The mother of a young homicide victim in Penticton, B.C., says she is overwhelmed by the support from her small town as she grieves the sudden loss of her son.
Taig Savage, 22, was killed in a swarming attack in the early hours of Sept. 5 on the sports field behind Penticton Secondary School.
His mother, Tracey Savage, said she can’t speak to the specifics of the case to protect the integrity of the murder investigation, but believes “there was definitely more than one person involved.”
The grieving mother is urging witnesses to come forward and speak to police. As of Sept. 21, no arrests have been made.
“We’re always interested in new leads and new footage or anything that will help the case,” Savage told Global News.
“So anything at all that anyone can bring forward. Little or small, or they think it’s important that we all work together as a community to try and bring whoever is responsible to justice.”
Friends and family have launched a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs of a memorial and businesses have donated to a raffle draw.
“I’m overwhelmed with the support that I’ve received,” she said.
Savage owns a small cafe in Summerland called Just Hazel. Young employees have worked extra hours with their parents supervising to keep the small business open.
“I had people come in and put up shelving that I needed and did work to my actual restaurant that I had had, you know, looked into getting done,” she said.
It isn’t the first tragedy she has endured.
Savage said she has a big family with 11 children. Two of her kids, aged three and 18 months, died in a motel fire on Nov. 29, 1988, she said.
“The fire was immense and we were told would never find out the cause.”
More than three decades later, Taig was killed.
“His legacy is that he lived every day to its fullest,” Savage said.
“He was happy-go-lucky. He was an amazing kid in the sense that he didn’t judge people and therefore, it didn’t matter what you wore, what you look like, or who you were what your story was, he accepted you with face value and no judgment.”
Taig Savage was a graduate of Princess Margaret Secondary and attended Okanagan College in the construction trades program.
He previously worked at Zias Stonehouse Restaurant in Summerland and grew up in the South Okanagan.
“He also was a community member and he had friends and he went to school here and these people are grieving his loss as well,” she said.
Police have remained tight-lipped about the homicide, saying only that Penticton RCMP were called to assist BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) with an unresponsive person at a field located in the 100 block of Eckhart Avenue.
The man sustained critical injuries and was transported to a local area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
If anyone has information or witnessed this incident, they are asked to contact the Penticton RCMP at 250-492-4300.
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