A Florida father has been sentenced to more than four decades in prison after leaving his 18-month-old son inside a sweltering truck for roughly three hours while he got a haircut and drank at a nearby bar.
Scott Gardner, 34, was sentenced to 42 years behind bars on Thursday, July 23, after pleading no contest to second-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and neglect of a child causing great bodily harm in the death of his son, Sebastian.
The heartbreaking case began on June 6, 2025, when Gardner left the toddler in the back seat of his truck in Ormond Beach while he visited Classic Cuts and Hanky Panky’s Lounge, according to the Office of the State Attorney for Florida’s 7th Judicial Circuit.
Authorities said the truck’s windows were down, but the air conditioning was not running. The only source of relief for Sebastian was a small battery-powered fan pointed in his direction.
It was nowhere near enough.
By the time the little boy was taken to the hospital, medical personnel estimated that his body temperature had climbed to a staggering 111 degrees. Investigators said Sebastian had already been dead for at least an hour.
Gardner was arrested on June 19, nearly two weeks after his son’s death, following a joint investigation by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and the Ormond Beach Police Department.
Prosecutors said Gardner repeatedly lied to detectives about what happened before eventually facing charges in the toddler’s death.
During Thursday’s emotional sentencing hearing, Sebastian’s mother, Lorena Dague, remembered her son as a joyful little boy with bright blue eyes, a beautiful smile and a “silly little laugh that could fill a room.”
“The short 18 months I had with Sebastian will never be enough, but I cherish every single minute we shared together,” she said in a victim impact statement, according to FOX 35 Orlando.
Dague then turned her attention to Gardner, telling him that his actions had destroyed far more than one life.
“You took away a sweet and innocent life, and you shattered a family,” she said. “I hope you truly understand the magnitude of what you stole from this world.”
Despite the anger and devastation she carries, Dague said she had chosen to forgive Gardner “for my own heart and for my boys.”
State Attorney R.J. Larizza said there was no reason to celebrate the resolution of a case involving such unimaginable suffering.
“There is no cause for celebration in resolving this case,” Larizza said. “An 18-month-old child suffered greatly and died while in the custody and care of his father.”
He delivered an even harsher condemnation of Gardner’s choices that day.
“The father chose to drink and get a haircut instead of loving and protecting his son,” Larizza said. “A totally vulnerable and defenseless child died because of the selfish vanity of his dad.”
Gardner will now spend the next 42 years in prison for leaving Sebastian helpless inside the dangerously hot vehicle.
I dont understand these people, do they think its a dog, that you can just leave in the car, because a dog probably would have jumped out if he was uncomfortable since the windows were open. How the hell do you leave a baby in the car and with the windows open? Even if it wasn’t hot, are you not concerned someone could have taken him?
Hey Gardner…
Just because you’re a new generation of Americans still doesn’t completely excuse you for being an irresponsible, immature total moron!!
Enjoy prison, you idiot!!