Residents of the Plum Harbor and Plum Bay communities came together for a candlelight vigil on Sunday evening, a week after the murders of Mary Gingles, her father David Ponzer and their neighbor Andrew Ferrin.

Ferrin's family attended the vigil and spoke about the man he was.

"My nephew, he was special. He was my nephew, he was like my son, he was my best friend," John David said. 

Ferrin's family said he was killed as he opened his door for his neighbor, Mary Gingles, who was trying to get away from her estranged husband Nathan Gingles.

Death investigation led to Amber Alert

Around 6 a.m. Sunday, the sheriff's office said they received a call about a shooting in in 9700 block of North Grand Duke Circle.

When deputies arrived, they found a man who had died from a gunshot wound on the back patio of a home at 5897 North Plum Bay Parkway, according to the sheriff's office. The man was identified as 64-year-old David Ponzer, Mary Gingles' father.

As part of their investigation, authorities learned that Seraphina Gingles was taken from the home and an Amber Alert was activated.

According to the Amber Alert, Seraphina was believed to have been taken by Gingles in a 2016 silver BMW X3 with the Texas license plate 5DV2950 that was last seen heading east on West Commercial Boulevard.

Shortly after 11 a.m., Nathan and Seraphina Gingles were found when deputies with the sheriff's office Violence Intervention Proactive Enforcement Response (V.I.P.E.R.) team located the BMW near a Walmart Supercenter on West McNab Road in North Lauderdale.

Sunday afternoon, Mary Gingles was found shot dead inside a home at 5888 North Plum Bay Parkway, just a block away from where her father was found, according to the sheriff's office. 

Ferrin, 36, was also found dead in the home from a gunshot wound, authorities said.  

Ferrin's family remembered him as a selfless and caring young man.

"When he came into a room, he didn't bring the light, he was the light. He was just an amazing person that lit up a room just with his presence," David said.

Tamarac couple had history of domestic violence

Court documents show the couple had a lengthy history of domestic violence. Mary Gingles had filed for a restraining order against her husband just weeks before her murder.

At Sunday night's vigil, neighbors spoke about the impact of this tragedy.

"This is an amazingly terrific neighborhood, it's always been peaceful and for this to happen and to have a four-year-old child, she's a victim here because she has to live the rest of her life alone. It's been tough," said Merrill Sheedy.

Neighbors, loved ones and community leaders spoke about the importance of recognizing domestic violence. 

Now, several families are forever changed and this community says they will never forget what happened in their neighborhood.

Nathan Gingles is facing multiple charges including three counts of first-degree murder.

As for his daughter, the state is working to determine where she will live.