Police in Daytona Beach on Tuesday released surveillance video showing a person of interest in a savage attack that claimed the lives of a local married couple, who had their throats slashed while riding their bikes from a bar this weekend.
Passersby found Terry Aultman, 48, and Brenda Aultman, 55, lying motionless in a patch of grass near the intersection of North Wild Olive Avenue and Riverview Boulevard just before 2am on Sunday.
‘We found two people possibly dead. There’s blood everywhere,’ a 911 caller said.
Daytona Beach police on Tuesday shared security camera footage, showing a black man wearing a tank top, a cowboy hat, white pants and bright-red gloves, strolling along Seabreeze Boulevard just after midnight on Sunday.
According to investigators, the man in the video was believed to have been moving east towards A1A about two hours before the double homicide, which took place just half a mile away in Daytona Beach – a low-income community with high crime rates.
Police who responded to the scene initially thought that the couple had been the victims of a hit-and-run accident, but then the saw multiple stab wounds and lacerations on their bodies.
Terry Aultman, 48 (left), and his wife, Brenda Aultman, 55 (right), were found dead with their throats slashed early Sunday morning in Daytona Beach, Florida
Police on Tuesday released surveillance video, showing a person of interest in a cowboy hat and red gloves walking along Seabreeze Boulevard two hours before the murders
The man in the video was said to be walking east towards A1A, about half a mile from the scene of the killings
The person of interesting was wearing white pants, a checkered scarf, a cowboy hat and red gloves, and was carrying a backpack
The couple were found lying covered in blood in a grassy area near the intersection of North Wild Olive Avenue and Riverview Boulevard
A 911 caller reported seeing ‘blood everywhere’ around the victims, who he said appeared to be dead because they were not moving
The Aultmans’ two bikes were found next to them. The couple were en route home after participating in Daytona Beach’s annual Bike Week festivities.
According to investigators, the victims were riding their bikes from a bar on Main Street when they were killed.
‘This is probably one of the most vicious and gruesome incidents that I’ve witnessed in my 20 years,’ Police Chief Jakari Young said. ‘We can’t rule out that this may be totally random, but if it is totally random, the person responsible has to be deranged.’
Police do not believe the motive behind the savage double homicide was a robbery.
The suspect remains still at large. He has been described as a man wearing light-colored pants and carrying a backpack.
Video released by the police shows the sought man wearing a checkered scarf around his neck, a dark-colored cowboy hat, and red gloves.
Anyone with information on the man in the video is being asked to call Detective Collin Howell at 386-671-5257.
The Aultman were riding their bikes home from a bar on Main Street when they were sacagely killed
The couple (left) had just relocated to Daytona Beach six months ago. Brenda (right) is survived by her grown daughter
Residents in the typically quiet, historic neighborhood where the bloody murders took place said they now fear for their safety.
‘My wife is not leaving the house by herself. I can tell you that right now,’ Donald Sears told Fox 35.
According to a neighbor, the Aultmans had just moved to Daytona Beach about six months ago to enjoy beach life.
They are survived by Brenda’s grown daughter, who described her mother as her best friend, and her stepfather Terry as a wonderful man, reported WESH.
‘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.’
Daytona Beach is a relatively low-income city of about 70,000 inhabitants, which is best known for being the home of Daytona International Speedway, which hosts February’s Daytona 500 NASCAR race.
According to recent data, the city has an annual crime rate of 5,194 incidents per 100,000 people, which is more than double the national crime rate of 2,489.