Savannah family heartbroken after loved one found murdered

"We talked nearly every day," Joyce Green tells me. "He was the youngest of my sons and well yes, maybe he was my favorite," she laughs.

Mrs. Green is surrounded by her children and other relatives as they all gathered together Sunday afternoon. They're trying to deal with the loss of Steven Green, a son, brother, an uncle and a beloved godfather who was helping to raise his 8 year old goddaughter.

"We knew something was wrong Saturday morning when his girlfriend called," Mrs. Green says. "She talked to one of my daughters and said she had not seen him since Friday. That's when we went out looking."

Mrs. Green and two of her daughters started driving to rental properties that Green owns in Savannah. When they got to the property he owns at 1000 Stokes Street, police were there. "That's when we were told he was dead inside," his mother says.

"It is still hard to accept, that he is gone," she says. "He had been clean and sober for 13 years, and still went to meetings once a week. I was very proud of him for that."

His familys says in 2003, Green was shot in the back during an armed robbery and nearly died then. "But he battled back," Mrs. Green tells me. "And he was determined to walk again. And it took a lot of rehabilitation but he did walk again."

Green says her son still had some bad days though when he had pain. But he was taking care of his rental properties and his goddaughter Marquaysia was staying with him during the week and he was making sure she got to school each day.

The family says that Green told them that the renters who occupied the Stokes property were moving out on Thursday. On Friday, he told them he was going to the property to show it to prospective tenants. They're not sure what happened after that.

Mrs. Green says she expects more information from police this week. Meanwhile, she hopes anyone who knows anything will do the right thing and come forward with information. "Please tell what you know," Mrs. Green says. "You always hear about things like this but you can't imagine what it's like when it happens to you."

If you have any information about the crime, you're asked to call encouraged to contact Homicide Detectives at 912-651-6728. You can also call Crime Stoppers at 912-234-2020 and provide information anonymously.