A man from DeLeon Springs, Florida, admitted that photos tied to him showed infants holding alcohol, marijuana, and guns. Taylor Knoop, 27, was taken into custody on Oct. 19 after a witness alerted child welfare officials about the disturbing images.
Thankfully, Knoop’s children are now under the care of other family members. In a world where deepfakes and AI dominate the internet, police first wanted to ensure Knoop wasn’t denying that the photos were real and taken by him. He took full responsibility for them.
The images depict different children doing different things. One shows a child lying on their back with a beer bottle beside them, another with a bag of marijuana while Knoop squats next to them. But perhaps the most concerning is one where a child lies on a couch with a handgun beside them — there are multiple ways that could have gone horribly wrong.
Knoop sent the photos to a friend, but the reaction wasn’t what he expected. The friend immediately expressed concern. When questioned about one of the photos, Knoop reportedly replied, “Ok, you act like I care, it wasn’t my kid.”
Investigators, however, questioned him about the photos that did include his own child — particularly the one with the handgun. According to Fox 35, Knoop told police he wasn’t in the room when that picture was taken and that the gun wasn’t his. He added that the photo of his child holding a beer bottle was meant as a joke.
What wasn’t a joke, though, were the child neglect charges the district attorney filed against him. Recently, a couple in Texas faced similar charges after moving out of their apartment without their 12-year-old son. That case was abhorrent — but at least they didn’t expose their child to firearms. Knoop’s actions show a different level of recklessness altogether.
Knoop posted bail and is now awaiting trial at an undetermined date. His release was met with sharp criticism on Facebook, where his mugshot appeared on the “Daytona Mugshots” page — a local “wall of shame” dedicated to posting offenders so people know “what type of person they’re dealing with.” Yet another child neglector added to the list.
But in a situation like this, the shame should really come from within. Because if you’re worried about your reputation while staging photos of your child holding guns and drugs, then it’s only a matter of time before something tragic happens — to your image or, worse, your child. In that sense, Knoop should count himself lucky that the only thing lost so far is his reputation.
The case will still have to go to court, and until then, authorities have opted not to share further details. This is a developing story — updates will follow as more facts emerge. As things stand, however, there are still unanswered questions surrounding the case, such as who was taking the photos with him, whether they will also face charges, and who the other child’s parents are. Some of the photos date back as far as three years ago, and police are expected to dig deeper to determine whether this pattern runs even further than it initially appeared.
