Gared Wayne Canales told his daughter to die by suicide, deputies said. (Mugshot: Flagler County Sheriff’s Office)
Deputies announced on Monday that they caught a man wanted for allegedly telling his 13-year-old daughter to die by suicide, leading the victim to cut herself on several nights and then, on one day, down 14 Benadryl pills in an attempt to end her own life, authorities said in the arrest affidavit against Gared Wayne Canales, 33.
Documents are dated April 12, but the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office in Florida announced his apprehension on Monday. Canales was found in Massachusetts and now sits in the Flagler County Jail for child abuse without great bodily injury and a misdemeanor violation of probation, authorities said.
Canales was already on probation after pleading no contest to violating a domestic violence injunction. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, with credit for 13 days behind bars on Oct. 18, 2021, and also had to serve a year of probation. Records on Oct. 5, 2022, showed that he allegedly violated his probation by failing to comply with orders like enrolling in a domestic violence intervention program, staying away from the victim in that case (concerning a Nov. 26, 2021 incident), and paying the $28 cost of supervision to Judicial Correction Services.
In the heavily redacted arrest affidavit, deputies said they were dispatched on April 12 after the child, identified in reports as Canales’ 13-year-old daughter, attempted to die by suicide.
Canales had allegedly subjected her to horrid verbal abuse on April 7.
“You kill yourself,” he told the victim on the phone, according to documents. “Just don’t say.”
“[Redacted] was further informed that Gared told [redacted] she was pregnant and worthless,” documents said. “[Redacted] stated that [redacted] is constantly verbally abused by her father. [Redacted] stated on Sunday, while cleaning after Easter fun, [redacted] grabbed her brother’s baseball bat and broke a portrait of her and Gared.”
Documents described a person, whose identity is redacted, saying “she was going to cut herself and go deeper to get her father’s attention.”
“[Redacted] advised that [redacted] also has text messages with Gared expressing her feelings,” the affidavit stated.
On April 7, Gared insulted the child by saying, “Bitch, slut, whore, go f— yourself,” according to documents.
“[Redacted] advised she was telling him how she felt about him, and Gared said, ‘You’re not worth it. I choose my girlfriend over you anyway, and go kill yourself,’” the documents stated.
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A person, whose name is redacted from the affidavit but is apparently Canales’ daughter, said she gave herself minor cuts on the arm several nights in a row. That culminated on April 10, when she took 14 pills of Benadryl, documents stated.
[Redacted] stated that she attempted suicide due to her father stating to go kill herself,” documents stated.Canales, who is currently being held without bond, is scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 7. He has not yet entered a plea.
The public defender’s office, which is representing Canales, did not immediately respond to Law&Crime’s request for comment.
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