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Daily Mail
24-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Jaw-dropping callousness of father who went drinking AFTER his son baked to death in hot car
An 18-month-old boy died after being left inside a parked truck in the Florida heat while his father drank beer and took shots at a bar, but in an act of callousness, after the toddler's death, the man returned to the same bar for another round of drinks. Authorities say Scott Allen Gardner, 33, of South Daytona, displayed an appalling level of indifference and deception after abandoning his son, Sebastian, for more than three hours in sweltering heat. By the time Gardner finally called 911, the child's body temperature had soared to a staggering 111F and it was too late. 'This father is a human piece of garbage, and he's a lying sack of s***,' Volusia County Sheriff Michael Chitwood said during a searing press conference. 'He's actually where he belongs to be, behind bars. There's no reason for this little boy to be dead.' Gardner is being held without bond at the Volusia County jail on charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect causing great bodily harm. The deadly sequence began on the morning of June 6. Gardner arrived at Classic Cuts, a barbershop in Ormond Beach, around 11:30am leaving his 18-month-old strapped inside a car seat inside his truck. The temperature outside hovered around 90 degrees. The windows were cracked open and a small fan was running in a feeble and ultimately futile attempt to offset the Florida heat and humidity After his haircut, Gardner crossed the street to Hanky Panky's Lounge, where he is alleged to have drank for nearly three hours. He left the bar at 2:40pm to drive to his mother's home where he finally called 911. Investigators believe Sebastian had already been dead for two hours and when Ormond Beach police arrived, they found Sebastian unresponsive. Emergency crews rushed him to the hospital, but it was too late. Doctors reported the toddler's internal body temperature to have exceeded 107 degrees. According to Sheriff Chitwood, Gardner later picked up his mother who was reportedly unaware of Sebastian's death and went back to Hanky Panky's Lounge for more drinks. 'I don't think there's a penalty on this Earth that could ever fit for the crime that was committed here,' Chitwood fumed. 'It absolutely shocks the conscience.' Gardner's behavior enraged law enforcement. 'There's no reason this little boy should be dead. None. Zero. This was not an accident. This was gross negligence, deception, and absolute callousness. He went back to the bar,' Sheriff Chitwood said, not holding back his disgust. 'During the investigation, Gardner gave multiple false accounts of what occurred that day,' the Volusia Sheriff's Office stated. A neighbor told a local news outlet that Gardner had lied to them claiming his son 'died of a fever.' Authorities arrested Gardner at his mother's residence, in what appeared to be a screened-in outdoor area. Bodycam footage showed the same officer who tried in vain to save Sebastian placing Gardner in handcuffs. 'Honey, I love you,' Gardner's mother, Jody Thereault, could be heard saying during the arrest. 'Love you guys,' Gardner replies. 'Say goodbye, because you're not going to come back here again,' another voice can be heard saying. A GoFundMe page, created before Gardner's arrest, raised $2,828 for funeral expenses. It described Sebastian as a 'bright light' who would 'forever remain in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.' 'No parent should ever have to experience the pain of losing a child,' the now-closed fundraiser reads. 'I hope they can find some comfort in the love and support surrounding them.' Sebastian's death marks the seventh hot-car child fatality in the United States in 2025. Last year, nearly 40 children died in similar circumstances - most under the age of 3, often left unknowingly by a caregiver. Safety experts urge parents to leave a diaper bag or toy in the front seat as a visual reminder, and to open the back door every time they exit the vehicle, even if they believe the child isn't inside. Kids and Car Safety, a nonprofit tracking such tragedies warns: 'It only takes minutes. A car can heat up 20 degrees in 10 minutes. And a child's body overheats three to five times faster than an adult's.' Sebastian's short life was marked by innocence. His family remembered him as a 'bright light' - a child whose memory, they said, will 'outlast even this unfathomable loss.'
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Yahoo
Toddler dies in hot car after ‘dad left him to get haircut and drink at bar for three hours'
An 18-month-old boy has died after he was allegedly left 'helpless in a hot truck' for over three hours by his father, who went for a haircut and then drinking at a local bar. Sebastian Gardner was found unresponsive in a parked vehicle on the afternoon of Friday, June 6, in Ormond Beach, Florida. Despite an officer's attempts to perform CPR at the scene, the child could not be revived. Medical personnel believe Sebastian's body temperature reached 111 degrees while trapped inside the vehicle. His father, 33-year-old Scott Allen Gardner, is accused of leaving him in the truck while he visited a bar after a haircut, according to ABC News. Gardner was arrested on Thursday, June 19, by the Volusia Sheriff's Office and Ormond Beach Police Department. He is charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect causing great bodily harm. Police say Gardner gave multiple false accounts of what happened before his arrest. In a tragic twist, the officer who had performed CPR on Sebastian was the same one who placed Gardner in handcuffs. In a statement, authorities said: 'Gardner is responsible for the death of his 18-month-old son Sebastian, who was left helpless in a hot truck for more than 3 hours on the afternoon of Friday, June 6, while Gardner got a haircut and then went drinking inside Hanky Panky's Lounge. 'It was estimated by medical personnel that Sebastian's body temperature reached 111 degrees during this tragedy. 'The same OBPD officer who tried to revive Sebastian placed Gardner in handcuffs today as he was taken into custody at his mother's home in Ormond Beach.' Police said the investigation remains ongoing, with more details expected to follow.
The Sun
20-06-2025
- The Sun
Dad ‘left toddler son to die in hot car for 3 hours while he went to bar and got hair cut' as boy's body hit 111 degrees
A DAD has been arrested after his helpless 18-month-old son died from being locked in a blazing hot car for three excruciating hours. Scott Allen Gardner, 33, got a haircut and went drinking at a bar while his little boy's temperature rose to a brutal 111 degrees, police said. 7 7 7 The dad stands accused of ditching his son in the middle of the afternoon on June 6, when temperatures in Ormond Beach, Florida, north of Orlando, soared to 92 degrees. After finally leaving Hanky Panky's Lounge, Gardner went on to wait hours before finally calling the police and reporting the death, the Volusia Sheriff's Department said. When detectives interviewed the dad, he allegedly lied multiple times about what had happened. Two weeks after his son's death, Gardner was arrested at his mother's home, video released by the sheriff's department reveals. He was sitting on the front porch when cops barged in, and he appeared to be arrested without any protest. Gardner was cuffed by the same Ormond Beach police officer who desperately tried to save his son's life. While Gardner was being led out, someone could be heard saying, "Scotty I love you," and he said, "Love you guys" back. "Say goodbye because you're not gonna come back here again," responded one of the arresting officers. Gardner's mom mourned the loss of the baby on Facebook and shared several pictures of the dad holding his son. "This is a challenging time for me and my family, but together we will find strength," wrote the grandmother on Facebook. She also shared a fundraiser where friends and family gave money and shared their condolences. Gardner has been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect, causing great bodily harm. Officials said they would release more information about his arrest on Friday. 7 7 7 PARENTS WARNED Safety experts have urged parents not to lock their children in a car, even on cloudy days that don't seem hot. Children's temperatures rise three to five times faster than adults, so being trapped in a warm environment can turn dangerous very quickly, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. When a child's body temperature reaches about 104 degrees, heatstroke can happen. Once the temperature reaches 107 degrees, the child can die. In 2024, a devastating 39 children died of heatstroke while trapped in vehicles. That number was up 35% from 2023. Parents should know that rolling down windows or parking in the shade does little to prevent potentially fatal heat from getting trapped inside a car. Kids should never be left for any period of time, and parents should make it a habit to check their entire vehicle before leaving. Around 50% of deaths take place after parents forget that a sleeping kid was in the backseat. The arrest comes after a dad trapped his daughter in a 109-degree car so he could go inside their home and play PlayStation. He claimed that the car was running with the air conditioning but it abruptly shut off while he was gone. And a father was devastated when an elderly family member forgot to take his twin toddlers out of a car in the summer. 7 What happens to a child locked in a car HERE is a minute-by-minute analysis of what can happen to a child locked in a car on a 72 degree day with scattered clouds. 40 mins: hyperthermia sweating thirst very uncomfortable 60 mins: severe sweating flushed increased heart rate children with epilepsy may start convulsing 90 mins (life-threatening): fainting dehydration weakness vomiting breathlessness 165 mins (medical emergency): severe headache dizziness confusion hallucinations delirium medical emergency 78.8 degrees with a clear sky in a dark car (the car may reach 151.7 degrees). 30 mins: hyperthermia sweating thirst very uncomfortable 45 mins: severe sweating flushed increased heart rate children with epilepsy may start convulsing 70 mins (life-threatening): fainting dehydration weakness vomiting breathlessness 110 mins (medical emergency): severe headache dizziness confusion hallucinations delirium medical emergency
