WA mom pleads not guilty in son's gruesome murder

Everett mother pleads not guilty to child's murder

Janet Garcia, facing first-degree murder charges, pleaded not guilty Monday for the killing of her 4-year-old son Ariel, whose body was found with 41 stab wounds.

EVERETT, Wash. - Janet Garcia, facing first-degree murder charges, pleaded not guilty Monday for the killing of her 4-year-old son Ariel, whose body was found with 41 stab wounds.

Charging documents obtained late last week paint a heartbreaking picture of Ariel's final days. According to these documents, Janet had relapsed on methamphetamine. Her roommate discovered a bloodstain in their apartment on March 27 with both Janet and Ariel missing.

Ariel's grandmother and uncle arrived later that day with papers to take him, but tragically, they were too late.

The documents detail the discovery of Ariel's body with 41 stab wounds, near Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM). Surveillance footage captured Janet Garcia carrying a ‘toddler-sized object’ wrapped in a blanket.

Detectives believe the killing was premeditated due to the severity of Ariel's injuries.

Janet Garcia and her son, 4-year-old Ariel, who was found dead near Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. (FOX 13 Seattle)

Custody disputes and abuse allegations

Just two days before Ariel was reported missing and was later found dead, his grandmother filed for "emergency minor guardianship," claiming that the child's mother "has a long history of alcohol and substance abuse that has gotten worse in the last few months."

Garcia and her mother, Ariel's grandmother, had been arguing over text over Garcia being unable to see her children, court documents said.

According to charging documents, 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 documents said "family members observed the Defendant [Garcia] being physically and verbally aggressive" towards her two children.

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 as a result. He said his head still hurt days later, when she allegedly pulled him out of his bed, causing him to hit his sore head again, court documents said.

Janet Garcia remains in Snohomish County Jail, held on $5 million bail. If convicted, she faces life in prison.