Child, 3, Was Wandering in Parking Lot with Blood on Her Face. Then Her Mom Was Found Slain
Authorities have arrested a Florida man in connection with the death of a woman after her young child was seen roaming in public with blood on her face and clothes.
Maria Camila Garcia-Molina, 24, was found fatally stabbed inside her car in Miami, Fla., on Saturday, April 24, the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office said in a press release.
Investigators arrested 29-year-old Joy Chandra Nath in connection with the case. He was identified by the Miami Herald, WSVN and CBS as her ex-boyfriend.
Police responded to Garcia-Molina's residence after the woman's 3-year-old daughter was seen wandering around the parking lot of her family's residential complex, with what appeared to be dried blood on her face and clothes, the sheriff's office said.
A neighbor saw the child and took her to the girl's grandmother, who then flagged down a sheriff's deputy.
Responding officers tried to locate the child's mother, Garcia-Molina, in her home but could not find her, per MDSO. They then found the woman in her vehicle during a search of the area.
She had several stab wounds on her and was pronounced deceased at the scene, MDSO said.
The investigation revealed Nath had allegedly stalked Garcia-Molina in the weeks leading up to her killing, per unspecified court documents cited by the Miami Herald.
Following the couple's break-up in November, Nath allegedly showed up to the woman's workplace and told her he had left something for her in her car; she later found an Apple Air Tag attached to her car, per the document, the Herald reports.
He had a temporary restraining order against him, but it was dropped after Garcia-Molina was absent for a hearing, the Herald reported, citing court records.
On the day before the killing, Nath allegedly showed up at a mall where Garcia-Molina was meeting her current boyfriend, and he got into an altercation with the boyfriend, per the documents.
Nath allegedly told police he had breakfast with the victim and her child on the morning of the killing. When authorities saw him in her neighborhood after the killing, he allegedly told them he was there to return her belongings, per the court documents.
In a GoFundMe set up to assist Garcia-Molina's family, she is being remembered as a hardworking mother who had a bright future ahead of her.
"Camila was the most beautiful and loving girl that you can ever imagine," her mother wrote in the fundraiser. The mother said Garcia-Molina "had dreams, plans, and a beautiful future ahead that was taken away from her too soon."Nath has been charged with second-degree murder and child abuse, according to Miami-Dade online court records reviewed by PEOPLE. His plea and attorney information were not available in the online records.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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