A Florida man, Gared Wayne Canales, stands accused of prodding his 13-year-old daughter towards suicide with a series of demeaning verbal assaults.
The horrific incident took place in April, when the young girl reached out to her father via speakerphone while her friends were present. Rather than providing support, Canales is alleged to have subjected his daughter to a tirade of derogatory language, telling her to end her life. This outburst led the teenager to violently shatter a photograph of her and her father.
The teenager had previously revealed her feelings of despair to her father, stating in a text message that she harbored intentions of self-harm. Disturbingly, the continuous verbal abuse instigated a desperate act on April 9th.
The girl inflicted harm on herself with a knife and a shard of glass, followed by an overdose of Benadryl pills. Upon discovering her daughter’s actions, the girl’s mother rushed her to Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach, where immediate medical intervention saved her life.
In response to these horrifying events, authorities issued an arrest warrant for Canales on April 14. He was subsequently located in Massachusetts and extradited to Florida. Canales is currently detained in Flagler County Jail, without bail, facing charges that include felony child abuse and misdemeanor probation violation.
In order to safeguard the child’s welfare, the court issued a no-contact order against Canales on June 19th, prohibiting him from making any form of contact with his daughter. The public defender’s office, tasked with representing Canales, has yet to release any comment on the matter.