Everett police: Mother arrested in connection to death of 4-year-old boy

The Everett Police Department (EPD) has arrested the mother of 4-year-old boy Ariel Garcia in connection with his death.

The woman was arrested Friday for first-degree and second-degree murder and assault, according to a press statement from the EPD.

EPD said the woman was a person of interest and Clark County deputies placed her in custody after she allegedly made false and misleading statements within a few hours of Garcia being reported missing Wednesday. Her car was also impounded.

Police in Everett were then notified a body had been found along Interstate 5 (I-5) in Pierce County. Officers responded and confirmed the body was Ariel Garcia.

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner released a short statement Saturday confirming Garcia was the person found dead and added that the cause and manner of the boy’s death “are due to homicidal violence.” The office added it was not going to provide any additional information since this remains “an active, ongoing criminal investigation.” (A PDF of the medical examiner’s media report can be viewed here.)

“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,” Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin said in a news release. “I want to commend our Everett Police Department leadership, the many hard-working men and women that make up our team and our law enforcement partners throughout the region for all your work investigating this case. I also want to thank our media partners and the public for their help disseminating information and sharing tips – it really does make a difference.”

The mother will be booked into the Snohomish County Jail. MyNorthwest is not naming her at this time.

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EPD report finding a child’s body, didn’t officially confirm ID initially

Thursday evening, the EPD reported on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it was notified about a child’s body being found outside of Everett. The department stated that “initial indications” were that the body found was Garcia’s. The child’s family was notified.

The SnoCo Medical Examiner is responding and will determine the cause and manner of death and confirm the identity the victim. Major Crimes detectives from the Everett Police Department are actively involved in this case and are investigating this incident as a homicide. (2/3) https://t.co/Bk7ewhxkvF

— Everett Police (@EverettPolice) March 29, 2024

The department stated it was investigating this as a homicide.

Previous information on the Garcia case

Ariel Garcia was last seen around 7 a.m. Wednesday morning in an apartment along the 4800 block of Vesper Drive in the South Forest Park neighborhood along Evergreen Way, south of downtown Everett.

He was seen leaving the apartment with a family member.

“I feel extremely concerned because that’s not something that we’ve ever had a problem within this area,” one neighbor told KIRO Newsradio, requesting his name be left out of coverage. “There’s a daycare right here on the corner, and we have kids lining up for school daily.”

Officers had been communicating with members of his family. Detectives returned to the two-story apartment complex Thursday morning, approximately 24 hours after Garcia was last seen, interviewing more neighbors about the boy’s disappearance, according to KIRO Newsradio. Neighbors saw the detectives surround the same apartment all night Tuesday.

If anyone has any information, they are asked to call the EPD immediately.

This continues to be a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contributing: Julia Dallas, Steve Coogan and Frank Sumrall, MyNorthwest; Sam Campbell and Kate Stone, KIRO Newsradio