REMEMBER Sariah
Sariah Dixon
19 YEARS OLD ·
Belleview,
Florida
Sariah Dixon was a 19-year-old mother remembered by her family as bright, independent, outgoing, and a great daughter. Born and raised in Ocala, she attended Belleview Middle School and Belleview High School and worked for several years at a McDonald’s in The Villages. She was the mother of a 2-year-old son.
Sariah was born and raised in Ocala, Florida. She attended Belleview Middle and Belleview High School and later worked for several years at a McDonald’s in The Villages. Her mother, Carmen Torres, described her as “bright, independent, outgoing and a great daughter.” Sariah was also raising her 2-year-old son. Her grandmother, Yvonne Dixon, returned to Sariah’s apartment after her death carrying a candle she wanted to leave outside her granddaughter’s door as an act of remembrance and closure.
THE RECORD
At approximately 8:30 a.m., Belleview police responded to reports of a woman screaming and gunshots in the 5900 block of Southeast Front Road. Officers found Sariah outside between apartment buildings suffering from a gunshot wound. She was killed at age 19.
Witnesses reported seeing a gray Chevrolet Impala leave the apartment complex following the shooting. A vehicle matching that description subsequently crashed on Baseline Road. Frank Friday was seen leaving the crash on foot. When a Marion County sheriff’s deputy approached him, Friday produced a handgun and threatened to kill himself. After initially interacting with the deputy, Friday fled into a nearby neighborhood. Deputies searching with a police dog later located him after he had shot himself.
Belleview police recovered a firearm and identified Friday as the person of interest in Sariah’s killing. Investigators stated that they were not searching for any additional suspects or persons of interest.
RELATIONSHIP CONTEXT
Former / on-and-off boyfriend; father of her child
Sariah and Frank Friday had been in an on-and-off relationship for approximately five years and shared a 2-year-old son. Their relationship had an extensive documented history of domestic violence and law-enforcement involvement. By the time of her death, Sariah had told her mother that she was finished with Friday and could no longer tolerate his daily threats and stalking.
Court and police records documented multiple earlier cases involving Friday. In 2015, he was charged with battery and resisting an officer without violence; the battery charge was later dropped. In April 2017, he was arrested on charges including stalking. Sariah later recanted part of her account and requested that the case be dropped, stating that she did not want Friday to get in trouble and wanted him to receive help.
Approximately two months later, Friday was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence by strangulation, and false imprisonment. Those charges were subsequently dropped after Sariah requested dismissal.
CHILDREN / ADDITIONAL VICTIMS
CHILDREN PRESENT — DOCUMENTED NO
PATTERNS DOCUMENTED IN AVAILABLE RECORDS
These indicators reflect what could be established from available sources. Absence from this list does not establish that a behavior did not occur.
LEGAL / SYSTEM RESPONSE
Sariah’s relationship with Friday had generated repeated law-enforcement and court involvement before her death.
In 2015, Friday was charged with battery and resisting an officer without violence. The battery charge was dropped, while he was adjudicated guilty of resisting and served 30 days in the Marion County Jail in addition to completing community service.
In April 2017, Friday was arrested for stalking and resisting an officer without violence. The stalking charge was ultimately dropped after Sariah recanted part of her account. Friday was adjudicated guilty of resisting, served two days in jail, and received one year of probation.
Two months later, Friday was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence by strangulation, and false imprisonment. Those charges were also subsequently dropped after Sariah requested dismissal.
During the earlier stalking case, Sariah reported that Friday no longer had access to firearms. Police had previously taken a firearm from him in connection with domestic violence against her.
INFORMATION LIMITATIONS
The available reporting provides substantial information about Sariah’s relationship history and previous system involvement. It does not establish whether a protective order was sought or issued, whether Sariah’s son was physically present during the fatal shooting, or whether Friday had previously threatened Sariah’s child, relatives, pets, or other people as part of the abuse.
TRANSPARENCY / RECORD NOTE
Sariah’s case included extensive documented system contact before her death. Records describe prior battery allegations, stalking, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, strangulation, false imprisonment, and law-enforcement seizure of a firearm from Friday. Multiple charges were dismissed after Sariah recanted portions of earlier reports or requested that charges be dropped. Her mother later reported that Sariah had ended the relationship because she could no longer tolerate Friday threatening and stalking her every day.
Friday’s suicidal behavior following Sariah’s homicide is documented as part of the fatal incident but is not coded as Self-Harm/Suicide Threat because the available information does not establish that prior threats of self-harm or suicide were used within the relationship before Sariah was killed.
REMEMBER Sariah.
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