‘I love you’ was last thing dad heard

Deirdre Newman

COSTA MESA -- With one knee on the ground, William Godsoe bent over

and bowed his head in silent remembrance of his daughter, Ceceline, whom

he found dead on this brush-covered trail in Fairview Park less than two

days ago. A makeshift cross, placed by a stranger, marks the spot where

her body lay.

A few feet away, flowers and a picture frame with the inscription,

“Sharing your sorrow”, serve as a memorial to Ceceline -- a vibrant

montage in the colorless surroundings.

The 16-year-old, who was named after Godsoe’s mother, went out with a

friend for a late-night walk on Thursday and never returned.

An autopsy Saturday determined that Godsoe was killed by trauma from a

blunt object, said Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Don Holford. Police are

treating the case as a homicide, but have not identified any suspects

yet.

Holford said Ceceline Godsoe was not sexually assaulted, and there

were no signs of robbery.

William Godsoe believes his only daughter was killed by someone she

knew. However, he is adamant that the friend she left with, whose

identity he would not reveal, was not involved.

Ceceline left her house around 11 p.m. on Thursday night, Holford

said. When she hadn’t come home three hours later, William Godsoe went

out looking for her.

He said he found her not far from the Pacific Avenue entrance to

Fairview Park, face up, on one of the bluffs.

While the police continue their investigation, Godsoe clings to the

memories of his daughter, whom he describes as an independent spirit.

“She was a very pretty girl who didn’t know she was pretty, as so many

pretty women are,” Godsoe said. “She was kind of shy, and she loved going

where she could see the natural world. That’s why she used to love to

walk on the bluff.”

Ceceline grew up in Costa Mesa, but had only been back in the area for

a few months after spending some time with her mother in Florida. She was

being home schooled. Her 27-year-old brother, John, lives in Alabama.

Godsoe, who works as a carpenter, said he and his daughter had spent a

lot of time at Fairview Park, walking along the steep bluffs and gazing

out at the expansive view of the riverbed below.

Ceceline wanted to get a kite to fly in the park, he recalls. “But we

didn’t...”, his voice trailing off as he winced at the thought that she

will never have the chance to fly a kite again.

In his time of grief, he said he has been buttressed by friends and

strangers that have quickly become friends.

“I can’t get rid of them,” he joked, a smile briefly piercing his

melancholy.

He said he was touched that one of the flower arrangements in the park

had been placed by a neighbor.

He hopes that other parents take heed from his daughter’s untimely

demise by expressing their love for their children and spending time

doing the things they know their children enjoy.

“I remember the small things we did with great love,” Godsoe said.

“And the last thing that we said to each other was ‘I love you.”’

-- Deirdre Newman covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at o7 deirdre.newman@latimes.comf7 .