A Washington mother allegedly stabbed her toddler son 41 times, then wrapped him in a blanket before dumping his mutilated body on the side of a highway, according to police.
Janet Garcia, 27, pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder in connection with the death of her 4-year-old boy, Ariel Garcia, in late March, the Everett Herald reported.
A judge set her bail at $3 million.
"To categorize this as brutal and cold-hearted, it's incorrect," her defense attorney Kathryn Fraser said during Garcia's Monday arraignment, according to the Herald. This is "a tragic circumstance of the failure of meaningful access to addiction treatment and mental health resources," she argued.
Prosecutors alleged Ariel was attacked by his mother for a "prolonged" period of time, during which he was stabbed dozens of times in his upper back and the front of his body. He also suffered defensive wounds to his arms.
On March 27, a relative reported Ariel missing "under suspicious circumstances," according to the Everett Police Department. Just two days earlier, his grandmother had filed for emergency guardianship of him and his 7-year-old brother, citing Garcia's alleged drug and alcohol addiction, which caused "very violent and unpredictable" behavior, according to court documents, the outlet reported.
"I love my grandson, and I want to protect him from whatever his mom is capable of while she is on drugs. He trusts me and feels safe with me. Since I have cared for Ariel all these years, I am already aware of his needs," the grandmother wrote in the documents, according to KOMO-TV.
"While she is on drugs, she is not capable of parenting. Her want for drugs and alcohol makes her leave for days at a time without notice. Luckily, since they live with me, I can step in when this happens. Her behavior has become very violent and unpredictable," she alleged.
Ariel's body was found March 28.
Garcia was arrested in a bloodied shirt while trespassing at a Ridgefield, Washington, group home.
"She said that morning, her son fell and hit his head, she took him to the hospital but the wait was too long so she left, and dropped him with a friend in Seattle," a detective stated in court documents.
Garcia was subsequently charged with Ariel's murder.
She remains jailed in Snohomish County.
