The circumstances involving a local artist who was assaulted on the Fourth of July, and later brought to the Malibu Labor Exchange by deputies, are now being called into question by the artist’s family.
The artist, Stafford Taylor, went missing after walking home from an Independence Day celebration in the Malibu Cove Colony. Three days later, his family and friends were notified that Taylor had been identified at the UCLA Medical Center.
According to an online fundraiser description written by his partner Terry Taylor, Stafford suffered “multiple head injuries and extensive brain damage.”
What is not clear is what happened to Taylor during that 36-hour window.
The day after he went missing, The Malibu Times reported, deputies were called to an unknown location; from there, they transported Stafford to the Labor Exchange.
Workers at the time noticed Taylor was “slumped over a picnic table” and later collapsed on the floor, according to CBS News.
One woman told the news outlet that “his body was ice cold and he was shivering, but when she touched his forehead, he was burning up.”
That is when she and other workers decided to call an ambulance.
In a statement to CBS, Taylor family attorney Arnoldo Cassillas said, “It’s clear that the deputy in this case thought that Stafford was homeless and thought it convenient to dump him.”
The deputy—or deputies—who responded to the initial call have not been identified.
In response, the LA County Sheriff’s Department released a statement, which, in part, read: “The investigation into the assault of Mr. Taylor is on-going and we are looking at everything surrounding this incident. We are also conducting our own review of the incident as it relates to policies, and procedures, as we always do.”
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact Detective Wheatcroft with the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station at 818.878.1808.