Mother Stabs Her 4-Year-Old Son 41 Times Till Death - Thinks She Can Get Out Of It - Part THREE

In the final segment of this investigation, the police response unfolds in real time as they try to locate a missing four-year-old boy whose mother, Janet Garcia, has been taken into custody. The episode is built almost entirely from raw police radio chatter, body camera footage, and interview room recordings, giving the listener a fly-on-the-wall view of a frantic search that grows more desperate by the hour.

The Search Begins

The episode opens with dispatchers and officers coordinating a search after Janet's mother reports finding blood at her daughter's apartment in Everett, Washington. The four-year-old, Ariel, is nowhere to be found. Officers learn that Janet has a history of substance abuse and mental health struggles, and that she recently relapsed. She has been in and out of a sober living facility in Clark County, and it is there that police eventually locate her.

The timeline is critical. Officers learn that Janet arrived at the sober living home around 2:00 PM, dropped off by a black Honda sedan. She is described as acting "drastically different" from her usual self—quiet, withdrawn, with her hair cut short. One resident notes that she seemed "like when somebody snaps," looking people in the eye with a flat affect. She is not intoxicated, but something is clearly wrong.

The Interview Room