Toddler Dies After Dad Left Him Inside Car While Getting Haircut and Drinks at Bar

An 18-month-old boy is dead, and his father is behind bars after police say he left the toddler inside a sweltering truck for hours while he got a haircut and drank at a Florida bar.

Scott Gardner, 33, was arrested Thursday, June 19, nearly two weeks after his son Sebastian died in what authorities are calling a shocking case of child neglect and aggravated manslaughter. According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and the Ormond Beach Police Department, Gardner left the toddler inside his pickup truck for over three hours on June 6—with no air conditioning, the windows down, and only a small battery-powered fan pointed at the child.

Investigators say Gardner arrived around 11:30 a.m. and first went into Classic Cuts for a haircut. From there, he walked to Hanky Panky’s Lounge next door, where he drank until nearly 2:40 p.m.

At one point, when another patron backed into a bartender’s car, Gardner stepped outside to inspect the damage—but allegedly never once checked on Sebastian in the truck before going back in for more drinks.

Shortly after leaving the bar, Gardner drove a short distance home, then called 911 around 2:45 p.m. claiming his son wasn’t breathing. In a recording of the call, Gardner could be heard panicking: “My son’s not breathing. A year and a half. Oh my god. He just had his eyes open.” But investigators believe Sebastian had already been dead for one to two hours before that call was made.

When first responders arrived, it was already too late. The toddler had gone into rigor mortis. He was pronounced dead at the hospital at 3:30 p.m., where his body temperature was recorded at over 107 degrees. Experts estimate the inside of the truck had reached at least 111 degrees.

And what Gardner did after? According to Sheriff Mike Chitwood, he went back to the bar—with his mother. They reportedly stayed drinking until nearly midnight. Witnesses told investigators the pair didn’t appear nearly as distraught as one would expect after such a tragedy. Police said they don’t believe Gardner’s mother even knew the boy had died.

Gardner initially gave investigators several conflicting stories before ultimately admitting the truth. His behavior, according to Sheriff Chitwood, was more than careless—it was criminal.

“This father is a human piece of garbage,” Chitwood said in a scathing press conference. “He’s a lying sack of s—. There’s no logical reason why this little guy is dead. This was intentional. That’s what the charges are for.”

Gardner is currently being held on charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and child neglect causing great bodily harm. His case is ongoing.