A couple has been accused of k!lling their 3-week-old infant, then staging his d3ath to make it look like he d!ed in his sleep.
Crystal Garcia, 21, and Anfernee Watts, 25, were arrested on April 8, 2026 and charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child stemming from the August 2025 d3ath of their son.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE, investigators say Garcia and Watts “provided multiple false and inconsistent statements to law enforcement in an attempt to conceal the true circumstances surrounding the d3ath” of their child at their home in Hollywood, Florida.
Crews were called to the couple’s home on the afternoon of August 1 after Garcia initially said she found the boy unresponsive in his playpen.
At the time, Watts told investigators he had left early that morning for a job interview, which authorities later determined had been a lie.
Likewise, Garcia said after Watts had left, she fed, cleaned and changed the baby before she put the child down and took a nap.
When she woke up, she said she went to talk to her mother in the home, but noticed something was wrong with the child when she returned to her room.
Garcia said she touched the baby’s eye to see if he would wake up, but the child did not move.
However, Garcia did not immediately call 911 or tell anyone else about the child, even her mother, saying she “didn’t want to stress her out.”
Investigators determined later that the child did not die in his sleep.
In March, his cause of d3ath was ruled as suffocation, with investigators alleging Garcia had intentionally restrained the infant by tightly wrapping him in a blanket, strapping him in a car seat and securing a pacifier in his mouth.
Additionally, Garcia is accused of placing the car seat in a bathtub, closing the door of the bathroom and playing loud music to drown out the baby’s cries.
“Upon later observing that the baby was unresponsive and appeared deceased, [Garcia] failed to immediately seek medical assistance and instead participated in staging the scene to mislead law enforcement,” police wrote in the affidavit, adding both Garcia and Watts knowingly participated in efforts to conceal what had happened.
During the investigation, authorities noted the home had been “recently cleaned using bleach and wipes, and items within the room appeared altered or removed.”
Watts reportedly also admitted to getting rid of baby bottles and other items, and Garcia was seen on surveillance video holding cleaning supplies and throwing out garbage about 30 minutes before she called 911 about the infant.
Investigators had also seen a disposable changing pad that appeared to have blood spotting on it, and the home smelled distinctly of bleach, which Watts had blamed on him accidentally knocking over a jar containing bleach before crews arrived.
Watts’ mother also told police that, three days after the baby’s d3ath, Garcia had admitted to lying about the events.
That day, Garcia had also begun continuously contacting the police department to “clarify” the information she had given investigators.
In voice messages, Garcia allegedly said she “lied” and wanted to tell police she had smothered the baby
Garcia and Watts are also facing charges of child neglect with great bodily harm, tampering with physical evidence, failure to report d3ath to a medical examiner and knowingly providing false information to law enforcement during investigation.
They are currently in the Broward County Jail awaiting trial.
