A mother has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after leaving her one-year-old son in a scalding bath while she went out with her boyfriend. Samantha Garver, 26, and her partner Sergio Mena, 34, admitted to second-degree murder and child abuse following the death of Henry Wheatley-Brown at their home in Sugarloaf, California, on September 30, 2023.
Details of the incident
Mena placed the toddler in an excessively hot bath and then left the property, allegedly to obtain methamphetamine. Henry suffered catastrophic burns. When the couple returned to find the child screaming in agony, Mena made no effort to ease his suffering, according to the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office.
"Despite Henry's extensive and life-threatening injuries, neither defendant sought medical care, instead attempting to treat the burns with over-the-counter ointment," prosecutors stated. It was only the following day that the couple alerted authorities to his "shallow breathing."
Medical condition and prior abuse
Paramedics found Henry without a pulse, ice-cold to the touch and severely dehydrated. The investigation revealed that the boy had endured ongoing abuse, including second- and third-degree burns across his body, physical bruising, and multiple healing fractures in both arms. Child services concluded that the toddler's death was attributable to "abuse or neglect."
Years of records documented alleged abuse suffered by Henry and his three elder siblings, prompting involvement of the San Bernardino County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Garver allegedly admitted to DCFS workers that she "felt like putting a pillow over" one of her children and posted on Facebook asking if "duct taping a child's mouth is abusive."
Sentencing and reactions
Mena received a 21-year sentence, while Garver was jailed for 14 years. The district attorney's office said: "Although nothing can bring back baby Henry or erase the suffering he endured, today's sentences deliver justice and ensure these defendants will never again harm a child."
The case divided investigators, with some concluding the children faced a "high risk" of abuse while another maintained they were "safe." The boy's grandmother, Sierra Rivers, minimized the mistreatment, telling the Los Angeles Times: "I got abused as a kid, and I got hit as a baby, and I turned out fine."
