DEPUTIES FIND FOUR CHILDREN LIVING IN ROACH-INFESTED HOME WITH A LOADED GUN

Bodycam image from the December 2024 investigation in Palm Coast, Florida.

What began as a weapons disturbance at a Palm Coast home would lead deputies to something they had not expected to find.

On December 7, 2024, Flagler County Sheriff's deputies responded to Fanwood Court after receiving a report involving a firearm. According to authorities, a 16-year-old boy had allegedly pointed a gun at people sitting inside a vehicle during a confrontation. A 19-year-old man, Donovan McKelvin, was also involved in the original disturbance and was accused of damaging the vehicle.

Deputies investigated the incident and arrested the teenager for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. McKelvin was arrested for criminal mischief involving more than $1,000 in damage.

But the investigation wasn't over.

Detectives needed to find the firearm believed to have been involved.

They obtained a search warrant and returned to the residence.

WHAT THEY REPORTED FINDING INSIDE TURNED A WEAPONS INVESTIGATION INTO A CHILD-NEGLECT CASE.

A SEARCH FOR A FIREARM REVEALS SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER

The house belonged to 37-year-old Amanda Gaisford, who was responsible for four children living there.

According to FlaglerLive, two were her biological children, ages 16 and 13. She was also the primary caregiver for children ages 9 and 7 whom her late mother had adopted.

Investigators initially entered the home looking for a gun.

They found one.

But where deputies said they found it immediately raised another concern.

According to the Sheriff's Office, a loaded Smith & Wesson firearm was sitting unsecured on top of a stack of DVDs in the living-room entertainment center.

Four children lived inside the residence.

The gun was accessible to them.

FlaglerLive reported that the weapon was loaded with a round chambered, while Law&Crime reported that ammunition was also found elsewhere in the home.

A GUN THAT DEPUTIES HAD ENTERED THE HOUSE TO FIND WAS SITTING IN AN AREA USED BY THE FAMILY—LOADED AND UNSECURED.

But that was only the beginning.

DEPUTIES SAY THE CONDITION OF THE HOUSE WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE

Once deputies were inside, their investigation expanded beyond the firearm.

The official Sheriff's Office account describes conditions authorities considered seriously unsafe.

Trash and spoiled food were scattered across floors and furniture.

There was no running water.

The toilets did not work.

According to authorities, the nonfunctioning toilets contained urine and feces.

Investigators also reported infestations of:

FLEAS.

ROACHES.

SPIDERS.

FlaglerLive's reporting, based on the investigative documentation, said the odor was noticeable from outside and described the house as heavily cluttered and unsanitary.

The combination of those conditions mattered.

A messy house alone is one thing.

Authorities were documenting something much more extensive: nonfunctioning sanitation, spoiled food, insects, an unsecured loaded weapon and children living inside the property.

The investigation had fundamentally changed.

DEPUTIES WERE NO LONGER SIMPLY TRYING TO LOCATE EVIDENCE FROM THE EARLIER WEAPONS CALL. THEY WERE NOW EVALUATING WHETHER FOUR CHILDREN COULD SAFELY REMAIN IN THE HOME.

THE CHILDREN HAD BEEN LIVING WITHOUT WORKING PLUMBING

One of the most troubling details involved the lack of running water.

According to FlaglerLive and Law&Crime, Gaisford told investigators that the family had been using bathrooms at a nearby park because the home's plumbing was not functioning.

That meant the problem wasn't simply a toilet temporarily needing repair.

Authorities were dealing with children living in a residence where basic sanitation had broken down.

The ages of the children made those concerns especially significant.

The youngest were only seven and nine.

The Sheriff's Office said the conditions were dangerous enough that the Florida Department of Children and Families was contacted to take custody of the children and arrange their care.

Animal Control was also called.

Three cats were removed from the property.

The scene that began as a firearm search had now involved law enforcement, child-protection officials and animal-control personnel.

INVESTIGATORS REPORT FINDING DRUG-RELATED ITEMS AS WELL

The firearm and unsanitary conditions weren't the only concerns documented during the search.

According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies located several bags containing suspected narcotics residue in the garage and bedroom.

Authorities reported residue associated with cocaine and marijuana.

Drug paraphernalia and prescription medication were also reportedly scattered throughout the residence.

WFTV independently reported that investigators found bags containing narcotics, including cocaine and marijuana, while covering Gaisford's subsequent arrest.

Again, the location of these items mattered because children were living inside the house.

Investigators weren't evaluating any one condition in isolation.

They were looking at the total environment.

AN UNSECURED LOADED FIREARM.

NO RUNNING WATER.

NONFUNCTIONING TOILETS.

SPOILED FOOD AND TRASH.

A ROACH, FLEA AND SPIDER INFESTATION.

DRUG RESIDUE AND PARAPHERNALIA.

And four children living among all of it.

That collection of circumstances led investigators toward their next decision.

AMANDA GAISFORD IS ARRESTED

Authorities arrested Amanda Gaisford on four counts of child neglect—one count associated with each child under her care.

The Sheriff's Office said she was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and held on a total $10,000 bond.

Booking information likewise records four child-neglect charges, each carrying a $2,500 bond component.

These were criminal allegations, and an arrest or charge should not be confused with a finding of guilt.

But the Sheriff's Office made clear why investigators considered the situation urgent.

Sheriff Rick Staly said the children had been removed before one could be seriously hurt by the firearm or become seriously ill because of the living conditions and exposure to illegal narcotics.

The firearm was particularly concerning.

Children do not need to understand how a gun works for an unsecured weapon to become dangerous.

Curiosity alone can be enough.

And according to investigators, this wasn't an unloaded firearm stored somewhere inaccessible.

IT WAS LOADED, UNSECURED AND LOCATED IN THE LIVING ROOM.

THE CASE ALSO RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

FlaglerLive uncovered another important element from the investigative records.

According to its reporting, the Flagler County school district had informed the Sheriff's Office that one of Gaisford's children had not attended middle school since October 31.

Gaisford reportedly told investigators she was allowing the child to miss school while attempting to find alternative schooling because the girl had health problems, including infections.

That detail added another dimension to an already complicated case.

By the time investigators finished documenting the residence, the story was no longer simply about what was physically inside the house.

Questions existed about the children's broader welfare as well.

Their living environment.

Their access to basic sanitation.

Their proximity to a firearm.

Their potential exposure to drug-related material.

And, in at least one case, school attendance.

WHAT STARTED WITH ONE REPORTED WEAPON HAD EXPOSED AN ENTIRE HOUSEHOLD TO SCRUTINY.

THE ORIGINAL WEAPONS CALL EXPLAINS HOW POLICE DISCOVERED THE HOME

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this case is that authorities did not initially arrive because someone reported the condition of the house.

They arrived because of an unrelated confrontation outside.

According to the Sheriff's Office and AskFlagler, deputies were called after a confrontation involving people inside a vehicle. The 16-year-old was accused of pointing a firearm at them, while McKelvin was accused of causing more than $1,000 in damage to the vehicle.

That allegation gave investigators a reason to search for the firearm.

The search warrant gave them access to the residence.

And entering the residence exposed conditions that may otherwise have remained hidden from law enforcement.

This chain of events demonstrates how one investigation can unexpectedly uncover another.

THE GUN WAS THE REASON DEPUTIES ENTERED.

WHAT THEY SAW AFTER ENTERING BECAME THE BIGGER STORY.

FOUR CHILDREN WERE REMOVED FROM THE ENVIRONMENT

The most consequential result of the search was not the arrest itself.

It was what happened to the children.

The Florida Department of Children and Families responded and took custody so arrangements could be made for their care, according to the Sheriff's Office.

That intervention immediately separated them from the environment investigators had documented.

This is an important point because child-neglect cases are not simply about whether a home looks unpleasant.

Authorities generally have to evaluate whether conditions or caregiver conduct create risks to a child's health or safety.

In this case, investigators pointed to multiple alleged hazards simultaneously.

The unsecured firearm was potentially lethal.

The plumbing and sanitation problems created health concerns.

The infestation added another health issue.

Drug-related material created another potential source of exposure.

Together, authorities believed the conditions justified intervention.

ONE LOADED GUN LED INVESTIGATORS TO A MUCH LARGER PROBLEM

There is a striking contrast between the beginning and ending of this police response.

Deputies begin with a weapons disturbance.

They investigate allegations involving a teenager.

They obtain a search warrant.

They go looking for a firearm.

And then everything changes.

The firearm is found—but its location immediately creates new concerns.

The condition of the surrounding house creates more.

The bathrooms create more.

The insects create more.

The alleged drug residue creates more.

By the time deputies leave, the case involves an arrested caregiver, four children removed from the home and three cats taken by Animal Control.

THE SEARCH WARRANT WAS SUPPOSED TO HELP POLICE FIND EVIDENCE CONNECTED TO ONE INCIDENT.

INSTEAD, IT EXPOSED CONDITIONS THAT AUTHORITIES SAID HAD BEEN SURROUNDING FOUR CHILDREN EVERY DAY.

That is what makes this case particularly disturbing.

The danger alleged by investigators was not confined to the original confrontation outside.

Some of the greatest risks were already inside the house.

WHY THE BODYCAM FOOTAGE MATTERS

The image captured by the body-worn camera adds an important human dimension to the written reports.

Police documents can list:

“loaded firearm.”

“no running water.”

“roaches.”

“child neglect.”

But bodycam footage shows the moment those written allegations intersect with the people involved.

The timestamp visible in the supplied footage—December 8, 2024—fits the timeline of Gaisford's arrest following the December 7 weapons disturbance and subsequent search. The Sheriff's Office records her arrest on four child-neglect counts after the conditions were discovered.

The camera does not independently prove every allegation in the case.

But combined with the official Sheriff's Office account and multiple local reports, it provides another perspective on how the investigation unfolded.

And it reinforces one of the most striking elements of this story:

POLICE DIDN'T GO TO THIS HOME EXPECTING TO INVESTIGATE CHILD NEGLECT.

They followed a gun.

What they reported finding around that gun changed the entire case.

FOUR CHILDREN, A LOADED GUN, AND A HOME DEPUTIES SAID WAS UNSAFE

Amanda Gaisford's arrest grew out of an investigation that initially had a completely different focus.

A reported weapons disturbance led deputies to obtain a search warrant.

The warrant led them inside a Palm Coast residence.

Inside, investigators said they discovered a loaded Smith & Wesson within reach of children, unusable plumbing, spoiled food and garbage, infestations, and drug-related materials.

Four children were subsequently placed in the custody of child-welfare authorities, and Gaisford faced four child-neglect charges.

The case is a reminder of how quickly the direction of a police investigation can change.

THE DEPUTIES WENT INSIDE LOOKING FOR ONE GUN. WHAT THEY REPORTED FINDING AROUND IT BECAME THE REAL STORY.

Want to see what deputies encountered when they arrived and how the investigation unfolded? Follow the full footage from the initial contact through the discovery that changed the entire case.

Click here to watch the full incident unfold: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVAK7W6GeXw