LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Lake County deputies are investigating some bizarre circumstances after a 91-year-old man was found bleeding in his home on Starwood Lane and died a few days later.
It happened in mid-February and two people were later found driving the John Taylor’s car near Groveland.
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Those people are suspects in Taylor’s killing, but they have not been charged with his death.
Deputies said Brandi Dale and Bryan Hamill are facing grand theft charges related to stealing Taylor’s car and are being held in the Lake County Jail without bond.
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On Feb. 15, neighbors told deputies they found the 91-year-old on the ground bleeding from the head and arms.
Deputies on scene noted “pooled blood on the floor, apparent blood spatter on a refrigerator and cabinet, and additional blood on a blanket.”
A trauma doctor noted, “the injuries were consistent with an assault and were not accidental.”
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A neighbor told investigators that Taylor’s car was missing and that a couple who stayed in a room on the property, identified as Dale and Hamill, were also gone.
Taylor died a couple of days later, and an obituary online shows he retired after serving 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and leaves behind children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Deputies said Hamill admitted taking the car without permission but denied harming Taylor.
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“There’s a lot of inconsistencies within their story,” Lt. Fred Jones said. “So we are we’re waiting for evidence to come back. They are our main suspects.”
Neighbors said Taylor was kind-hearted and took people in who were down homeless or down on their luck.
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