COVID-19 IN MDMore Than 900 New Cases Reported As Maryland Enters Phase 3 Of Vaccination Plan
  • WJZ 13On Air

    On Air Schedule:

    3:00 PMDr. Phil
    4:00 PMWJZ News @ 4PM
    4:30 PMWJZ News @ 4:30PM
    5:00 PMWJZ News @ 5PM
    5:30 PMWJZ News @ 5:30PM
    View All Programs
By Rachael Cardin
Filed Under:Baltimore, Canton, Local TV, Missing woman, Ocean City, Pasadena, Savannah Payne, Tara Payne

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — One week after a young woman goes missing, her loved ones celebrate her life outside the bar where she was last seen alive.

Sofia Muzzatti described her longtime friend, Savannah Payne. “She was the best, so welcoming she seemed to light up your world the moment she stepped into it,” she said.

READ MORE: Tara Savannah Payne's Family Searching For Answers After Her Body Was Recovered From Water Near Baltimore's Canton Neighborhood

Payne went out for drinks to celebrate her birthday Monday night, March 22. She was last seen at Southern Provisions and near Canton Square around 1:30 Tuesday morning, March 23.

After friends reported Savannah missing the following day Baltimore Police began to investigate what could have happened to the young woman.

Divers eventually recovered Payne’s body in the water near Canton Thursday afternoon.

The community was wrapped up in the disappearance with many actively engaged on social media. Monday, one week after Savannah walked into Southern Provisions, her friend gathered there to remember her.

“Her smile, her laugh, every single time WAP by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion comes on, I will think of how Savannah would instantly break into dance,” Muzzatti said.

Another friend, Kerri Waters, said she was close to Savannah as well and the two had planned to eventually live together.

A memorial in honor of the life of Tara Savannah Payne in Canton. (Photo Credit: Sonia Dasgupta).

“She always talked about getting a house together on the beach, she always wanted that,” Waters said.

Baltimore Police are now calling the death ‘accidental,’ saying there is no threat to the public.

Savannah’s father, Jim Payne, said there are too many other pieces of information he needs to look into before he lets the case be closed. “Lots of unanswered questions with timelines, with how her belongings were found, where she ended up, how she ended up there,” he said.

A vigil was held in Ocean City over the weekend, at Southern Provisions Monday evening and another is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday in Annapolis outside McGarvey’s where Savannah was a bartender.

“I think it should be more a celebration of life, over mourning her loss because she’s still alive in our hearts and our memories everyday,” Muzzatti said.

WJZ’s Rachel Cardin shared more messages from Savannah’s friends over the weekend:

READ MORE: Tara Savannah Payne's Death Ruled Accidental, Police Say

MORE NEWS: Search For Tara Savannah Payne Ends, Body Found In Water Near Canton

Stay with WJZ on this story. To get breaking news alerts, download our app now!

Rachael Cardin