Jacksonville, FL — Hours after his daughter's body was found in a Jacksonville pond, Savannah Gold's parents had a message for the man accused of killing her.
"He will never see the last of me. I will fight till the day I die to make sure he stays in there,” said Sherri Gold, Savannah’s father.
Detectives say Lee Rodarte, 28, admitted that he murdered Gold and dumped her body in a pond off of Club Duclay Road.
Rodarte and Gold were coworkers at The Bonefish Grill in Mandarin off I-295. JSO said Rodarte killed Gold in the restaurant's parking lot.
Police are awaiting autopsy results to identify the remains and determine a cause of death.
Gold's parents say they will remember their 21-year-old daughter's head strong personality, strong work ethic and humble heart.
Police found a body believed to be Gold in a pond at the end of Club Duclay Road Saturday night.
Police say Rodarte admitted to killing Gold and led deputies to where he dumped her body.
Rodarte remains behind bars on no bond.
Jacksonville police say he confessed to killing Gold and that the pair had a casual relationship, but police are still trying to figure out Rodarte’s official motive.
Surveillance video in the parking lot of Bonefish captured the moments leading up to Gold’s deat. Detectives are going through video to see if it sheds more light on what happened, police said.
Action News Jax Law and Safety Expert Dale Carson said the video plays a crucial role in the investigation.
“To see it on the ATM, that’s the coming world,” said Carson.
On Sunday, Action News Jax was inside the courtroom when Rodarte appeared before a judge for the first time. He was denied bond on a murder charge.
A growing memorial sits outside the Bonefish Grill in Mandarin and in front of the pond where her body was found.
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