INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis mother's neglect charges have escalated to murder following the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Skylar Gardner.
33-year-old Chantell Gardner, who previously faced neglect charges, now stands accused of murder. Her boyfriend is being charged with assisting a criminal.
As WRTV previously reported, a probable cause affidavit revealed on Jan. 25, officers responded to a call placed by Gardner, who reported finding her daughter unresponsive underneath a dresser in their apartment.
When officers arrived at the scene, Gardner claimed she had been preparing dinner and had called for her children—her 4-year-old son and her 2-year-old daughter—to eat. While the son came, the girl did not respond. After searching the home, Gardner told police she found her daughter cold to the touch and not breathing. In an attempt to save her daughter, she said she carried her daughter outside and called 911 while also contacting her boyfriend.
Minutes later, emergency medical personnel arrived and pronounced the child deceased.
Conditions of the Home
Upon evaluating the apartment, officers conducted a protective sweep. In newly obtained documents, police described the overwhelming clutter of the home and provided photos.
"The apartment floors were covered in human feces, garbage, chicken bones, fast food bags, opened BBQ sauce containers, clothing, toys, other debris, knocked-over furniture, and household items. The floors were littered with the above items, and more," detectives wrote.
The affidavit says the floor was cluttered to the point detectives had no choice but to step on the items as they were walking through. Multiple areas of the walls were covered in feces, what appeared to be BBQ sauce, and other unknown substances, including a baby crib and mattress that had feces layered on them.
Coroner examination
While conducting the physical examination of Skylar, the coroner pointed out several concerning injuries. The injuries were believed to be as follows on initial observation from the coroner:
- Multiple patterned bruising across the entirety of Skylar's body
- Multiple bruising, non-specified, over the entirety of Skylar's body, including her vaginal area and her right eye
- Multiple bite marks on Skylar's back and possibly under her left arm
- Puncture wound on Skylar's neck
- Internal injury to her lower inner lip
- Unknown injuries to Skylar's feet
The coroner noted external injuries of what appeared to be multiple bite marks on Skylar, frostbite on her feet and hands, and round patterned bruising approximately ¾ - 1 inch in diameter.
The coroner also noted multiple injuries were believed to be postmortem, including the puncture wound found on Skylar's neck. These were believed to have been from a rodent.
As of now, the coroner believes Skylar died of hypothermia. Court documents revealed the home did not have heat. The temperature of each room inside the residence and recorded the lowest temperature as 46 degrees Fahrenheit and the highest temperature as 51.
Upon investigation, it was noted that the dresser appeared to be knocked over but was resting on a chair, with several fabric drawers lying on the floor around it. Given its lightweight design, the dresser is not believed to have been heavy enough to contribute to Skylar's death.
Due to this and the injuries observed on Skylar, detectives decided to take both Gardner and her boyfriend Brian Thomas to the IMPD Child Abuse Office to conduct interviews with both.
Interviews with the Chantell Gardner and Brian Thomas
According to the affidavit, the boyfriend, Brian Thomas, reportedly told police that Gardner had left his residence on Jan. 25 and a short time later called him, screaming and telling him to come over. Thomas said he did not know the condition of Gardner's apartment. When she called him screaming and crying, he went to her apartment but met her in the building's common area hallway.
Thomas later said he lied to detectives only because he was trying to protect Gardner. He said she would come over and spend the night at his residence, sometimes five days a week. He said during those five days, she would bring the kids over one day at most, sometimes not even once. He said the last time the children were at his residence was on his birthday on Dec. 27.
When detectives first spoke with the Gardner, she described returning home, feeling anxious, and waiting in her car for a food delivery. Upon returning to the house, she reported that she could not find Skylar and discovered her under the dresser, unresponsive and cold to the touch. She attempted CPR and called 911.
In the investigation, Gardner then changed her story saying that the last time she had seen Skylar was the previous day, January 24, at around 4 p.m. She recalled giving the children a meal from McDonald's before leaving for Brian's house, not returning home until 6 p.m. on January 25. As she searched for Skylar, she sensed something was wrong when her daughter did not rush to greet her, a common occurrence.
Later Gardner admitted to police she would check on her children once a day to bring them food and drink. She said the kids could climb onto the counter and get their water. She also told police that she last bathed the kids a week or two weeks ago. She said when she checks on the children she sees feces on their hands and feet and that her daughter's vagina was red and swollen because of her pampers.
Gardner denied physically harming Skylar and her son. She told police she was guilty of leaving them at home alone, but she did not physically or sexually assault either of them. She said she would leave the kids at home whenever she went to Thomas's house. Gardner claimed Thomas didn't know she left the kids alone.
In addition, Gardner explained she stopped taking the children to their doctor's appointments due to their hygiene and smell. She said she understood the potential consequences of her improper care and was aware of the consequences of them reporting her to DCS and/or taking the children away.
According to court documents, the kids' father lives in Ohio. He told police he tried to speak with the children via phone and video but Gardner was unresponsive to his requests. He said he agreed to give Gardner full custody because he felt he could not raise the children the way they should be raised due to his disability.
The father said his three adult children had more frequent contact with Skylar and his son and told him the kids smelled like urine when they last saw them.
A friend of Gardner also spoke with police, telling them that when Gardner went out, she would tell her the kids were with Brian. The friend said people would have taken the children if Gardner needed help but no one knew she was leaving the kids home alone. She said they have a group of friends who all would have stepped up.
Gardner's initial hearing was Thursday morning. She has a jury trial scheduled for April 8 at 9 a.m. for a charge of murder and neglect. A warrant is currently out for Thomas's arrest for assisting a criminal.
