From: jcs
The investigation into the disappearance of 21-year-old Savannah Gold heavily relied on critical surveillance footage and strategic police interrogation methods to uncover the truth.
Disappearance and Initial Suspicions
On August 2, 2017, at approximately 5:15 p.m., Savannah Gold left her parents’ home to drive to her 5:30 p.m. shift at the Bonefish Grill in Jacksonville, Florida, where she worked as a waitress [00:00:01]. She never arrived for her shift [00:00:19].
Suspicion arose about an hour and 15 minutes after she left home when her father received a text message from her phone number [00:00:32]. Savannah’s older brother also received a text 43 seconds later [00:00:49]. Both texts, despite coming from her number, immediately seemed suspicious to her family because they stated she was running away with an unidentified man without packing clothes [00:01:02]. The messages were also riddled with errors and not in her typical writing style [00:01:13]. When her family tried calling, her phone was switched off [00:01:21]. After discovering she hadn’t shown up for work, they filed a missing-persons report with the police [00:01:24].
Discovery of Key Evidence
Less than two hours after Savannah went missing, her car was found unlocked and abandoned in the Bonefish Grill parking lot [00:01:34]. The only item missing was her phone, while her wallet, ID, and other valuables remained untouched [00:01:40].
Investigators reviewed the parking lot surveillance tapes, uncovering what became the primary piece of evidence in the case [00:01:47]. Although most of the footage remains undisclosed, a detailed description has been released [00:01:52]:
- Savannah parked her car and exited her vehicle at 5:31 p.m. [00:02:00].
- 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 other 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, as if someone was trying to exit but could not [00:02:19]. This lasted 49 seconds [00:02:28].
- The vehicle then stopped moving, and a male figure exited [00:02:30].
- The male walked to Savannah’s car, which was 20 feet away [00:02:34]. The surveillance was grainy, preventing identification, but he was described as having short brown hair and being approximately 5 foot 11 [00:02:37].
- He reached into Savannah’s car, took out what police believed was her phone, and then slashed the front tire with a knife [00:02:47].
- He returned to his own vehicle and drove away at 6:04 p.m. [00:02:55].
- Savannah was never seen exiting the car [00:02:58].
This footage was crucial, but investigators had to be careful not to reveal its existence to potential suspects, as this could allow them to alter their alibis [00:03:11].
Identifying Leroy Daugherty
Over the next two days, investigators discreetly interviewed all staff at the Bonefish Grill, asking basic questions about Savannah’s whereabouts [00:03:30]. Within 48 hours, they had three potential suspects [00:03:44]. After checking vehicle registrations, they identified one suspect, Leroy Daugherty, whose 2012 silver Chevy Malibu matched the vehicle seen in the surveillance footage [00:03:58].
Leroy Daugherty, 28, was a manager and head chef at the Bonefish Grill [00:04:05]. In his initial interview, he claimed he hadn’t seen Savannah in about three weeks and knew nothing of her whereabouts [00:04:11]. However, co-workers revealed he had been in an on-and-off relationship with Savannah for eight months, despite it being against company policy [00:04:22].
Interrogation and Confession
On August 5th, at approximately 5:15 p.m., police arrested Leroy Daugherty during his shift, telling him it was for an outstanding traffic warrant [00:04:52]. He was taken to the JSO Police Department [00:05:01].
Strategic Deception and Pressure
Lee was left alone for 90 minutes, building anxiety, before Detective Rae Reeves, who had previously interviewed him about Savannah, entered the room [00:05:18]. This immediately signaled to Lee that his situation was more serious [00:06:20].
The detective began with an open-ended question about his relationship with Savannah [00:08:46]. Lee responded with a lengthy, detailed narrative about their on-again, off-again relationship, Savannah’s drug use, and his attempt to distance himself from her due to hard drugs and personal issues [00:09:52]. He claimed their last contact was a text message a couple of weeks prior [00:13:00].
The First Confrontation and Shifting Alibi
When asked when he last saw her, Lee admitted he hadn’t told the truth earlier [00:13:37]. He then changed his story, stating he saw her on Wednesday afternoon (the day she disappeared) [00:13:58]. He claimed she was spreading rumors about their relationship at work, which could jeopardize his job as a manager [00:14:07].
Lee described a confrontation in the parking lot where Savannah allegedly asked to sit in his car, claiming she had used heroin and was paranoid [00:14:38]. He then stated that after their argument, she exited his car with her phone and got into an older model green Ford pickup that drove by [00:16:44].
This fabricated alibi became a critical point for the detectives. They knew the surveillance footage showed Savannah never exiting his car [00:17:36]. By letting Lee elaborate on this false narrative, they allowed his guard to drop [00:18:00].
The Unveiling of Evidence
The detective eventually initiated the first direct confrontation, hinting at inconsistencies and evidence [00:19:29]. A female detective pointed out that a neck injury (which Lee claimed was self-inflicted) was an unusual place for such an injury [00:20:24].
Later, the detective’s questioning intensified, directly asking, “Where’s Savannah right now?” [00:22:55]. Lee maintained he didn’t know [00:22:58]. The detectives pressed, emphasizing the family’s right to know and implying Lee was withholding information to protect himself [00:24:41].
Finally, the female detective directly revealed the surveillance evidence: “She never got out of your car. She never got how did your car leave? … We can prove that you left with her in the car” [00:26:21]. She stressed, “Video cameras don’t lie, Lee” [00:27:12].
Lee tried to deflect, suggesting an overdose, but the detectives maintained pressure, repeatedly asking where he went with her [00:27:30]. They eventually got him to admit, “We went to my house” [00:31:42]. This was a significant breakthrough, providing a new foundation for the case [00:31:46].
The Confession
The released footage of the interrogation cuts off shortly after this point [00:33:12]. However, it is known that Leroy Daugherty confessed to killing Savannah Gold [00:33:22]. The only information released is that he claimed to have killed her 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 end of a secluded road [00:33:30]. Savannah’s body had injuries to over 75 percent of her body, and the medical examiner concluded it was a violent homicide, unable to pinpoint an exact cause of death due to the extent of the injuries [00:33:38].
Footage released by the JSO shows Lee in distress shortly after his confession, experiencing an “emotional reckoning” [00:34:00].
Subsequent Legal Proceedings
Despite the overwhelming evidence, Lee was remanded into custody at the Duval County Jail and denied bond [00:39:00]. He pled not guilty, claiming Savannah’s killing was an act of self-defense [00:39:09]. He alleged that he was in fear for his life after she slapped him multiple times, and he accidentally broke her neck when he grabbed it [00:39:22]. This claim was made despite his size (5 foot 11, 163 pounds) compared to Savannah’s (5 feet tall, 91 pounds) [00:39:14]. As of the transcript, his trial was expected to commence in the summer of 2020 [00:39:37].