Vehicle sought in fatal stabbing investigation found, cops say

Victim's daughter, her boyfriend questioned by OCSO

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County Sheriff's Office has found the vehicle on Monday that was sought in the fatal stabbing of an elderly man.

Julian Gresham, 81, was found dead inside his Taft home Saturday evening.

His 2006 Ford Taurus was found unoccupied on Monday, and detectives believe Gresham's daughter and her boyfriend were involved with the crime.

The victim's daughter, Tessie Gresham, 35, and her boyfriend, David Buchan, 53, were placed under a Baker Act hold by the Orange County Sheriff's Office Sunday morning, but they are now being questioned about their activities prior to being located.

No charges have been filed as of Monday morning in the stabbing. 

"There was blood on the bed and a lot of blood on the floor," said a neighbor who asked to not be identified, adding that she walked through the home Sunday morning just hours after Gresham's body was found. "The house was dark. The car was not there, which was unusual. And pretty soon, all of a sudden, here comes the firetrucks, the ambulance, paramedics."

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said that the fire department first discovered Julian Gresham in the home at 9:45 p.m. Saturday."He was sweet. He would give you the shirt off his back. All you had to do was ask. Sometimes you didn't even have to ask. We'd go on vacation, he'd watch our house," said the neighbor.

Buchan has had several run-ins with the law. In 2007, he was arrested for stabbing his mother, and was also shot by a sheriff's deputy. Court documents show Buchan's sister wrote a letter to the judge in that case, writing that her brother was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at age 14.


About the Authors:

Troy graduated from California State University Northridge with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication. He has reported on Mexican drug cartel violence on the El Paso/ Juarez border, nuclear testing facilities at the Idaho National Laboratory and severe Winter weather in Michigan.

Dawn Jorgenson, Graham Media Group Branded Content Managing Editor, began working with the group in April 2013. She graduated from Texas State University with a degree in electronic media.