A Florida man, on the run for allegedly inciting his pregnant teenage daughter to commit suicide, has been arrested in Massachusetts, court documents reveal.
The incident, which unfolded in April, sparked a nationwide manhunt for 34-year-old Gared Wayne Canales, originally from Palm Coast, Florida. He was found in Massachusetts and has been extradited to Flagler County to face charges of child abuse.
According to court records, Canales verbally abused his daughter during a cell phone call, hurling derogatory words at her and suggesting she was “worthless” and should “kill yourself.” The distressing call led the pregnant teenager to attempt suicide twice. First, she cut herself with glass, and later ingested 14 Benadryl pills while traveling in a car with her mother. Fortunately, both suicide attempts were unsuccessful.
The victim reported these incidents to the police, attributing her suicide attempts to her father’s hurtful words. She expressed her intention to press charges against him, leading to an arrest warrant being issued on April 14. However, by the time the police reached his last known address in Louisiana, Canales had fled.
Canales was later located in Massachusetts and is now held on a $10,000 bond on a felony child abuse charge. A restraining order has also been issued to prevent him from contacting his daughter.
The case received additional attention as a local news outlet reported that Canales’ cousin, Jonathan Canales, is currently serving a life sentence for attempting to murder his girlfriend and their child in 2014.
