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Background: The North Lauderdale, Fla., Walmart store where Nathan Gingles was found by police with his daughter (Google Maps). Inset (top): Nathan Gingles (Broward County Sheriff’s Office). Inset (bottom): Mary Catherine Gingles (Broward County Sheriff’s Office).
A Florida man was apprehended by police after his 4-year-old daughter was reported missing and the girl’s mother was found dead of a gunshot wound.
Nathan Gingles, 43, was charged with three counts of premeditated murder after Broward County detectives located him at a North Lauderdale, Florida, Walmart Supercenter on Sunday. His 4-year-old daughter, the subject of an Amber Alert that was issued the same day, was with him and was unharmed. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office said that Gingles allegedly shot and killed his estranged wife, Mary Catherine Gingles, 34, and another unidentified male was found dead in her home in Tamarac. WPLG, a local ABC affiliate, also reported that neighbors witnessed a third male who died of gunshot wounds.
According to WSVN, a local Fox affiliate, the timeline of events began early in morning on Feb. 16, when neighbors reported hearing gunshots at the home of Mary Gingles at about 6 a.m. Broward County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Carey Todd told WSVN that when police arrived, they found the young mother in her home, “suffering from a gunshot wound.” She was pronounced dead at the scene, and her death was being investigated as a homicide.
Sheriff’s deputies also found a man, who was not identified, dead of a gunshot wound in the same home. Neighbors also reported that there was a third victim who had been fatally shot in the neighborhood. Upon finding Mary Gingles’ body, an Amber Alert was issued for the daughter she shared with her soon-to-be-ex-husband. Court records showed that Mary Gingles filed for divorce in February 2024 after filing for an order of protection against Nathan Gingles, citing domestic violence. She filed a second injunction in December 2024 and had received an order of protection against her estranged husband.
WPLG reported that neighbors could see footprints that allegedly belonged to Mary Gingles as she ran from door to door asking for help. One of the unnamed victims, according to the neighbors, was the nephew of one of Mary Gingles’ neighbors.
Police were able to track Nathan Gingles down after identifying his car, a silver BMW X3 that had a Texas license plate. He was arrested at the Walmart and booked into the Broward County Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale, where he is being held without bond. He was charged with three counts of premeditated murder with a firearm, violating a domestic violence protection order, and interference with the custody of a minor.