Lakeland police are looking for leads in the murder of a 55-year-old man.

  • Roderick Childs found dead inside home
  • Police recover his truck, look for more clues
  • Family, neighbors described him as giving person

Roderick Childs was found shot to death Monday by a worker inside his home at the Lakeland Manor Apartments.

Childs' family and neighbors all describe him as a friendly, kind and giving person. That includes his daughter, Asia Childs. She stopped by his locked apartment Tuesday to pay her respects.

"He was a very kind-hearted man," she said. "He made a lot of sacrifices to make sure that the people in the community were somehow being taken care of."

Neighbor Mattie Baker said something similar.

"On more than one occasion, for different restaurants here in the local community, he would buy food and just take it outside and give it to somebody who was either begging for change or walking down the street," Baker said.

Childs owned Victory Bedding on George Jenkins Boulevard. His brother who works there, Terry Childs, as well as other workers all said Childs made less money than he could have at the store because he was always trying to help people in need by giving discounts.

So far, police say they don’t have a suspect in the case. They have recovered Childs' pickup truck that was found somewhere in Lakeland.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Lakeland Police Department at 863-834-2357.