Drunk Dad Leaves Toddler in Fiery Car to Burn Alive

She was my world, and I lost it. A blackout-drunk Ohio man slams at least 10 drinks at Applebee's before crashing his car into a fiery blaze. He escapes but leaves his two-year-old daughter behind in the car seat. Your car is fully engulfed now. Fully engulfed. With Lily strapped in her car seat, basically burning alive. This is Scandal, presented by Law & Crime. I'm Sierra Gillespie. Is she home? Is she dead? Yes. Yeah, she's gone. She was gone last night. No. No. No. This episode is going to pull at your heartstrings. A two-year-old beautiful little girl dies in the most disturbing way by being burned alive in her car seat. And that alone. Is hard to stomach. But the details of this case make it so much more disturbing because it's the toddler's own father who is to blame for her death. I've been crying nonstop hysterically ever since and just hoping that this was all like a dream of my daughter being in that car. And it's not. I gotta live with this. Today's Scandal takes us to Lima, Ohio, about an hour and a half northwest of Columbus. And that was home to two-year-old Liliana Stemmon. According to her obituary, Liliana, or Lily as her family called her, was an outgoing little girl. She was bubbly, friendly, and energetic. She loved singing, listening to music, coloring, and going for car rides. And sadly, it's a car ride that ended Lily's life. For when her father, Nicholas, or Nick Stemmon, picked her up on September 25th, 2024, he was drunk. And not just a little drunk. He was blackout drunk. Detectives even tallied how many drinks he had. So you had two at Beer Barrel. That's like a total of ten. And by Nick's own admission, he doesn't even remember picking his daughter up at all. Here's what Nick does remember. Coming to in the middle of the road with his car completely ablaze. I don't remember going back to get my daughter. I don't remember anything after that at all. Besides seeing my car and the flames, I don't remember. I don't remember getting. All this happened just before 10 p.m. on a Wednesday. It was September 25th, 2024. And a driver called into Allen County 911 Dispatch to report another vehicle that was driving erratically, crossing back and forth over the center line. The caller said the car was missing a tire and had caught fire. When Allen County Sheriff's deputies arrived to the scene, they found a 2013 GMC Terrain fully engulfed in flames and Nick Stemmon standing beside in the roadway. According to the court documents, when first responder Deputy Geis arrived on scene, she could smell an odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from Stemmon's person. And he was unsteady on his feet, actually falling to the ground in front of her. Geis noted he had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. She noted that he was visibly upset because his car was on fire. Firefighters were able to put out the fire and they asked Nick if anyone else was in the car. Nick said no, he's completely alone. He says, Yeah, I have a two-year-old daughter, Liliana, but she's at my dad's house being babysat by her grandpa. But investigators could sense that something was off here, so they took a closer look at the wreck. A first responder observed a small body in a forward-facing car seat. She stated she could tell it was human due to seeing skin and blood on the thighs. Immediately, Nick is then taken into custody and this interview is recorded. Okay. Nick, my name is Brett. I'm a detective here at the sheriff's office. This is Sergeant Unlock. How are you doing, Nick? I'm in charge of the. Let's see what you guys. Is she gone? Is she dead? Yes. Yeah, she's gone. Oh, my God. No. No. Oh, my God. Nick has read his Miranda rights and starts talking, right away. This isn't going to be an easy conversation. We both understand that. I think you understand that. But there are a lot of unanswered questions as to what happened last night. Am I right? We have a two-year-old little girl that's deceased. We are working for her in this investigation. I have a tendency to piss a lot of people off, but I don't have any issues with that because right now I'm working for your daughter. I just don't understand how my dad could give her to me, my condition. I don't understand. I don't understand. Okay. I remember. What do you mean by that? The last thing I remember was being at Applebee's at the bar, but it wasn't. I should never have even went. Because it was both of my colleagues. And from leaving there, I don't remember. I don't remember seeing Lily. I don't remember going to a drive. I don't remember anything. It's blacked. All blacked out. If I'm going to sit here and be honest, I have no answers for any of it. I remember seeing kind of to and fro of my car in flames, and I was freaking out that I was coming back to and fro. Police men that were there were trying to calm me down a little bit, I believe. I can't. That's the only part that I'm saying that I remember because I don't remember anything else. Okay. I remember them. They said that there was a daughter and I started losing it because I didn't know. Before detectives dive into the nitty gritty of it all, they have to figure out what Nick was doing before the crash. Let's start earlier in the day and let's move forward. From earlier in the day. I understand that you did have a supervisor's meeting. Tell me about that. Well, I went to. It was in Delfis. The meeting got held. It was usually at work, but this time we did it over at Kelly Sanders' house. He had a man cave, which is like a garage. And we were out there and we helped out with the car. And we were drinking. And we helped out with the car. remember leaving Applebee's I don't remember the tip I know I had a conversation with Ken parts of it and we was talking once again it got back to talking about some things at work and this that the third of what I could do better as a supervisor and what was you know everything like that and after that I don't remember getting in the car I don't remember going back to get my daughter I don't remember anything after that at all besides seeing my car and the flames that it was I guess when I came if it was I'm not I'm not assuming because like my mind is just there's so much I didn't know it was right and what was real and then reality like with my daughter but they said it I was freaking out crying hysterically and I said no my baby I don't remember anything picking her up detectives try to get a handle on just how much Nick drank before picking up Lily are you a alcoholic a recovering alcoholic no you do you are you sure there's I mean I feel like I should I mean at this point I feel like I should be right now from the counts of it it sound like you had six beers at this point have you ever blacked out with with six beers no I've had give or take I think I have blacked out before I'm drinking consuming I don't know if it was like how many give or take I don't I don't know how big are these beers at Applebee's because I know they have like it was a tall drafts tall drafts and what kind was it but like there to believe but I don't remember how much I drink Applebee's I don't remember that you said - so you that's what I recall I don't like I told you like I said before I did not recall leaving Applebee's I don't recall get in my car and leaving Applebee's I don't recall him getting the tip to pay or I don't remember I don't have any recollection of it okay so we're at Applebee's we're drinking but like drafts and then you say at that point you don't really remember what all happened but I this is where it gets important man this is where you you have to pull it out I don't want you make anything up we need the truth and if you're scared and you're saying you don't remember because you're scared that's not going to help the situation at all I'm not scared I'm I'm not scared at all I'm trying to do my best to help okay so I'll ask you the question you're going to ask me I want to know what happened next we're leaving you get in your car you start it I can't paint a picture I don't I don't have something I can't give you in my I don't have it I don't remember going and picking her up from my dad's I know she was at my dad's with with Pat Ball so I don't that's where it comes vague to me because I'm like if my dad saw me in that state of condition why would he just give I just don't want me to crash on the couch or something like that it doesn't nothing makes sense doesn't add up to me I woke up with this and I don't know how to put the pieces together I don't know how to put anything together nothing looking at me like I don't know what just happened I lost my daughter I don't know what to do she was my world and I lost it me yeah I'm not okay I'm not all right I don't remember I'm not scared to tell it I'm not scared of anything I've always been a man of my word man of my mistakes my decisions my choices I don't know how I even got this it's just keeps getting worse and worse has this ever happened to you before where you blocked out like this and you don't recall events I guess I've had in some moments before I don't I didn't know like just straight blacking out and be like out for hours and then like wake up and like have no event like I'll be in the shower like how did I even get here and it seems from having that many years like it doesn't make sense alcohol normally not factor in that no not really I mean I've drank before I don't try to drink heavy because I just want to try to drink just to be um what do you call it uh like where you're not like so drunk that you can't even focus and you're puking your guts out and you can't stand you blah blah blah and you don't I don't try to drink that way and I don't know if the certain ones that I'd consumed I mean I I was drinking the tall ones uh not this is not the same event so don't put this event in with this one but like those uh I call them tall boys um I can't remember the the the ounces there's like twisted teas that I think that might have been the 24 fluid the bigger can you know I'm talking about even if you get like a Bud Light and then like your normal typical can is the bigger can okay um I would go through about four or five of those and maybe I was pushing it for me uh but I've never had it to events where like it was something like this to where I have my daughter who's gone and I don't have any event time place to put to go into my dad to pick and have a conversation to watching her eat Apple like you described to me I don't remember any of that I I told you the last event that I I remember was looking at Ken at Applebee's and that was it I don't have remembrance and besides until I came was coming to Mufro where my car was at after I was being detained and this and that and a third from what was happening but I was and I got told that my daughter was in there and I became a complete uttering cry ball mess because in my mind and I said why was she even in the car like you know because I wasn't processing if I thought I think my event from my took from Applebee's I shouldn't even got my daughter yet that's where I'm confused and I'm making this up I'm confused I really don't know you guys anything because obviously I know what this is all coming down to me and my daughter I get it I just I mean what more does life want for me I should have never even just went to Applebee's I should never even drink I don't even want to drink disgusted with you almost a half hour into the interview Nick admits he actually had a few drinks before the garage party meaning he started drinking much earlier than he initially let on and then prior before that when the kid was picking up the pizza I did have a beer a beer barrel I think a beer or two a beer barrel yeah because he called me before the meeting I went over there while he was getting to the pizza he was like oh I'm drinking alone so I had who the beer barrel you're getting ready to get the pizza yes and the pizza yep and he's going to be waiting for a little bit so he called me I turned around because I was working on my way to headed to go to the meeting but I turned around and met him up at beer barrel it wasn't like the the big draft of whatever it was just a beer barrel yeah it was just a smaller glass it wasn't like one how many did you have just two so I guess that's what started it for the drinking for me was there but I was good I didn't have anything else and then until I got to Kelly's and this one is I had some more at Kelly's and then from there is where I should have made my decision of not to follow I was feeling good and I wanted to keep going I guess but Nick still can't make sense of going from Applebee's to this fiery crash all I know is I remember seeing the card in flames and I don't know what could cause that unless like unless I saw wrong when I came back to where I actually was remembering something from that morning or whatever whenever the time period was at this point I don't even know the time we're trying to figure it out I just don't I got nothing you can say I'm lying put me up on one of those light detector tests I don't know we're not saying you're no I'm lying I'm just figuratively speaking out loud like if you all don't believe me or whatever I just I I don't have any recollection I don't I can't force something out that I don't know and I hate that because I want to give you guys the information that you guys need it's now that detectives realize just how much Nick had to drink before getting behind the wheel how many beers did you say you had at Applebee's well from what I recall was two two so you had two a beer barrel that's like a total of 10. if we're on the tally sheet from from the time I started but Applebee's they were the tall drafts right yes so unless I blacked out from then and then what if I had more I wouldn't know Nick explains his first memories after the crash what do you see in your mind I see the detectives I see cops at first were you know assessing the situation we're I think trying to help me and I'm trying to figure out what's happening because I'm coming to I'm coming all the way into limelight here I don't remember what time I don't have any clue of the time period at all I don't I know it's dark I know this bull not dark right there with the flames that I just I believe that I saw come in from my car and then i i was trying to figure out like how what happened i said i need to get my daughter and they're like there's something somebody they were talking they said there was somebody else in the vehicle and i said huh and then they were like your daughter's in that vehicle and he slammed it got all aggressive and i'm like no emotions are running high out there they go out and the fire department puts the fire out your car was fully fully engulfed like how how does that even and they find a little girl still in there and then they put her on her car seat with an apple laying next to her she never stood a chance and this is why when this officer was rude to you oh i know it uh. no i i was telling you the giving you the thing that i was remembering in a way i've been crying non-stop hysterically ever since and just hoping that this was all like a dream of my daughter being in that car and it's not i gotta live with this i gotta live with that now and i don't i can't process my little baby girl she's giving me turn three she's my life i've loved her so much and i just threw it all the way on some alcohol i don't even know how to make that make sense i'm not making people feel pity for me like that's just that's sad i'm so sorry lily almost an hour into the interview nick comes to terms with what's ahead obviously whatever happens is going to happen i mean you guys can probably charge me with the manslaughter you can charge me with homicide you can charge me with murder of my daughter you can charge me with whatever you guys want to what do you think obviously i feel guilty i wouldn't be sitting here talking to you guys i'd be wanting a lawyer if i wasn't guilty i don't know what to do with myself i don't know how to even think about like comprehend anything that happened i'm trying my best to give you guys the best answers you guys can have i can't i've only fished so far in my brain to figure it out but all i got is an image of my car in flames and knowing that my daughter was trapped in that and i didn't do anything because i don't remember like it's bad when you don't even remember to pick up your own daughter and getting to wherever the heck i was even at when that happened i don't under none of that makes sense this getting this doesn't make sense i know i got it probably do what you said by the fire thing i i don't remember getting it i should be dead in the car with my daughter it should be me not her it's not fair it's not fair at all that she had to go and not me it's not fair it's not fair it ain't fair it ain't fair she was so smart she was so stupid smart her first word was dinosaur the threesome will worry how hard that is to say dinosaur and a baby just to come out and say that uh , i got nothing now she was my everything she was my everything then you guys keep asking me like well what do you think is fair for church for you i was like my daughter is dead what what does that even mean my daughter is dead and i'm sorry that i keep saying it that pain that keeps coming back over and over and over again because i love my daughter i would not just purposely harm my daughter in any what kind of way i would never just purposely wreck and say well this is it i never have any kind of thoughts for that i love my daughter i loved her from the moment i made eyes contact with her when her goop got like this from her eyes and she opened them up i was the first one to meet her eyes and she had my heart then at that very moment is when i knew i was about to be a dad that was going to protect this dog i don't have it anymore it's gone from me i can't even live with myself now and i don't know what happened everyone's always like wondering like what's to be done with me what's to be done with me at this at this point doesn't even matter what happens to me i don't deserve to be around i don't deserve to be here i don't deserve to live like i said it should have been me my daughter did not need to deserve that at all at all i don't even know what to do with myself i already know my life's over i mean i just don't i don't know what you all want me to say anymore i don't i don't know what to say or do i hate it i hate feeling like this this empty feeling now that i have knowing that my daughter is gone and the worst part of it is because i did not save her when i should have because i don't remember about an hour in detectives step outside of the room and nick is left alone where he gets emotional oh god my sweet baby my sweet baby i love you so much when detectives come back they explain what they believe happened leading up to lily's death you're rubbing your oil pan on the pavement you're throwing sparks we have people calling 911 all kinds of going on jesus i don't and then you get into about the uh 8 500 block 8 700 block of zion church road and from this oil that's splattering everywhere it's all over the roadway it was probably inside the engine compartment fueled by the uh the rim that was probably red hot it ignited the uh the oil it started in the engine compartment you get out and you pop the hood you said look at it the fire is growing there's a witness who called 9-1-1 he said i don't know what going on but this guy is like all over the road now his car is on fire so he's talking to you he doesn't you're out of your car he's afraid because he doesn't know what you're capable of so he's talking to you from his driver's window he said he's drunk the fire's growing he says is there anybody in your car anybody else he said you said no there's nobody else in the car the fire grows now it goes into the driver's compartment so that's where that goes into place to me is still when uh law enforcement get there they ask because your car is fully engulfed now fully engulfed with lily lily strapped in her car seat basically burning alive we're just gonna call it the way it is probably the most horrible death anybody could ever have and here she is experiencing this wondering why nobody's here to help her the one person could help her saying she's not even there because i don't you tell law enforcement you know i i'm not gonna buy into that you can don't say whatever you want i'm literally telling you i do not remember having my daughter in the car she was playing a black and white picture i do not recall it i don't know you can sit here and run circles around it until you tell them i'm purple and blue in the face i've been honest with you guys and i've not made anything up i have done i literally hit the recall from after applebee's like i said before i don't recall any of it the events aren't there none of the pieces make sense to me You tell me I run on a flat tire, apparently. I had to do tires, so I don't know where the hell a flat tire came from and came into play. Your dad says that's bulls**t. Your dad said he told you, and he even told me which tire it was that went flat. So did someone stab my tire then, at some point? No, he said that tire was no good. It needed replacing. He said he told you it needed replaced. Because he said it was the front passenger tire. He has no way of knowing. Other than if he knew that tire. Because I went and had two new tires get placed on the vehicle. And then I had another problem where it was still getting low. So I took it back to discount tire, and one of those new tires had gotten puncture mark from work. So they did a free thing where they put on there, they plug it, whatever. They went and did that for me. They plugged it. And the tire was good. The tires had been good. There was nothing that was showing wrong with the tires at all. Detectives push back here. And it gets kind of weird. And tense. Have you ever been diagnosed with mental illness? No. You haven't? No. Because you're giving me this great big long freaking story of what they do to your tire and where the hell it was you took it. You literally just had this conversation telling me about a tire issue with the car that I knew. But the fact that your daughter's dead, I mean, you carried on a perfectly normal conversation with me, referencing a tire and stab marks or whatever. But we got a. My daughter that is dead, yes, that just. I don't know what more you guys want from me. I want the truth, man. I'm not giving you guys the truth. No, you're not. Here's what I'm going to tell you right now. If you drank yourself to blackout, which is what you're telling us, I'm going to charge your dad. With just as much as I can charge with you. Now, if you want your dad to take a fall that he don't rightly deserve, you better start coming clean with us. You better start coming clean. You're going to get started with me all you want. You know what happened. I don't know. You do know. No, I don't. Before the interview wraps, detectives ask a very difficult question. I'll just ask you one more question. One more. And that's what happened when I first came into this room and we sat down and started talking. You asked me a question. Is she dead? You had no clue that she was gone until that moment. Yeah, I had no clue she was even in the car. I told you guys that. No, I'm talking about. The one who's in here, I know. I'm saying the reason why I'm saying. Was that the first time that you'd heard that your daughter died? When I said. Yes. No, I had heard it before when I came back to and fro. I told you guys that when I came back up in the fire, they said there was a little girl in there and that's where I'd been like freaking out. I kept asking the question at the hospital, "Is she dead? Is she dead?" I kept asking over and over for somebody to get me in there like, "Well, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't." And I've just been in panic mode, like. So yes, I was under the collection of my daughter, but I just wanted to make sure again, because like I said, I felt like this whole thing has not even been real. I don't remember getting my daughter and putting her in. You guys can sit there and tell me, so you're purple in the face and say, "Whoa, this makes sense because we got this, this, this." I don't remember it. I don't. Which probably would make sense of the reason why I told the guy that there was nobody else in the car, because I thought I was by myself. I didn't know I had Lily at this point. I still didn't know I had Lily. I don't remember leaving Applebee's. So how am I supposed to say that? I know for a fact that I went and picked up my daughter. I don't. I don't. You can call me crazy, lunatic, psychopath. I need to go see a mentalist. I need to go to a mental institution, ward, psych ward, whatever. I don't know what you guys want from me. I'm giving you guys my honesty here. I am an honest person. I am not a liar. I did the same thing when I got locked up first. I've been honest since square one with you. Some things might be jarring because I'm trying to go back in the mind. I'm not very good at piecing those things together. But that me telling you that I don't remember Applebee's to me coming back up to my car being in flames, I'm being honest with you. I'm not lying about it. Nick maintains he blacked out and doesn't know what happened. The interview ends with him begging for an attorney. If y'all are just going to come to this conclusion where I'm just a straight murderer, I would like to speak to somebody then at this point, because I don't, I don't, an attorney, a lawyer. I don't want to have you guys sit here and just obviously point me out on something that you guys aren't listening to me. So it's fine. I'm trying to be honest with you guys the best way I can. I just want to know what more else you guys want from me. Sit tight. Okay, Nick, they're gonna take you back downstairs. Nick Stammen was initially charged with one count of endangering children, but a grand jury later indicted him on multiple charges including murder, aggravated arson, involuntary manslaughter, and two counts of endangering children. For all this, he was held on $1 million. Now, initially, Nick pleaded not guilty to the charges, but in October 2025, he reached a plea deal with Allen County prosecutors. They agreed to drop the murder charge if Nick pleaded guilty to aggravated arson, involuntary manslaughter, and one count of endangering children. He was sentenced on November 18th, 2025, and at the hearing, a statement from Liliana's mother was read to the court. "My baby girl is gone. And for what? For her father enjoying a night of drinking? He killed her. He took her. He killed everyone who loved her so much. He should have spent his life behind bars." According to Lyman News, Nick also spoke out at the hearing, saying, "I know what my actions cost. Now I won't get to see my little girl grow up, and that hits me to my core. I'm sorry I took her away from her sisters. I'm sorry she's gone. I have no recollection of what happened." Before handing down a sentence, Judge Jeffrey Reed told Nick, "Nothing can be said. And there is no sentence I can give that really makes any difference right now." "You have sentenced yourself to a lifetime of thinking what your daughter could have been doing. I feel bad for you. I feel bad for everybody." Last year, Nick was sentenced to 22 to 31 and a half years in prison, and he's required to serve at least 19 years behind bars before he's eligible for parole. And that's where today's episode of Scandal leaves us for now. If you like what you saw and you want to see more or connect with me on social media, you can find me on places like Instagram @sierragillespie. Thanks for watching today's episode of Scandal. As always, I'm your host, Sierra Gillespie, and I'll see you next time.