Crime & Safety
Malibu Artist Severely Beaten, In Coma After July 4th Party
Found as "John Doe," Stafford Taylor was assaulted while leaving friend's house, has brain damage and is in coma. Hunt on for his attackers.
MALIBU, CA – Malibu artist and carpenter Stafford Taylor was found beaten and near death next to the Malibu Library after he was reported missing following a July 4th party. Authorities now are trying to piece what happened and find his attackers.
"Detectives are interviewing people and trying to reconstruct the timeline," Lt. Jim Royal of the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station told the Malibu Times.
Taylor reportedly was walking home from a Malibu Independence Day celebration when assaulted, sustaining "multiple head injuries and extensive brain damage," and now is in a medically induced coma at UCLA Medical Center, according to fundraising effort Stafford's Assault Recovery Fund.
Find out what's happening in Malibufor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Taylor was reported missing the day after he left the Fourth of July party at a home in Malibu, and friends searching for him found his car parked on Pacific Coast Highway, NBC4 reported.
"We were unable to locate him for 36 hours," the fundraiser site states. "Stafford was finally found as a John Doe at UCLA Medical Center. Currently, Stafford is in an induced coma to help his brain heal."
Find out what's happening in Malibufor free with the latest updates from Patch.
On Taylor's thirteenth day at the hospital, the latest medical update on the site, he remains in the brain-trauma, intensive-care unit and is undergoing medical and surgical procedures to alleviate brain swelling and to aid nutrition intake.
"It seems he will be in ICU one more week up to a month," the site's creator wrote on July 17. "Also today they are going to aggressively wean him from the sedation with hopes that he will wake up maybe by Thursday."
Taylor is self-employed and without medical insurance, leaving him in need of funds to cover immediate and long-term medical needs, according to the web page.
"A beloved member of the Malibu community, a father, grandfather, and husband, Stafford is a beautiful soul who always helps anyone in need," states the GoFundMe page established to assist with expenses. "Now he needs our help to recover from this awful tragedy." Donations can be made here.
--City News Service contributed to this report/Image courtesy of GoFundMe
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