‘You can send me a ticket, but can’t tell me who killed my son?‘; Savannah mother pleads for public’s help solving son’s death

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A Savannah family is still waiting for authorities to find the person who hit and killed their loved one seven and a half months ago.

They’re pleading for the public’s help in identifying the driver in some traffic camera photos that were captured last September.

37-year-old Jonathan Dover was riding his bike near Bull Street and Derenne Avenue when he was hit by a white Kia Forte. Police have been looking for answers ever since, but have made little headway in this case.

As of Monday, it’s been 232 days since a mother last saw her son alive. The family is continuing to ask the community for their help identifying the car that hit him.

“It’s going cold, just like everyone else’s,” said Dover’s mother, Penelope Nesbitt.

Early Sunday morning on September 8th, 2024, around 3:30 a.m., Dover was riding his bike heading towards his parents’ home. That’s when Savannah Police say Dover was hit by a 2010-2013 white Kia Forte, which fatally injured him before taking off.

No one has turned themselves in either.

“He drove straight away, whoever it was with that car. It knocked the mirror off, left it in the road,” said Nesbitt.

Now 3 blurry pictures are the only evidence released by police...

“Something’s gotta change. These pictures, these awful tag readings, you can send me a ticket, but you can’t see who killed my son?” asked Nesbitt.

Dover’s parents say more needs to be done by police and Savannah city leaders about unsolved deaths in the city. Nesbitt says this is something no family should ever have to go through.

“My baby’s dead, and I had to turn it off, I had to do it. Do you know how awful that is?” questioned Nesbitt.

Dover was a father of 6... Six children who continue to talk and ask about their father each and every day.

“This has shattered my family. I fear people are gonna walk out in front of me everywhere I go. I can’t get in a car hardly. It’s hard, it’s hard,” said Nesbitt and her husband, Jamey Nesbitt. “We gotta watch out what we’re doing. There are other people out here. If we’re driving, pay attention to what you’re doing.”

We did reach out to Savannah Police ahead of this coverage, and they say the car still has yet to be identified and that it’s still an active and ongoing investigation.

They continue to ask for the public’s help with any tips. As always, you can remain anonymous. Submit your anonymous tip at savannahchathamcrimestoppers.org or call 912-234-2020.