GOLDEN, Colo. (KDVR) — In an exclusive interview inside the Jefferson County jail, Savannah Wilson told FOX31 her father’s death was an accident. 

Savannah Wilson was arrested Thursday in connection with the death of 81-year-old Gail Wilson. She is being held on suspicion of accessory to first-degree murder. 

“I thought this might be a good opportunity to let the world know that I’m so sorry,” Savannah Wilson said. “I feel a lot of grief and a lot of guilt.”

According to Savannah Wilson, after her mother died in May, she tried “to bond a little bit better” with her adoptive father Gail Wilson.

“It’s been rocky, but for the most part, I think we have a good relationship,” she said. 

Gail Wilson has been missing since Oct. 31. Police still have not located his body. They believe he may have been killed and concealed in trash bags, a laundry hamper and rolled-up carpet in the back of his pickup truck, then dumped in various areas of central Denver. 

Ricardo Gonzalez Perez is being held on suspicion of murder in Gail Wilson’s death. 

According to Savannah Wilson, Perez is her boyfriend. She said the two met through a mutual friend and have been dating for one year. She described the relationship as “good” and “healthy.” 

“Before him, I was in an extremely, extremely abusive relationship that I almost died three times in,” she said. 

What happened to Gail Wilson?

Savannah Wilson would not go into details about what happened surrounding her father’s death. She said she has not opened up to police about it either.

“I don’t have the greatest relationship with my siblings and if I talk about what happened, I’m not sure what the outcome would be anyway,” she said. “I’m fearful for what they’re going to say. Because I’ve messed up.”

When FOX31 asked her, “Did you kill your dad?” Savannah Wilson responded, “No.” She said she was “there” when her father died but “wasn’t in the room.” 

When FOX31 asked, “Did Ricardo [kill your dad]?” — she responded, “Not on purpose.”

Savannah Wilson declined to go into detail about what happened after her father died or her level of involvement.

When asked how she feels toward Perez after the death of her father, she said, “Regardless of how many people I hurt by saying this, I still love him.”

“I don’t think any of us are a bad guy. This was an accident,” she said. 

Savannah Wilson did not admit guilt in the interview with FOX31, nor did she claim innocence.

“I think I just got caught up in the wrong thing,” she said. “There are no, no words that could ever express the deep ache of remorse and guilt that I’m feeling for everything that I’ve been involved in.”

Prior to her arrest, Savannah Wilson was a massage therapist. The 24-year-old said she has a passion for helping people and had hopes of one day opening a nonprofit focused on people who have experienced trauma.

“I’ve jeopardized my character quite a bit. I’ve been known as somebody who’s honest, integral, has principle, and in doing all of the things I’ve done recently by lying to the police, that doesn’t show through my actions,” she said.