A disastrous father has been arrested after leaving his helpless 18-month-old son to die in a scorching hot truck while he got a haircut and drank at a bar for over three hours.
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The shocking case of Scott Gardner, 33, who now faces aggravated manslaughter charges, reveals a callous disregard for his child’s safety that has sparked outrage from law enforcement officials.
Gardner left his toddler son Sebastian strapped in the backseat of his truck while he visited a barbershop and then proceeded to drink at Hanky Panky’s Lounge in Volusia County.
The only cooling measure provided was a small battery-powered fan placed in the front seat, while temperatures inside the vehicle soared to a deadly 111 degrees.
When Gardner finally returned to check on his son, the child was unresponsive.
Medical personnel later determined Sebastian had already been dead for one to two hours, with his body temperature exceeding 107 degrees when he arrived at the hospital.
When describing Gardner’s actions, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood did not mince words.
“This father is a human piece of garbage, and he’s a lying sack of s—,” Chitwood stated.
Then he added:
“He’s exactly where he belongs — behind bars. I don’t think there’s a penalty on Earth that would ever fit for the crime committed here. My hope for him is that every night when he closes his eyes, and every morning when he opens his eyes, his son Sebastian asks him, ‘Dad, why did you do this to me?’ There is no reason for this little boy to be dead.”
In an alarming detail, investigators found that after Sebastian was pronounced dead, Gardner returned to the bar with his mother and stayed there until almost midnight.
Witnesses noted that neither appeared as distraught as would be expected after losing a child.
The infamous father initially provided false accounts of the day’s events before eventually confessing.
Authorities have described Gardner’s actions as intentional and shocking, resulting in charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect causing great bodily harm.
The investigation, conducted jointly by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office and the Ormond Beach Police Department, revealed that Gardner left the windows down but did not use the vehicle’s air conditioning.
Additionally, body camera footage showed Gardner pleading for help when police arrived, saying, “My son’s not breathing. A year and a half. Oh my god. He just had his eyes open. Oh my god, Sebastian.”
This tragic incident highlights the ongoing issue of hot car deaths in America, with an average of 37 children dying annually from heatstroke in vehicles.
Gardner is currently being held without bond as the investigation continues.
As the investigation progresses, the public awaits justice for Sebastian and hopes his tragic story serves as a somber lesson to prevent similar future fatalities.
Florida dad left toddler son to die in hot car for 3 hours as he got haircut, went drinking at bar: police https://t.co/3QOL2tNdYN pic.twitter.com/qUeBNoyBBI
— New York Post (@nypost) June 20, 2025
