ATION,
THE 10:00 NEWS STARTS NOW.
>> GONE TOO SOON.
THE COMMUNITY MOURNING THE LOSS
OF A JACKSONVILLE WOMAN.
SAVANNAH GOLD.
HER MOTHER SAYS SHE'S
HEARTBROKEN OVER THE MEMORIES
THE TWO WILL NEVER MAKE.
>> SHE'S A GREAT GIRL AND WE'LL
MISS HER, BUT WE'RE CELEBRATING
HER LIFE.
LIGH
LIGHT.
AND I MISS HER NOW BECAUSE OF
.
>> SAVANNAH GOLD'S MOTHER SPOKE
THROUGH TEARS IN DOWNTOWN
JACKVILLE.
>> TONIGHT, THE MAN ACCUSED IS
BEHIND BARS WITHOUT BOND.
SAVANNAH GOLD WENT MISSING ON
WEDNESDAYMENT AND THEY ANNOUNCED
THE ARREST OF LEE RODARTE.
TWO MEMORIALS FOR GOLD, ONE AT
THE RESTAURANT SHE WORKED AT.
SHE WAS KILLED IN MANDARIN ON
WEDNESDAY AND THE OTHER MEMORIAL
IS NOT FAR FROM WHERE HER BODY
WAS FOUND ON THE WEST SIDE.
CHANNEL 4, DESTINY MCKEIVER IS
MESSAGE.
>> HER PARENTS ARE ASKING FOR
ONE THING FROM THE PUBLIC
TONIGHT, WHAT IS THAT?
>> ETHAN, SAVANNAH GOLD'S
PARENTS SAY THEY NEED TO KEEP
SHARING STORIES ABOUT HER ON
SOCIAL MEDIA AND GROWING THE
HONOR.
THEY SAY THESE ARE THE THINGS
THAT ARE COMFORTING THEM MOS.
>> HER CUSTOMERS.
SHE HAD REGULARS AND THEY CAME
TO ARE HER, SHE WAS WELCOMING
AND A WARMTH PERSONALITY.
>> A YOUNG LADY FULL OF LIFE
WITH BIG PLANS NOW TAKEN AWAY
FROM THOSE WHO LOVE HER.
>> I'M EXTREMELY PLEASED, TO HUG
AND HOLD HER AND KISS HER.
I LOVED HER VERY, VERY MUCH.
21-YEAR-OLD SAVANNAH GOLD WAS
MURDERED.
POLICE SAY HER ON AND OFF
BOYFRIEND AND CO-WORKER
CONFESSED TO THE KILLING.
>> I FEEL LIKE HE--
HE EXPRESSED HIS CONCERN OVER
SAVANNAH'S DISAPPEARANCE ON
FRIDAY.
>> ACCORDING TO POLICE GOLD GOT
INTO 28-YEAR-OLD LEE RODARTE'S
CAR THE DAY SHE DISAPPEARED
OUTSIDE OF BONE FISH GRILL.
THEY SAY THAT RODARTE DROVE OFF
AND GOLD NEVER GOT OUT OF THE
CAR.
GOLD'S PARENTS ARE HEARTBROKEN,
THEIR BABY GIRL IS GONE WITH SO
MUCH TO OFFER THE WORLD.
>> SHE WANTED TO MAKE A
DIFFERENCE IN KIDS' LIVES.
AN
AND--
>> YOU MAKE A LIVING AND GO TO
WORK AND GET THE MONEY AND YOU
MAKE THE DIFFERENCE WHEN YOU'RE
INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE.
>> SHE'S A GREAT GIRL AND WE'RE
GOING TO MISS HER.
>> AND LOTS OF PEOPLE SHOWED UP
HERE TO TO LEAVE, FLOWERS AND
TEDDY BEARS.
A MAN WHO SAYS THIS COULD HAVE
BEEN HIS DAUGHTER AND THE ADVICE
HE'LL PASS ALONG TO HIS
21-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER.
THAT'S NOW AT 11:00.
REPORTING LIVE, DESTINY
STATION.
>> SAVANNAH GOLD'S BODY WAS
FOUND IN THE WEST SIDE AND
NEIGHBORS WOKE UP SHOCKED TO
HEAR WHAT HAPPENED.
ONE MAN TALKED WITH CHANNEL 4
AND HE SAID HE SPENT THE NIGHT
CELEBRATING HIS DAUGHTER'S
BIRTHDAY AND GOT THE TERRIBLE
NEWS AND NOW HE'S GOING TO MOVE.
>> IT'S SAD, A 21-YEAR-OLD GIRL
LIKE THAT.
AND THERE'S NO CALL FOR THAT.
I'M MOVING, YEAH, WE WERE DOING
THAT ANYWAY FOR OTHER REASONS,
BUT AFTER LAST NIGHT, IT KIND OF
CONFIRMED IT FOR US.
>> HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT CRIME
IS A GROWING PROBLEM IN THE AREA
AND HOPES THIS STORY WILL BE A
SOMETHING.
>> AN URGENT SEARCH BEGAN WITH
SO MANY PEOPLE PITCHING IN TO
HELP, HER PARENTS HOPED SHE
WOULD BE FOUND ALIVE.
NOW WE HAVE A CLEARER PICTURE
HOW IT UNFOLDED.
>> ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON,
SAVANNAH GOLD'S LOVED ONES SAW
HER ALIVE FOR THE LAST TIME.
THEY STARTED SEARCHING FOR HER
WORK.
HER CAR HAD A FLAT TIME AND WITH
HER PHONE INSIDE.
AND THEY GOT A PHONE CALL SAYING
IT WAS SAVANNAH, THAT SHE WAS
RUNNING AWAY WITH SOMEONE SHE
HAD MET.
>> AND LEE RODARTE WAS SEEN
PASSING OUT MISSING FLYERS AND
SAVANNAH'S FATHER SAID HE SPOKE
FACE-TO-FACE WITH AN EMPLOYEE
NOT KNOWING HE WAS INVOLVED.
AND VIDEO SHOWED HER GETTING
INTO RODARTE'S CAR THE DAY THEY
DISAPPEARED.
THAT THEY GOT IN A STRUGGLE
News4JAX looked into
Rodarte's background.We found
a traffic ticket showing he
used to live on Club Duclay
Drive...where a body, believed
to be Gold's, was found.
3
A Go-Fund-Me page has been
created to raise money for
Gold's burial expenses.In less
than a day...it's raised
THOUSANDS of dollars.You can
find a link to donate under
this story on News4JAX.com.
Also online -- you can find a
slideshow of images given to
us by Gold's family, honoring
more on the homepage of