JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A local man is charged with murder for the death of a 27-year-old woman in Jacksonville.
North Pridgen was taken into custody and charged with the murder of Teresa Gorczyca.
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Action News Jax first told you in September when police found her body near a drainage ditch in the Sandalwood area just days after she was reported missing.
Six months later, a memorial is still in the spot where she was found, with a picture of her surrounded by flowers and a cross.
“It’s been wracking my mind, what happened and how did this happen?” close friend Matthew Farabee said.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says Pridgen became a suspect in the midst of the investigation and was arrested after a warrant was issued following an interview regarding his involvement in her death.
Action News Jax Law and Safety expert Dale Carson, who has years of experience in law enforcement, said those interviews tend to speak on the timeline of events.
“The effort is to isolate out what I spoke about earlier, timelines; were you there did you know this girl why were you there? You sure you weren’t seen in that area? There might be film of him in the area,” Carson said.
Multiple videos were found on Pridgen’s Facebook page of what appears to be him rapping. Now he’s sitting in a jail cell.
Farabee says he is feeling a sense of relief for all of Gorczyca’s loved ones.
“For her family, friends, everybody who has been waiting for it that’s the most important thing is for Teresa to finally have justice,” he said.
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Just eight days before she was reported missing, a Facebook post from what appears to be Pridgen’s profile shows him tagging Gorczyca in a post saying she was the most loving, selfless and caring person he’s ever met.
Her response said in part, “I love you handsome.”
Farabee said the two were dating on and off.
“They were dating beforehand, then they wound up breaking up and shortly after that she disappeared,” he said.
Pridgen has been in trouble with the law before on drug and DUI charges, but nothing this serious. Action News Jax knocked on his door but nobody answered.
Action News Jax received this statement from the Gorczyca family:
“Not a day goes by that we don’t think about Teresa, missing her smile and her warm presence. We’re grateful to God that our prayers for justice are finally being answered and hope that what this brings is some sense of closure. Special thanks to our family, friends and the community for their unceasing love and support throughout these past 6 months. Our deepest gratitude to the detectives, law enforcement officers and everyone else working behind the scenes at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for their unrelenting investigation leading to an arrest. We ask that all remember Teresa for who she was, a daughter, sister and friend, as well as what she left behind, an abundance of joy and love.”
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