CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — With candles lit and balloons in hand, friends and family gathered in Clarksville Saturday to remember the life of Justin Sawyer.
“He’d do, like I said, anything for anybody. He was so loved, he could light up a room,” said Sawyer's former girlfriend, Ebone Appleton. She and another of Sawyer's friends, Summer Morales, organized the vigil.
For loved ones the gathering was not a goodbye, but rather a “home-going” for the 20-year-old whose life was cut short.
“He had an impact on everyone no matter their race, no matter their age. He was nonjudgmental, he got along with everyone,” said Sawyer's sister, Lauren Sawyer.
Sawyer was first reported missing in December, but last week his body was found burnt near Kennedy Road in Clarksville. A Nashville medical examiner is still determining the exact cause of death.
“I want people to remember him by his smile and his spirit and how he made them feel,” said Lauren.
Although Sawyer is gone, loved ones say his memory will continue like a light in the darkness. “I feel him, he walks with me, he was here today- I know it,” added Lauren.
Three men have been arrested and charged in connection with Sawyer's disappearance.
