BOOT KEY, Fla. – A Marathon woman remains in stable condition Tuesday at a Miami hospital, days after she was seriously injured by a machete-wielding man on her boat, which she lives on.
According to Monroe County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Adam Linhardt, Crystal Marie Young, 45, was airlifted to a hospital Thursday night after she was attacked on her boat.
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Young suffered serious injuries, including many deep cuts to her hands, arms, head, chest and elsewhere. Her eyes were also swollen shut, authorities said.
Linhardt said Young was found by a neighboring live-aboard, who took her to his boat and called 911.
Deputies recovered a machete from Young's boat. They also found a large amount of blood in multiple areas of her boat, Linhardt said.
Deputies, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, searched for Young's attacker.
Linhardt said the man's dinghy was found in the mangroves on Boot Key with blood on it. He was also a live-aboard in Boot Key Harbor, authorities said.
According to Linhardt, the suspect was found dead Friday morning, floating in the mangroves on Boot Key.
His identity is being withheld pending notification of his next-of-kin. Detectives said he and Young knew each other prior to the attack and may have dated at one time.
The case remains under investigation.