A 29-year-old man in Florida has been apprehended by law enforcement after he was accused of fatally stabbing his former girlfriend in her vehicle in Miami. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation on Saturday afternoon when a deputy was alerted by the grandmother of a 3-year-old girl who was wandering alone in a residential area near Southwest 144th Street and Southwest 134th Avenue. The child was found with what seemed to be dried blood on her face and clothes.
Upon reaching the child’s residence in search of her mother, the deputies did not find her. However, during a subsequent search of the vicinity, they discovered the mother’s car with her inside, unresponsive and with visible stab wounds. Emergency medical services were called to the scene, where they pronounced the woman, later identified as 24-year-old Maria Camila Garcia-Molina, dead.
The police, through their investigative procedures, arrested Joy Chandra Nath, 29, on charges of second-degree murder and child abuse. An arrest report obtained by local NBC affiliate WTVJ provided more details about the incident. According to the report, Garcia-Molina’s body was found covered in blankets in the passenger seat of her car, with stab wounds on her neck, torso, and other parts of her body. The authorities believe that the child was present during the murder. The child reportedly told the deputies that her mother had been hit in the head and was sleeping.
Garcia-Molina’s family reportedly stated that Nath was her former boyfriend and she had secured a restraining order against him due to his stalking behavior. The affidavit reportedly mentioned a recent altercation between Nath and Garcia-Molina’s current boyfriend at a local mall.
Nath was apprehended during a traffic stop early Sunday morning. He reportedly had scratches on his face, arms, and neck and was allegedly in possession of the victim’s belongings. Nath claimed that he, Garcia-Molina, and her daughter had been out for breakfast and that the victim had given him her purse and cell phone. Nath is currently being held at the Miami-Dade County jail without bond. Records indicate that he was out on bond for theft-related charges from the previous year.