TAYLOR, Mich. – Police are investigating a brutal attack that left a man in the hospital after he mysteriously traveled from a Taylor bar to Southwest Detroit, where he was found clinging to life.
The victim, identified only as Stefan Sims, was discovered Tuesday (Sept. 16) morning with injuries consistent with a machete attack, according to friends.
“He was seconds, if not at the very final thread of losing his life, before he was found,” said his longtime coworker and friend, who requested anonymity.
The investigation spans two jurisdictions, centering on the victim’s movements between Monday night and Tuesday morning.
Police say Sims visited Big League Brews Bar in Taylor on the evening of Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, just blocks from where he was staying.
However, he was discovered the next morning in Southwest Detroit, severely injured.
“From what I know, the cuts on his body are consistent with a machete,” said Malik Brown, a friend of the victim. “They went down to the bone. They were very wide, very deep on his head, on his face, arms, and legs.”
Sims, an out-of-state contractor, had arrived in Taylor just two weeks before the attack.
His friends described him as a peaceful person.
“If you were to do something to him, he would give you a hug right after. He’s a really good dude,” Brown said.
The Taylor Police Department issued a statement Friday clarifying that the alleged attack did not occur within their jurisdiction.
The Detroit Police Department is now handling the investigation.
“This was heinous. This was a level of aggression that is like, ‘Who the hell is walking around with us?’” Brown questioned. “Who’s among us that can do something like this?”
As of Sept. 19, the Detroit police had no new updates on the ongoing investigation.
“The Detroit police and the Taylor police have been doing a fantastic job, and I just encourage them to continue pushing forward and finding out as much information as they can because we need to know. We need to know what happened. We need to know why it happened,” his coworker said.