Married couple stabbed to death while riding bicycles home in Florida
A married couple was found dead on the side of a road after being stabbed to death while riding their bicycles home, authorities in Florida said Monday. Daytona Beach Police said they were still searching for a suspect on Tuesday and released surveillance video showing a "person of interest."
Officials said the video shows a man walking along the street just after midnight Sunday. He is wearing a gray tank top, beige scarf, white pants, red gloves and a black cowboy hat. He is also seen wearing a backpack.
Police identified the victims of Sunday's attack as 48-year-old Terry Aultman and 55-year-old Brenda Aultman. First responders found the bodies "covered in blood and with multiple stab wounds and lacerations to their bodies," police said.
Investigators said two witnesses, one of whom called 911, found the man lying face-down on his chest and the woman lying face-up on her back in a grassy area next to a sidewalk. Police said both victims had their throats slashed.
"This is probably one of the most vicious and gruesome incidents that I've witnessed in my 20 years," Daytona Police Chief Jakari Young told reporters. "We can't rule out that this may be totally random, but if it is totally random, the person responsible has to be deranged."
Two bicycles were discovered near the bodies and they are being processed for evidence, officials said. Investigators said the couple were riding their bicycles home after participating in Bike Week festivities when they were attacked.
One neighbor told WKMG-TV that police asked to view video recorded by cameras at her home.
"They knocked on my door at 2:15 in the morning, the detectives, because they wanted to get the videos off of my cameras," she said. "(The deaths are) disturbing, certainly, and (the officers) were really upset. They said it was horrendous."
No arrests have been made, and investigators said they were searching for a man who was last seen wearing white or light-colored pants and was carrying a backpack.
"We will spare no expense and leave no stone unturned in order to solve this case," Chief Young said in a statement. "I assure you that our detectives are doing all they can to bring justice to the loved ones of these victims."
Anyone with information about the slayings is asked to call the Daytona Beach Police Department at 386-671-5257.
