Child placed with father’s relative after Tamarac triple murder, victim’s sister says

Newly released jail calls shed light on the custody battle over 4‑year‑old Seraphine Gingles, whose father is accused of murdering her mother, grandfather and a neighbor in 2025.

On Feb. 16, 2025, authorities issued an Amber Alert for Seraphine after investigators said she watched her father, Nathan Gingles, fatally shoot her mother, Mary, her 64‑year‑old father, David Ponzer, and family neighbor Andrew Ferrin in their Tamarac neighborhood. Deputies located the child with Gingles hours later at a shopping center.

In a series of jail calls recently released by the Broward State Attorney’s Office, Gingles speaks about custody of his daughter — repeatedly insisting she not be placed with Mary’s family. The calls are not dated.

In one call with his cousin, Damaris Barton‑Schuler, who lives in Idaho, Gingles says he was served paperwork regarding the termination of his parental rights. 

“I got served yesterday saying that my parental rights had been taken from me for Sera,” Gingles says.

Barton‑Schuler corrects him, explaining that a court-appointed guardian had filed for an expedited termination of parental rights and that a court date was scheduled for approximately two months later.

Mother’s sister tried to gain custody

Mary’s sister, Elizabeth, who was seen outside a dependency hearing in April, told NBC6 she attempted to gain custody of her niece and was initially able to visit her while the child was in foster care.

But in October, she learned from a court‑appointed guardian that Seraphine had been placed with Gingles’ cousin, Damaris. The reason for the placement remains unclear, and it is also unknown whether the child has since been adopted by members of Nathan’s family. The judge’s office declined to comment or confirm the status of the case, citing confidentiality rules surrounding dependency cases.

Barton‑Schuler has not responded to repeated requests for comment. When NBC6 approached her in April 2025 outside a dependency hearing, she did not answer questions about her efforts to gain custody.

Nathan Gingles wanted daughter moved out of Florida

In another jail call, Gingles discusses his arrest with a friend and expresses urgency about having his cousin remove Seraphine from the state:

“They arrested me for homicide. I was trying to see… cause you and Damaris have the power of attorney and guardian for her…So as I can see, if I can get her at some point, as soon as possible, I can get her the f— out of state,” Gingles said on the call. 

His friend replies that “Damaris is trying” and had been told Seraphine is safe.

Later, Gingles refers to his daughter as the “little girl.”

“As long as the little girl gets out of here. That’s what I care about,” he told his friend, who responded, “Damaris is pretty hot and heavy on that, so I think she’s going to try to get her as soon as possible.”

On Friday, the attorneys representing Gingles in his criminal case withdrew, citing in part “irreconcilable differences” — an issue Gingles had also mentioned repeatedly in the recorded calls obtained by NBC6.

Gingles has pleaded not guilty to all charges. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

Mary’s sister says she has not seen or spoken with her niece since the child was placed with Nathan’s family.