As a mother, you have a duty to protect your children. No matter if you’re going through a divorce, if your child is struggling developmentally, or in the case of today’s mother would rather focus on your rap career, your children need to come first. At first glance, it would appear this wretched excuse of a mom treating her children like an afterthought.
But in reality, it was far more sinister than that. Skyler Rose Gardener was born in early September of 2022. She had a brother who was only one year older than her and three half siblings, the eldest of which was already an adult when she was born. Her mother, Shantel, announced Skylar’s birth to the world on an Instagram post on September 8th, 2022.
It was accompanied with a song, Free Mind by Tames. She captioned it, “God gave me something I never knew I needed.” She brings peace to my crazy world. It was accompanied with a hashtag premature awareness indicating Skylar was born early. Chantel admitted she felt closer to her older son than to Skylar. She described Skylar as an independent baby and toddler.
Maybe it was a trait ingrained early in Skylar’s short life. Chantel didn’t spend much time with Skylar in the Piku since her son was only a year old when his sister was born and needed a caretaker. Chantel Monae Buouay was born on November 23rd, 1991, which makes her 33 years old as of the date of this recording.
She worked as an insurance collector for the company Rehab Medical. Her position was remote, but on days she needed to work in person, she had family or friends watch her children. Chantel had aspirations of being a rap artist, going under the name Chantel Monae, Shanny B, and Shanny B music.
She promoted herself on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and released her songs on Spotify and Apple Music. She even had some live performances at small venues and music festivals. Her Indiana Criminal Records show between 2010 and 2019 that she’d lived in at least four different residences, or at least had them as her mailing address.
She also may have lived in Atlanta, Georgia for a short time, as indicated from her Facebook profile and a public background check service. Chantel got married in July of 2017 and took her husband’s last name, Gardener, as her own. Her husband had three older children from a previous relationship, one of which was named Godfather to his oldest child with Chantel.
This would be the little boy that was born in September of 2021. The following year, they had Skyler. However, their relationship didn’t work out, and soon after she was born, Skylar’s parents filed for divorce. Chantel met Brian Thomas from networking in the music scene and the two began dating. He also wanted to be a recording artist and branded himself under the names Beasty or Beasty Armstrong.
A police affidavit with Chantel’s statement implies that they were an item while the divorce process was ongoing. Like Chantel, Brian had numerous traffic violations on his criminal record. The earliest from 2005 when he would have been just 19 years old. But he also had charges for possession of weed, animal cruelty, and domestic battery.
He was found guilty for the possession charges, but animal cruelty and domestic battery were dismissed. You heard that correctly. The state of Indiana cares more about smoking a plant than it does for the safety of humans and animals. This is why I hate people. Now, unlike Chantel, he did serve jail time for some of his charges.
Chantel lived in the Timberoint Apartments on Newberry Road. By the time this case made headlines, the apartment was disgusting. There’s simply no nice way to put this. Overturned furniture, trash, dirty laundry, toys, and human waste made the apartment look like an episode of A&E’s Hoarders. One can only imagine a strong, eyewatering, nauseating odor.
Though it wasn’t always like this. Chantel said her living space used to be kept up. Not pristine. She had two young children after all, but it was enough that she wasn’t embarrassed to have guests over. Her apartment was the primary meetup spot for her and Brian. It was convenient since she could still be there if her kids needed her.
When her divorce was finalized on August 2nd, Chantel was living in Indianapolis, while the children’s father lived in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her now ex-husband was disabled, so he gave Chantel full custody of the kids. He did not think he could provide or care for the children the way they needed and deserved.
He had tried multiple times to visit Skyler and her brother, or at least speak to them over the phone. Chantel made excuses or ignored him entirely. Though Chantel’s ex-husband couldn’t travel to see his children as often as he wanted to, his older children could. final time they saw Skylar, they told their father that she and her brother smelled like urine.
A close friend said Shantel developed postpartum depression after Skyler’s birth, which only worsened with the stress of her divorce. Shantel alleged that in July of 2024, she contacted her ex-husband. She was so overwhelmed that she asked him to care for the children. She even offered to send him money, but he did not take her up on the offer.
One day, she stopped picking up after herself and her children. Between July and August of 2024, the mess became too much for Chantel to handle, so she stopped trying altogether. This extended to her children’s daily needs. As the days went on, she gave them fewer baths, diaper changes, and meals. Chantel said she began leaving her children unattended as early as October of 2024.
She said the first times were when she met with Brian Thomas in the apartment parking lot. She could spend alone time with him and regularly check on the children. Brian asked where Skyler and her brother were during these meetings and it’s unclear if he knew they were unsupervised at this time or if he thought there was responsible trust adult in the apartment with them.
Now, Shantel’s son, who is autistic, had a habit of smearing his own excrement on the walls, and she stopped caring enough to clean up after him. Gradually, it accumulated until the smell filled the apartment. Chantel was under the impression that what her son was doing was normal, that he was cleaning up after himself and his dirty diapers the only way he knew how to.
Of course, a visit to the doctor or even a minute on Google would tell her that this is not normal. Skatlia, the medical term for this behavior, is rooted in sensory, medical, behavioral, or psychological issues. At best, he knew it would get his mother’s attention as he couldn’t speak, and at worst, he was in pain or extreme discomfort.
Either way, Chantel did not answer her son’s clear call for help. Chantel soon made quick trips to the grocery store or to pick up takeout while leaving her children home alone. In her mind, she would be back at home soon enough. She claimed her children could be difficult and she would rather avoid public tantrums if she could. Chantel wasn’t in denial that her apartment was disgusting. She knew.
And one day she decided she just couldn’t take it anymore. The obvious solutions would be to either clean it out by herself or with help or to relocate altogether. She chose the second option. But she didn’t think that she should bring her children with her. She could be gone for hours, even a day or two, before returning to check up on them.
She turned on YouTube to keep them entertained. Children particularly loved the channel Ms. Rachel. She basically treated them more like house plants instead of the vulnerable children that they were. Chantel visited the apartment inconsistently to drop off food for her children and would clean them once a week or less.
Skyler was said to have human waste caked into her hair, and Chantel would clean her daughter off in the apartment shower. Skyler also constantly had severe diaper rash and possibly even an infection because she wasn’t changed often as she should have been. Soon, Shantel realized she couldn’t leave her children with family and friends or take them to the doctor.
Someone would see their mistreatment, and she would be ousted as a bad mother. She didn’t even get her furnace repaired when it broke down since the apartment maintenance team would see what had become of the living space. Instead, borrowed a space heater from a coworker, and she figured that would solve that problem.
She planned her visits home when she was expecting phone calls from family. She knew they would ask to speak with her children. She was ready to honor their requests, but would never plan inerson visits. By all accounts, Chantel was well aware enough to know that she would get in trouble, but it was not enough for her to fix her mistakes before it was too late.
It seems she was more worried about herself getting caught than the welfare of her own children. While Skyler and her brother were hungry, cold, and stewing in dirty diapers, Chantel began to routinely spend the night at Brian’s apartment. Brian’s brother, who lived with him, estimates that Chantel visited 3 to 5 days every week.
He knew Chantel had children, but he only saw them a total of three times. The final time was when they visited the apartment in December celebrating Brian’s 39th birthday. He said the children seem fine. He did note that their feet had a red discoloration. Now, on January 25th, 2025, Chantel’s friend, known only as LA, invited the family to join hers for a day of fun at Chuck-E-Cheese.
LA was one of Chantel’s go-to sitters before she left the kids completely unattended, but she hadn’t seen the children in person since Halloween. Chantel didn’t give much of an answer to LA’s invitation. In the evening, Chantel arrived at the apartment with food. Only this time, she would be faced with the consequences of her neglect.
Chantel entered her apartment at 6:30 p.m., intending to give her children their dinner, or so she said. Her son came when she called, but Skyler did not respond. Chantel searched the apartment for her daughter, only to make a grim discovery. Chantel found Skyler underneath a dresser. She was in a state of rigor mortise, the stiffening of muscles after death, which can start two hours after a person passes away and last up to two days.
She’s covered in bruises, frostbite, bite marks. One of these bite marks is theorized to be from a rat nine of the 2-year-old’s body. But Chantel didn’t call emergency services right away. First, she changed Skylar out of her dirty shirt and called Brian. She later told police she didn’t want to call him.
Not from the shame of being a neglectful mother, but the shame of her disgusting apartment. Brian answered her call. He came to the apartment, but waited in the apartment common area. Chantel finally called 911. Police and firefighters arrived within minutes. The moment Detective Caitlyn Harris entered the apartment, she was hit with a strong, repulsive stench.
She couldn’t even see the floor as they navigated the residence. An affidavit described the environment in detail. And I quote, “Upon entry into the apartment, Detective Caitlyn Harris was hit with an overwhelming smell of feces. The apartment floors were covered in human feces, garbage, chicken bones, fast food bags, opened barbecue sauce containers, clothing, toys, other debris, knocked over furniture, and household items.
The floors were littered with the above items, and more to the point, Detective Harris and crime lab technician Blakeley Watson 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 barbecue sauce, and other unknown substances, including a baby crib and mattress that had feces layered on them.
Inside of the apartment was also cold, reported to be between 46 to 51° F. The accumulation of spoiled food, trash, sharp objects, and human waste was so bad that investigators would later determine the apartment to be a biohazard. While the scene seemed to suggest that Skylar was crushed underneath a dresser, investigators were doubtful that truly happened to her.
Now, Skyler was small, but the dresser was remarkably light. They did not think the dresser alone killed Skyler. Their suspicions only grew after Skyler’s brother was examined at Riley Children’s Hospital. Medical professionals said he had many overall signs that he was severely neglected.
It’s reported that Skyler’s brother was possessive of the hospital food that he was served. He devoured it desperately and had a strong emotional reaction when someone tried to take away his plate. He ate so fast that nurses stepped in to get him to slow down. His stomach was distended from being so constipated and his feet were swollen.
He also had scars from hyperpigmentation. When Skyler’s father was told that his 2-year-old daughter was no longer in this world, he crossed state lines that day to help the detectives. He told them he hadn’t seen his children in person since Thanksgiving of 2024. He tried to speak with them on the phone through video calls, but Chantel only let them speak once.
The last time Skyler’s father spoke with her, she was cuddled up on her mother’s chest, drifting to sleep. Skyler was one of four Indianapolis children who died in January of 2025. One of these children, a three-year-old named Asher Robinson, passed away on January 25th, the same day that Skyler did. He was pronounced dead at Riley Children’s Hospital, the same hospital Skylar’s brother was taken to for evaluation.
The similarities are striking. A probable cause affidavit was signed by Detective Caitlyn Harris on January 30th. It details the night police were called to Chantel’s apartment in the following few days of investigation. With this, we can build a timeline of events after Skyler’s passing. Chantel was brought in for questioning the same night Skyler died.
She gave some necessary background information, including what she did for work. She worked remotely, but when she needed to go to work in person, Brian or LA cared for Skyler and her brother. Shective Harris noted in the affidavit that Chantel’s timeline changed throughout the questioning. Chantel eventually settled on a series of events which was recounted in the affidavit.
End quote. Chantel said that since December 9th, LA had only watched the children three times. She said her son needed a haircut, so she took him to Brian’s residence where she dropped him off. Once home, she became anxious and needed a break. So, she took Skyler inside and returned outside to sit in her car.
She said she went back inside and began looking for Skyler, who she later found underneath the dresser in the kids’ room lying on her back in front of the TV stand. She said she called Brian and 911, performed CPR, and then carried Skyler outside to her car just as the Indiana Fire Department was pulling up.
However, Chantel backtracked again. She didn’t drop her son off with Brian. He was in the home and came to the door when she arrived. Skyler didn’t come running to greet her as usual. Shantel said she just knew that something was wrong. She said she found Skyler motionless under the dresser. The affidavit reads, “She said Skylar didn’t deserve that because it was like adding insult to injury.
” When questioned by police, Chantel said she knew what she was doing was neglect. But she insisted she never physically harmed them or committed any acts of essay, as if that’s the only way you could harm your child. She said she understood why leaving children alone was dangerous if they were unsupervised, but I I don’t really feel she actually got the weight of what she was doing.
Now, Brian was also brought in for questioning. He initially reaffirmed Shantel’s original story that she dropped her son with him and took Skyler home, but he then admitted to lying to protect his girlfriend. He told detectives Shantel spent many nights in his apartment without her children present. He believed Shantel when she said her kids were staying with friends or family.
The last time he saw the children was in December of 2024 when they visited for his birthday. Before that, he saw them once a week at most. In addition, the police spoke with LA, Chantel’s friend, who watched the children on occasion. She last saw Skylar and her brother in person on Halloween of 2024, and they appeared to be clean and cared for.
spoke with them over a video call on January 6th, and she noted Skyler’s hair looked messy and that they were at Brian’s apartment. LA’s final words about Chantel and Skyler were paraphrased in the affidavit, and I quote. La stated she had no idea the kids were staying home alone. She said she hadn’t been inside Chantel’s apartment in a long time, probably several months.
She said Skyler’s brother has never been verbal. She said Chantel had postpartum depression after having Skyler and going through a divorce. LA said many people would have taken the children if Shantel needed help. No one knew she was leaving the kids home alone. She said they have a group of friends who all would have stepped up.
She said she and Chantel talked every day or every other day. Sometimes she didn’t answer, but they talked at least weekly. Shantel was initially arrested for neglect of a dependent, but her charges were increased to murder. She was denied bond and had no contact orders filed against her. Brian was also charged with assisting her in lying to investigators.
Chantel and Ryan’s cars were seized and towed to a crime lab facility. After they were processed, investigators took DNA samples as well as photographs. Police also admitted other items into evidence, including their phones, a receipt dated January 24th, and a firearm and magazine that was found in Brian’s car.
Skyler’s autopsy was performed on the 27th by Dr. Christopher Pulos of the Maran County Coroner’s Office. His findings were summarized in the January 30th affidavit. I quote, “Dr. Pulos noted external injuries of what appeared to be multiple bite marks on Skyler, frostbite on her feet and hands, and round pattern bruising approximately 3/4 to 1 in in diameter, potential from a PVC pipe or furniture, etc.
In addition to the injuries listed above, Dr. Pulos noted multiple injuries believed to be post-mortem, including the puncture wound found on Skylar’s neck. These were believed to have been from a rodent. Internal injuries were also noted by Dr. Pulos and included subcutaneous bruising throughout Skylar’s body, a right frontal bruise, and hemorrhagic pancreatin, possibly due to hypothermia.
Dr. Pulos said Skylar was dehydrated as well and had hair and unknown contents, possibly feces, in her stomach. Skyler also had possible paint chips, hair, and foreign bodies in her intestines. As of now, Dr. Pulos believes Skyler died of hypothermia. Detectives also reached out to a nurse practitioner on the Riley Children’s Hospital child protection team.
They learned that the bruised patterns on Skyler was suspicious for non-ACal trauma consistent with inflicted trauma, meaning there was little chance that Skyler was injured by accident. While Skyler’s brother was starving and in need of medical attention, the nurse practitioner eventually noted that his hair was recently cut and his nails were trimmed.
The boy displayed signs of underdeveloped cognitive ability and gradually warmed up to the medical professionals treating him. On January 28th, Brian’s brother spoke to the detectives. He said Chantel spent at least four overnight visits in the apartment between January 19th and 25th. He worked nights, so they saw each other as he was returning home and she was leaving for the day.
The children were absent, but Chantel acted perfectly fine. He didn’t ask her directly where the kids were, but Brian told him they were being watched by one of Chantel’s friends. On the 29th, detectives met with Chantel for a follow-up interview. She’s being held in the Marian County Adult Detention Center. Chantel gave more detailed descriptions about her hands-off parenting.
She defended herself by saying it was easier to leave her children at home than take them with her because, according to her, they weren’t the most well- behaved. She was convinced Brian could smell the apartment on her as well, but was too polite to say anything to her face, so she didn’t even return home to shower. She came back to clean the children once a week, give them food, and when she was expecting a video call because according to her, she knew they were only calling to speak to the children.
Chantel also explained her apartment’s furnace wasn’t working, hence the space heater in the living room. She said she knew if she reported the furnace to apartment maintenance, she would be outed for the neglect of her children and for the biohazard that was in their living space. Chantel’s follow-up interview displays her as self-aware and rational enough to know she would face consequences if she was caught.
And I quote, “She explained that the smell became overwhelming inside the residence. So, she stopped taking the children into public because of their odor from the resident/ environment.” In addition, she 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. She was aware of the consequences of them reporting her to Department of Child Services andor taking the children away. Chantel said she knew slash understood the consequences of what could happen while leaving a two and three-year-old child alone. Police Sergeant Nicole Flynn said to the Indianapolis Star newspaper, “No child’s death from unnatural causes is ever acceptable.
Each investigation is heartbreaking whether a crime is involved or not. Losing a child is an unimaginable tragedy. We grieve for and alongside the families in every case.” Brian Thomas had a warrant out for his arrest, but he was MIA from January 26 to January 30th. During this time, he spoke with Shantel via phone call. She was in jail at the time.
He recorded the call and they were published on the Facebook profile for the news site Black Indie Live. In this call, he confronts Chantel for her treatment of her children and the abhorrent state of her apartment. Chantel admitted to her wrongdoings and expressed confusion as to why detectives were pursuing Brian. She said, “I don’t know why they keep including you.
like you wouldn’t even be a part of this. Chantel also tried to explain her mental health issues and her wish for self-improvement, which ultimately never came to pass. When Brian asked plainly why she didn’t ask for help and stated he would have put the children first, she was quiet. Finally, she said, “I didn’t want to be a burden.
” Comments on the Black Indie Live post speculate Brian is trying to cover for himself and that he knew more than he let on. He did lie in his initial police interrogation to protect Chantel, and that puts his integrity into question in the eyes of the public and the justice system. We will very likely still be in the dark about what he knew until the trial.
Brian was booked into jail on January 30th and was forced to make a court appearance through a writ of body attachment. He has made his $6,000 bond. Skyler’s father and half siblings planned a balloon release in her memory on Valentine’s Day with pink and purple balloons. They had to cancel this event, but they solded on.
Just a reminder, the Misery Machine does not condone balloon release memorials due to their impact on wildlife in the environment. Instead, they organized a donation of new clothes, toys, and books for Skyler’s three-year-old brother. The oldest half sibling posted a photo of the donation pile along with the caption, “The family of Skyler Gardner would like to extend their gratitude for those that have donated to her brother.
We really appreciate it. We are forever grateful and are firm believers that what God has for you is for you and he’s the only one that can take it from you.” Chantel and Brian’s trial is set to begin in April of this year. They will both be tried together by judicial officer Charles F. Miller, though they have different attorneys.
Chantel will be represented by Lucy Frick and Shelby Vanhus. Brian will be represented by Philip Hayes. Four attorneys are set to represent the state of Indiana, prosecuting both Chantel and Brian. The maximum penalty for Chantel’s crimes is 40 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. If she is convicted, she would be in her 70s upon her release.
Since Brian faces lesser charges, his sentence will be lighter if he is served one at all. As always, both of the accused are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. As of the date of this recording in February of 2025, there is yet to be a funeral service or public obituary for Skyler. As there are no recent developments, her story has not receive further reports.
As with many active true crime cases, her name and story will be reported again during Chantel’s trial, but we will have to wait and see to what extent. We hope that justice will be served and that Skyler’s brother is in a much safer place now, free from the filth and neglect that took his little sister from him.
