Authorities traced a disabled BMW to Margaret Chu Dufour’s home, where deputies found her dead hours after neighbors heard a disturbance.
EAGLE LAKE, Fla. — What began as an investigation into several crashes on U.S. 27 led Polk County deputies to an Eagle Lake home, the discovery of a woman’s death and the arrest of her son on a first-degree murder charge.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said the sequence began at about 6:58 a.m. July 21 near U.S. 27 and Holly Hill Grove Road. Deputies were called after a blue 2022 BMW sport utility vehicle left the scene of a crash and continued driving.
Investigators said the BMW struck another vehicle while leaving the area. It then crossed into the southbound lanes and hit a third vehicle that was pulling a trailer. A fourth vehicle became involved when it collided with the trailer.
The BMW was disabled after the final collision. Its driver, later identified as 21-year-old Gibson Nash, was injured and taken to a hospital, where he was sedated and placed on a ventilator. Nine other people were involved in the crashes, and three were hospitalized with minor injuries.
Deputies determined that the vehicle was registered to 56-year-old Margaret Chu Dufour. They went to her home on Wilder Way in Eagle Lake to locate her and gather information about the BMW, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
No one answered the door, prompting deputies to speak with people who lived nearby. A neighbor said two loud noises described as thuds had come from Dufour’s home at about 4:30 a.m., roughly two and a half hours before the first reported crash.
Deputies checked the outside of the house and noticed broken pieces of a plate near a rear sliding door. They also saw a shovel along the side of the residence. Authorities said those observations, combined with the unanswered door and the neighbor’s account, raised concerns about Dufour’s safety.
Deputies entered and found Dufour dead in a room near the front of the home. The Sheriff’s Office said she had suffered blunt-force injuries. Homicide detectives were called to the residence, and the welfare check became a death investigation.
Nash drew investigators’ attention after they confirmed that he had been driving his mother’s BMW. Detectives went to the hospital and documented bruising on his hands and feet, according to the agency.
Investigators also collected blood from Nash’s boots. Laboratory testing later determined that the blood belonged to Dufour, the Sheriff’s Office said. Officials have not publicly released all of the evidence collected from the home or details of any statements Nash may have made.
Hospital personnel reported that Nash was receiving treatment for liver damage after taking a large amount of acetaminophen before the crashes, authorities said. His medical condition kept him sedated and intubated while investigators worked to establish the sequence of events.
Relatives told detectives that Nash had previously been arrested in Tennessee during domestic violence cases and had a history of violent outbursts, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Family members also reported that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
The agency did not say that a medical diagnosis caused the alleged crime. Mental health conditions alone do not establish that a person is violent, and authorities did not announce a confirmed motive.
Dufour had driven to Tennessee on July 14 after Nash was released from jail on bond, investigators said. She brought him to her Eagle Lake home, where he had been staying for about one week before her death.
After Nash’s liver condition improved, doctors removed him from sedation and took him off the ventilator Aug. 3. Deputies arrested him on charges of first-degree murder and two counts of leaving the scene of a crash involving injury.
Nash remained in law enforcement custody at the hospital pending medical clearance. The Sheriff’s Office said he would be transferred to the Polk County Jail after his release. No trial date had been announced, and the charges remained allegations as of Thursday.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 6, 2026.