From: jcs
On August 2, 2017, at approximately 5:15 p.m., 21-year-old Savannah Gold left her parents’ home and drove to San Jose Boulevard in Jacksonville, Florida, for her 5:30 p.m. waitress shift at the Bonefish Grill seafood restaurant [00:00:01]. She never arrived for her shift [00:00:19].
Initial Suspicions and Discovery
Roughly one hour and fifteen minutes after Savannah left her home, her father received a text message from her phone number [00:00:32]. Savannah’s older brother received a similar text 43 seconds later [00:00:49]. The family immediately suspected something was wrong because Savannah had left in high spirits, and the texts claimed she was running away with an unidentified man without packing any clothes [00:01:02]. Furthermore, the messages contained errors and were not written in her usual style [00:01:13]. When they tried calling her phone minutes later, it was switched off [00:01:21]. After confirming she hadn’t shown up for work, they called the police and filed a missing-persons report [00:01:24].
Less than two hours after Savannah was last seen, her car was found unlocked and abandoned in the Bonefish Grill parking lot [00:01:32]. Only her phone was missing; her wallet, ID, and other valuable items were still inside [00:01:40].
Surveillance Footage
Investigators reviewed the parking lot surveillance tapes, which became a primary piece of evidence [00:01:45]. While most of the footage remains undisclosed, a detailed description was released [00:01:52]:
- Savannah parked her car and exited at 5:31 p.m. [00:01:58].
- She then walked to another vehicle and spoke with its occupant through the driver’s side window for 14 minutes [00:02:05].
- At 5:45 p.m., she entered the backseat of the vehicle [00:02:10].
- Fourteen seconds later, the car began to shake sporadically, suggesting a struggle [00:02:14].
- The rear door swung open three times but was forcefully shut each time, indicating someone was trying to exit but couldn’t [00:02:19]. This lasted for 49 seconds until the vehicle stopped moving [00:02:28].
- A male figure exited the vehicle and walked to Savannah’s car, 20 feet away [00:02:31].
- The footage was grainy, but the individual was described as having short brown hair and being approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall [00:02:37].
- The person reached into Savannah’s car, took what police believed was her phone, and then slashed the front tire with a knife [00:02:47].
- He returned to his vehicle and drove away at exactly 6:04 p.m. [00:02:55].
- Savannah was never seen exiting the car [00:03:00].
Investigation and Suspect Identification
Investigators proceeded cautiously, keeping the surveillance footage undisclosed to prevent a suspect from altering their alibi [00:03:11]. Over the next two days, they briefly interviewed all Bonefish Grill staff, asking about the last time they saw Savannah, if they knew her whereabouts, or anything that could help the investigation [00:03:30].
Within 48 hours, three potential suspects emerged [00:03:44]. After checking the motor insurance database, it was found that only one suspect owned a vehicle matching the one seen in the footage: a 2012 silver Chevy Malibu [00:03:49]. This suspect was Leroy Daugherty, a 28-year-old manager and head chef at the Bonefish Grill [00:04:05].
Daugherty was the first person interviewed about Savannah, claiming he hadn’t seen her in about three weeks and knew nothing of her location [00:04:11]. However, co-workers revealed he had been in an on-and-off relationship with Savannah for the past eight months, which was against company policy [00:04:20]. Daugherty was considered charming and charismatic and was rising quickly in his profession [00:04:31], but he was now the prime suspect in a kidnapping investigation [00:04:45].
Interrogation of Leroy Daugherty
On August 5, at around 5:15 p.m., police arrested Leroy Daugherty during his shift, citing an outstanding traffic warrant [00:04:52]. He was taken to the JSO Police Department and left alone for 90 minutes [00:05:02]. His optimism reportedly “dashed” when Detective Rae Reeves, who had interviewed him about Savannah the day before, walked into the room [00:05:52].
The detective began with an open-ended question about Savannah, aiming to gauge Daugherty’s response [00:08:46]. Daugherty gave a lengthy and detailed response, which investigators interpreted as an attempt to appease a perceived threat [00:09:12]. He admitted to an on-and-off relationship with Savannah and claimed she had started using drugs heavily, including heroin [00:10:01]. He stated they had mutually agreed to stop talking about three weeks prior in July [00:12:47].
When confronted about seeing Savannah more recently, Daugherty amended his story [00:13:31]. He claimed the last time he saw her was Wednesday afternoon [00:13:58]. He alleged that Savannah was telling co-workers they had “hooked up” and that she planned to reveal their relationship, which could get him fired due to company policy [00:14:07]. He stated she pulled into the parking lot, and he confronted her [00:14:38]. Daugherty claimed Savannah asked to sit in his car because she had “just did some heroin” and felt paranoid, an unlikely effect of the drug [00:15:04]. He then alleged that after an argument, she got out of his car, holding her phone, and walked towards the main entrance, eventually getting into an “older model Ford pickup green” truck [00:16:43].
[!NOTE|Interrogation Strategy] The detective pretended to believe Daugherty’s fabricated story to lower his guard, aiming to increase his belief that he was fooling them and diminish his anxiety. This strategy prepared him for a sudden confrontation [00:17:56].
The detective then initiated a sharp confrontation, asking about a mark on Daugherty’s neck [00:19:29]. After a nervous pause, Daugherty claimed it was a self-inflicted injury from a knife in July [00:19:56]. The female detective interjected, pointing out the neck was an unusual place for such an injury, implying skepticism without applying excessive pressure [00:20:23].
After further questions about Savannah’s supposed plans and departure, the detective launched a more aggressive confrontation, directly accusing Daugherty of involvement in Savannah’s disappearance [00:23:00]. Daugherty responded with a composed demeanor, indicating he anticipated the accusation [00:23:21].
The investigators continued to press him, appealing to his morality and the family’s need for closure [00:23:42]. When Daugherty continued to maintain his innocence, the female detective revealed the crucial surveillance evidence [00:25:24].
“She was in your car, she never got out of your car, she never got out of your car, Lee. We can prove that you left with her in the car… video cameras don’t lie, Lee. How do you know, how do you, how do you think I know this information, Lee? I wasn’t there but a video camera caught it. Tell me what happened.” [00:26:21]
The detectives offered alternatives, such as Savannah overdosing in the car, to lower the “gauge of admission” and get him to confess [00:27:41]. Daugherty eventually broke, admitting, “we went to my house” [00:31:42].
Confession and Aftermath
The publicly released interrogation footage cuts off at a critical moment [00:33:12]. It is known that Leroy Daugherty admitted to killing Savannah Gold [00:33:23]. The only released information about his admission is that he claimed to have killed Savannah by breaking her neck [00:33:27]. He then took her body back to his house, burned it in a self-made fire pit, and dumped her remains in a lake at the dead end of a secluded road [00:33:30].
Savannah had injuries to over 75% of her body, and the medical examiner was unable to pinpoint the exact cause of death, concluding only that it was a violent homicide [00:33:38]. Footage released after the confession showed Daugherty experiencing severe emotional distress [00:34:00].
Legal Proceedings
Leroy Daugherty was remanded into custody at the Duval County Jail and denied bond [00:39:00]. Despite overwhelming evidence and the prospect of life in prison without parole, he pled not guilty [00:39:04]. Daugherty claimed Savannah’s killing was an act of self-defense, stating he feared for his life after she slapped him multiple times [00:39:10]. He claimed he grabbed her neck, felt a “pop,” and accidentally broke it, resulting in her death [00:39:26]. This claim was made despite Daugherty being 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 163 pounds, while Savannah was 5 feet tall and weighed 91 pounds [00:39:14]. The state’s attorney’s office had no comment on this motion, only stating that the trial was expected to commence during the summer of 2020 [00:39:32].