Toddler found alone covered in blood led police to devastating discovery

Maria Camila Garcia-Molina, 24, was found dead in her car with stab wounds to her neck and wrapped in towels as her three-year-old daughter was found wandering alone with blood on her face.

A toddler covered in blood that was found wandering the streets alone alerted police to a devastating discovery.

After finding the three-year-old tot with dried blood on her face and clothes, police in Miami, Florida launched a search for the little girl's mother, Maria Camila Garcia-Molina as they couldn't find her during a search of their home on April 26.

The 24-year-old was tragically found unresponsive in her car with apparent stab wounds, following a frantic search of the area, and pronounced dead at the scene.

Her ex-boyfriend Joy Chandra Nath, 29, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and child abuse in this shocking case.

Cops chillingly found suspected blood on the passenger seat and her body wrapped in towels, as medical examiners later revealed she had stab wound to neck, torso and upper extremities.

Deputies were alerted to the case after the three-year-old's grandmother flagged down police around 4pm, local time, on Saturday, after a neighbour found the child strolling around her residential complex on her own, reports the Mirror.

Police revealed the mother had left her home with her daughter before she was later found wandering in the area, according to police documents seen by NBC Miami. The toddler told police that her mum was with Nath but Maria was hit on the head and fell asleep.

Cop files do not suggest the three-year-old was injured in this horror ordeal. Maria's family told police the mum had a restraining order against Nath after he allegedly followed and stalked her.

Nath reportedly also encountered Maria at the local Dolphin Mall with her new boyfriend before a verbal fight broke out between them on Friday. The 29-year-old was arrested following "investigative means" at a traffic stop early on Sunday morning.

The suspect was found allegedly found with Maria's belongings during the traffic stop, near her home, but he told cops he was going to return them to her. Cops noted that they also spotted scratches on his face, neck, and arms.

Nath reportedly told police that he was with Maria and her three-year-old at a restaurant for breakfast on Saturday and they claimed the victim gave him her phone and bag, before she went missing. The police report added that Nath claimed her brother called him to report she was missing, after they went their separate ways.

The suspect has been taken to Miami-Dade County jail and is being held without bond. Records have also revealed Nath had been on bond for theft-related charges from 2024.

Neighbour Sylvia Galvis told NBC Miami how the community had been affected by Maria's tragic death and said: "It was pretty scary for our community because we’re not used to this.

"All I know is there was a dead girl on the side of my house not even 6 feet from my fence and it’s horrible. It’s tragic."