What to Know
- Stafford Taylor was found in Malibu on July 5 with severe injuries consistent with physical assault. His phone and wallet were missing.
- Stafford could not be reached after he left a Fourth of July party. He was hospitalized as a John Doe before friends ID'd him.
- His wife, Terry Taylor, has been by his side constantly and says Stafford has still not regained consciousness since the incident.
"From the bottom of my heart, I'm thankful," Terry Taylor said, her voice cracking with emotion at the outpouring of support from friends and family. "And grateful, and, I just--the connection is so deep."
She stood outside UCLA Medical Center, where her husband Stafford Taylor is fighting for his life. Stafford, a local artist, went missing after leaving a Fourth of July party and was eventually admitted to the hospital the next morning with severe injuries, including bleeding to his brain. Authorities believe he was physically assaulted and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department has launched an investigation.
Friends initially realized something was wrong when Terry, who was out of state at the time, started calling them after failing to reach Stafford by phone on the morning of July 5. They started a search and found his abandoned car later that day.
After more searching, authorities told Stafford's friends about a John Doe who had recently been admitted to UCLA Medical. Upon reaching the hospital, the horrified search party identified the brutally beaten man as Stafford.
Terry, who has been by her husband's side constantly since she returned to California, says Stafford is constantly surrounded by the love of his family and their community.
"We're old hippies," Terry says. "We come from a place of love, and the people are the same."
U.S. & World
"The people" are not limited to those who helped find Stafford, but also plenty of other Malibu residents who have known the Taylors for years.
Those connections range from the preschool Terry used to run to the clients and many friends Stafford has accrued as a popular artist and craftsman.
The couple's adult children have also been at their parents' side around the clock since Stafford was attacked.
Terry says her husband's favorite songs are at the ready.
"I just stand there and sing those to him and hold his hand and touch his cheek," Terry says. "And hope that he hears me."
The injury to Stafford's head is so severe that it left him bleeding internally and possibly brain damaged. He is no longer in an induced coma but remains unconscious, and doctors plan to take out a chunk of his skull to relieve pressure on his brain, Terry said.
She can only wait by the side of the man who she has known since high school. They are soul mates, Terry says, their lives torn apart by an attack that nearly took Stafford away.
"It's sad," Terry says. "It's just, I miss him. I really miss him."
If you would like to donate to a GoFundMe to help with the victim's medical costs, you may do so here. Note that GoFundMe deducts 7.9 percent of all funds raised in the form of platform and payment processing charges.
NBC4's Austin Green contributed to this report.
