Investigators said physical evidence connected Gibson Nash to the killing after deputies found him driving his mother’s vehicle.
EAGLE LAKE, Fla. — A 21-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his mother, who was found inside her Eagle Lake home after deputies investigated a series of crashes involving her vehicle, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said.
Gibson Nash is accused of killing 56-year-old Margaret Chu Dufour on July 21. Her name was released with her family’s permission. Nash also faces two felony counts of leaving the scene of a crash involving injury, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation began shortly before 7 a.m. when deputies responded to a hit-and-run crash near U.S. 27 and Holly Hill Grove Road. Authorities said a blue 2022 BMW sport utility vehicle left the scene, struck another vehicle and continued traveling before crossing into the southbound lanes.
The BMW became disabled after hitting a vehicle that was towing a trailer, investigators said. A fourth vehicle then collided with the trailer. Nine people other than Nash were involved in the crashes, and three were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
Nash, who was driving the BMW, was injured and taken to a hospital. He was sedated and placed on a ventilator. Authorities said deputies did not immediately know his identity.
Investigators traced the BMW’s registration to Dufour and went to her home on Wilder Way. When no one responded, deputies spoke with neighbors. One neighbor reported hearing two loud thuds at the house at about 4:30 a.m., according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies walked around the property and noticed pieces of a broken plate near a rear sliding door and a shovel beside the home. Because of those circumstances, deputies entered the residence and found Dufour dead in a front room. Authorities said she had suffered blunt-force injuries.
Homicide detectives began examining Nash as a suspect after identifying him as the driver of Dufour’s BMW. At the hospital, investigators documented bruising on his knuckles and feet. The Sheriff’s Office said blood recovered from his boots was later identified through testing as Dufour’s.
Medical workers told investigators that Nash had taken a large amount of acetaminophen before the crashes and was being treated for liver damage, according to the agency. He remained sedated and intubated as detectives continued their investigation.
Relatives told investigators that Nash had a history of violent behavior and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, the Sheriff’s Office said. Those details were attributed to family members and have not been presented as an explanation for the alleged killing.
Family members also told detectives that Nash had been arrested in Tennessee during earlier domestic violence incidents. One of those cases involved an allegation that he moved toward Dufour while carrying a knife, according to the agency.
Dufour traveled to Tennessee on July 14 after Nash was released from jail on bond and brought him back to her Eagle Lake home, investigators said. The killing occurred one week later.
Nash was removed from sedation and taken off the ventilator Aug. 3 after his condition improved. Deputies then arrested him on the murder and crash-related charges.
The Sheriff’s Office said Nash remained under guard at the hospital and would be booked into the Polk County Jail after doctors cleared him for release. Authorities had not announced a court date or released information about an attorney representing him as of Thursday.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 6, 2026.