A 29-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a woman, police announced. The arrest followed a welfare check initiated after the victim’s three-year-old daughter was found alone in a residential complex parking lot with apparent dried blood on her face and clothing.
Joy Chandra Nath, 29, has been charged with second-degree murder and child abuse.
According to investigators, a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office (MDSO) deputy was flagged down by a woman on Saturday, April 26, 2025, who reported that her three-year-old granddaughter had been found wandering in the parking lot of her residential complex near SW 144 Street and SW 134 Avenue in The Hammocks.
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A neighbor had recognized the child and brought her to her grandmother.
Responding deputies went to the child’s residence to locate her mother, but she was not at home.
A subsequent area search led deputies to discover the victim, identified as 24-year-old Maria Camila Garcia-Molina, unresponsive inside her vehicle. She was suffering from apparent stab wounds. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to the scene and pronounced her deceased.
Detectives were able to identify Joy Chandra Nath as a suspect. He was located and taken into custody.
According to court records and reports from multiple media outlets, Nath is the victim’s ex-boyfriend, and she had previously sought a temporary restraining order against him, citing a history of stalking. The temporary order was reportedly dismissed when the victim did not appear for a subsequent hearing.
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Authorities have not publicly released a motive for the killing, but the arrest report and sources indicate a history of alleged harassment and a recent altercation between Nath and the victim’s current boyfriend the day before her death. The victim’s daughter reportedly told investigators that “Joy” was with her mother and that her mother was “hit in the head and was now sleeping.”
Nath was arrested and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He is being held without bond on the second-degree murder charge. The investigation remains ongoing by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Homicide Bureau.
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