CONROE, Texas – Two Conroe sisters are facing federal charges in connection with the alleged kidnapping and forced labor of a minor child, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas announced this week.
According to a two-count federal indictment returned Jan. 14, sisters Tania Evette Garcia, 37, and Brenda Mariana Garcia, 39, are accused of kidnapping and abusing a 12-year-old girl between March and September 2025.
Federal prosecutors allege the sisters physically abused the child, restrained her with zip ties and forced her to perform labor and services through force, threats of force, physical restraint and abuse.
Newly filed court documents provide additional details about the allegations. In an order denying Brenda Garcia’s release before trial, a magistrate judge described the conduct as “depraved, revolting, and deeply disturbing.”
Prosecutors claim the child was starved to the point that she searched for food in the trash. The filings further allege the girl was humiliated and punished, including being forced to crawl and bark like a dog on camera.
Investigators say video footage recovered from home surveillance cameras captured portions of the abuse. Prosecutors also allege Brenda Garcia intentionally recorded the victim while nude in the shower.
Court records state the victim appeared visibly malnourished in some of the videos and had numerous injuries.
Authorities say the child escaped on Sept. 28, 2025, and was found running down a roadway yelling for help, with zip ties still around her wrists.
Deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit responded. The child was taken to a local hospital, where medical staff documented injuries consistent with abuse and malnutrition, according to the sheriff’s office.
She was later transported to Texas Children’s Hospital and then to Children’s Safe Harbor, a child advocacy center.
Court documents state Brenda Garcia lied to Child Protective Services and to the victim’s mother — who had been deported to Honduras — about the child’s whereabouts.
Prosecutors also claim Garcia was violating her state bond conditions by possessing firearms at her house.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office urges anyone who suspects child abuse or neglect to contact law enforcement or the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400. In emergencies, call 911. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Multi-County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-392-STOP.