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Fellow Austinites have dropped off flowers at the front of Children's Medical Group in Austin, where pediatrician Dr. Lindley Dodson was killed in a murder-suicide Tuesday night. (Christa McWhirter)
Flowers adorn the front of Children's Medical Group in mourning of pediatrician Dr. Katherine Lindley Dodson, who was killed as a hostage in a murder-suicide after an hours-long standoff with SWAT Police on Tuesday night.
The suspect, physician Dr. Bharat Narumanchi, reportedly held five employees hostage for several hours before shooting Dodson and later himself. All other employees managed to escape or were released.
(Christa McWhirter)
Family, friends and community members have taken to social media to memorialize Dr. Dodson, who has been described as an "absolute light" who "brought blessings and joy to every life she touched."
Karen Vladeck, whose two sons were attended by Dr. Dodson, took to Twitter to share memories of Dodson. According to Vladeck, Dodson "made you feel that your child's illness was the only one that mattered in that moment" and made parents and children alike feel "important and heard."
Our entire community is beyond words gutted by the senseless loss of our wonderful pediatrician and friend, Dr. Lin… https://t.co/EAskhVmsEa— KSV (@KSV)1611763418.0
Among the hundreds of comments, many described Dodson as "kind, caring and funny". Memories shared included her habit of saying, "Hey friend!" as she entered a room, calling the parents of patients after hours to ease concerns, and knowing every patient on a personal level.
@KSVesq I keep thinking about how she said “hey friend!” when she came into the room. All her patients were her fri… https://t.co/K1rh0Z6hZL— katie smith (@katie smith)1611768714.0
A GoFundMe has been set up in support of Children's Medical Group staff and families. Austin physicians are also reportedly planning a candlelight vigil in her memory, and some have already held a prayer circle in front of the practice.
A long-time local physician, Dodson joined Children's Medical Group in 2017. She was named one of the top pediatricians in Texas by Texas Super Doctors in both 2019 and 2020.
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(Dolce Neve)
He's since been offering that same experience for the past seven years with his artisanal gelato shop, Dolce Neve, in Austin, alongside his sister and her husband.
Leo Ferrarese, Marco and Franscesa Silvestrini run Dolce Neve. (Dolce Neve)
While gelato always played a big role in Silvestrini's life, it wasn't in his plans to take on a business with his favorite treat. After a few years in New York working as a management consultant, he felt he was missing out on something. "I decided to take a step back and started thinking, what could... I do to make society better and happier, even just for a moment," Silvestrini said.
He thought back to his childhood and the role gelato played in it and wanted to offer the same experience to Americans.
Once he had the product idea down, it came down to location. Growing up among farmers in a small community in Central Italy, Silvestrini knew he wanted a slower pace of living than New York, so he asked around. The answer he got: "Austin." The only thing he knew about what would become his future home was it had a Formula 1 track.
But after visiting once, he felt a great sense of community he didn't feel in The Empire State. "I felt it was not just a good place for a concept like mine, but also a good place to live because at the end of the day, you cannot just think about your business," he said.
"Dolce Neve" translates to "sweet snow." The shops offers 12-18 flavors at a time. (Dolce Neve)
Similarly, his sister Francesca Silvestrini was experiencing the same feelings while studying for her Ph.D. in Ohio before teaming up with Silvestrini. She went back to Italy to be properly trained in making gelato while Silvestrini focused on the business plan. They brought Leo Ferrarese, her husband, onboard and opened their first shop on South First Street in January 2014. The rest is history.
On the menu, you'll find various traditional and innovative flavors that rotate out. Some of the staples include chocolate, 100% vanilla from Madagascar and salted caramel. Other rotating or seasonal flavors include whiskey and pecan, organic cantaloupe sorbet, goat cheese and pecan, almond custard and tiramisu. They've created over 300 flavors together in the span of the business.
So what's next for the shop? Lately, Silvestrini has been thinking a lot about that. With two locations in Austin, one in Houston—he's just not sure if expanding more is the right move. Maintaining a quality product and good service is of utmost importance that he's not willing to sacrifice.
"In order to be happy, it's not about making money, it's about being an integral part of the community," Silvestrini said. "There have been so many cases in which I think what I did today really made a difference in somebody's life."
