TAMARAC, FLA. (WSVN) - A chaotic chain of events in Broward County that began with a 4-year-old girl taken from a Tamarac home led authorities to arrest her father and make a pair of deadly discoveries, authorities said.
According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, 43-year-old Nathan Gingles was arrested Sunday afternoon, hours after a statewide AMBER alert was issued out of Tamarac for his daughter, Seraphina Gingles, and her mother, 34-year-old Mary Catherine Gingles.
“He has been taken into custody and charged with violating an injunction regarding having no contact with the child and her mother,” said BSO spokesperson Carey Codd.
Detectives said 43-year-old Nathan abducted Seraphina from a home along the 5700 block of Plum Bay Parkway, Sunday morning
Investigators said deputies with BSO’s Violence Intervention Proactive Enforcement Respons Unit found a silver 2016 BMW X3 mentioned in the AMBER Alert at a Walmart.
“That vehicle was located at 7900 West McNab Road in North Lauderdale. At that scene, deputies located 4-year-old Seraphina Gingles. She was found safe and unharmed,” said Codd. “Deputies also located Nathan Gingles.”
While deputies believed Mary was with Nathan and their daughter, authorities found her fatally shot in a Tamarac home.
“During the investigation today, deputies located Mary Catherine Gingles suffering from a gunshot wound inside a home in the 5800 block of Plum Bay Parkway in Tamarac. She was pronounced deceased on scene,” said Codd. “BSO’s Homicide and Crime Scene units are investigating her death.”
All this unfolded in the morning hours. BSO officials said they received reports of shots fired at the same house Seraphina was taken from, at around 6 a.m.
When deputies arrived to the neighborhood, they found a man who was fatally shot in that home. Detectives said they would later learn Seraphina was missing, which led to the AMBER Alert and her discovery.
7Skyforce hovered over the scene as BSO Dive Team was seen investigating the neighborhood, searching a nearby lake for evidence, such as a potential weapon.
The identity of the male victim has not yet been released.
Gingles was booked into the Broward County jail Monday morning, now facing murder charges. He could be seen by a judge as early as Monday afternoon.
If you have any information on any of these incidents, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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