Grandmother of missing Everett boy told judge mother was a threat according to court documents

EVERETT, Wash. — Court records show the grandmother of the missing four-year-old Everett boy had told a judge that his mother was a threat and was not able to care for him, before he went missing, according to The Seattle times.

Everett police have been searching for four-year-old Ariel Garcia who was last seen at an apartment on Vesper Drive in Everett Wednesday at about 7 a.m.

Washington State Patrol sent out an Endangered Missing Person Alert for the missing child where a number of people received the notification Thursday evening.

Everett police said a body was found outside of Everett, and they believe it’s Garcia.

COURT DOUCMENTS:

Court documents indicated the grandmother of four-year-old Ariel Garcia, whose body is believed to have been found, won emergency guardianship of him the day before he went missing.

Garcia’s mother is identified as Janet Ernestine Garcia, officials wrote.

The grandmother, Maria Angelica Garcia, won emergency guardianship of Ariel Garcia and his seven-year-old brother on Tuesday after she had reported that Janet Garcia was using drugs.

Court documents indicate Court Commissioner Nicole Wagner granted the emergency order, issued a restraining order and set a court hearing for Friday, The Seattle Times reported.

Maria Garcia said her daughter’s behavior is “very violent and unpredictable.”

According to Clark County jail records KIRO 7 News saw, Janet Ernestine Garcia was arrested Thursday in Vancouver, Clark County.

She was arrested for investigation of misdemeanor charges of making a false statement, the documents say.

Her bond was set at $1,000.

A spokesperson for the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said a vehicle of interest was also found.

KIRO 7 News asked the sheriff’s office for more details about the vehicle and its location. We’re still waiting to hear back.

However, Everett police said a vehicle of interest, a 2013 steel blue Nissan Sentra SV with a Washington license plate CJC9954, was found in Clark County.

KIRO 7 News also reached out to the Everett Police Department and requested an interview to get more information on the case, including details on the body, a possible suspect and the vehicle of interest.

A spokesperson declined our request but said they would send more details Friday night.

ENDANGERED MISSING PERSON ALERT:

KIRO 7 News reached out to the Washington State Patrol about the alert it had sent out.

A spokesperson said they activated an Endangered Missing Person Alert for the missing boy midnight on March 28th.

An Endangered Missing Person Alert is sent out to the public when a person, of any age, is in danger because of their age, mental or physical disability and cannot return safely without help, troopers said.

For an AMBERT Alert, the person must be 17 years old or younger and known to have been abducted, in imminent danger of serious injuries or death, authorities must have enough information on the case to provide to the public, and the case is being investigated by law enforcement.

A spokesperson said the case did not meet the “17 years old or younger and known to have been abducted” requirement.

The official said the alert had initially been requested as an AMBER Alert but was later classified as an EMPA.

KIRO 7 News asked the agency why an alert was not sent out to the public sooner.

“The state patrol issues alerts at the request of law enforcement.  At times, law enforcement through their investigation, may have information that is NOT released to the public about why an alert is activated or not.  This is a question for the primary agency.”

We reached out to Everett police on why a number of people reported that they had received the alert more than 30 hours after the little boy was last seen.

We’re still waiting to hear back.

GARCIA’S TEACHER:

KIRO 7 News spoke with Taryn Martin, who said she taught Garcia for about a year and a half at Daffodils Preschool and After School in Lynnwood, which is now the home of College for Kids Intercultural Early Learning.

“I was really heartbroken to know that something like this was happening to someone that I know,” she said. “The uncertainty, it’s really hard to deal with.”

Martin described Garcia’s personality as very bubbly, and said he loved playing with other children and would often help younger students.

“He would take care of them. If he noticed somebody was having trouble with the chair, he would actually go and help with them with it,” she said. “He was very helpful and just a very happy bubbly personality.”

“Seeing him take care of the younger kids was just very rewarding to see for his personality,” she added.

Garcia also enjoyed being around his older brother who also attended the school, she added.

“Worried and concerned about him and also for his brother. The two of them were very very close. So not knowing how his brother is taking all of this, was really really concerning as well,” she said. “They were like joined at the hip. They were very very close.”

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