett apartment building.
The Everett Police Department said that Ariel's body was found Thursday evening along I-5 in Pierce County, south of Seattle.
“I am completely heartbroken for the family and friends of Ariel Garcia, and they will remain in my thoughts as they grieve this unbelievably tragic loss,” said Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin.
According to documents filed in Clark County District Court, the boy's mother, Janet, was located in Ridgefield while law enforcement agencies were beginning to look for Ariel. The two situations happened near-simultaneously.
A Clark County detective reported being called to an address in Ridgefield around 6:15 p.m. Wednesday evening, with the caller identifying Janet Garcia as being "not wanted there." As deputies were responding, police in Everett notified the Clark County Sheriff's Office that Ariel Garcia's grandmother was concerned about where he was.
The grandmother reported that Janet and Ariel Garcia had stayed with a friend in Everett the night before. But the friend had come home that morning to find a "substantial amount of blood on the floor" and both mother and son gone, court documents state.
The detective said that he spoke with Janet Garcia, noticing what appeared to be blood speckled on her shoes and her white shirt. She told the detective that her son had fallen and hit his head that morning, according to court documents. While she said that she'd taken him to a hospital in Everett, the "wait was too long" so she dropped him off with a friend in Seattle.
Janet Garcia claimed that she'd then taken a bus down to Ridgefield to attend alcohol treatment, court documents say. But while the interview was going on, deputies found her Nissan Sentra in the parking lot of 3Peaks Public House & Taproom in Ridgefield. Surveillance video later showed a person who matched Janet Garcia's appearance parking the car and walking north, the detective noted.
"We have no idea why [Garcia was here]," said 3Peaks bartender, Colleen Macaulay. "We're very much off the beaten path, and she didn't come in."
Macaulay said later that night, investigators showed up to the bar and watched their security video.
"We were super shocked," said Macaulay. "When police came, the minute he said they were looking for a child, it really sunk in for everybody."
During questioning, Janet Garcia's answers were "inconsistent and difficult to follow," the detective said, but she insisted that her son had fallen and hit his head that morning. She also maintained that she'd taken a bus south from Seattle and had left her car there.
The Clark County Sheriff's Office initially arrested Janet Garcia on a single charge of giving a false statement to a public servant. She was booked into the Clark County Jail with her bond set at $1,000, although prosecutors noted that they'd requested a $50,000 bond.
In a statement Friday evening, Everett police said that officers had traveled down to Vancouver and arrested Janet Garcia on murder and assault charges in connection with Ariel Garcia's death.
“On behalf of the Everett Police Department, I want to share our condolences with the loved ones of young Ariel Garcia. This is not the outcome we had hoped for,” said Everett Chief of Police John DeRousse. “I want to thank all our partners that jumped into action to support this search effort. Our investigation will continue, and we will do everything we can to ensure there is justice for this young boy.”
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner is working to determine Ariel Garcia's cause of death.