Answers sought after former football star beaten, left for dead
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BELLEVUE, Wash. -- A mother is pleading for answers after her only child and former college football player was beaten and left for dead on the street.
Bellevue police have not released many details, only that they are retracing J.D. Aylward's activities the night he was beaten. He was found without a wallet, but he did have his phone on him. Detectives have started calling the last numbers he dialed.
Aylward excelled at so many football positions during his years at Sammamish High School that recruits considered him a triple threat. He dons a ring from his Fiesta Bowl win at Boise State. But the vibrant and lean 5-foot-11 wide receiver from Bellevue now lies lifeless in intensive care.
"He's in bad shape," said his mother Colleen Aylward.
A 911 call at 4 a.m. Sunday alerted police to a battered body on 140th Street in Bellevue.
"And he looked like a dead man, blood out of his head, big pool of blood," said Colleen Aylward, who has seen police photos of the scene. "Hard to look at, but enough to make me want to kill somebody."
On the day of the beating, J.D. Aylward exchanged text messages with his best friend and roommate Thomas Bright throughout the day, first from a wedding then later from Munchbar in Bellevue.
"The last received text message (was) at 2:15 that night, saying he was out, having fun. I never responded; I was asleep. I wish I did," Bright said.
These text messages have relatives and detectives trying to piece together who J.D. Aylward was with and where they went before the beating that left him critically injured.
"(Doctors) cut his scalp, pulled the skin back and sawed the scalp off. (They) stapled his skin back on whole rows of staples," said Colleen Aylward. "(Doctors) put his skull in the freezer to save for later, because his brain is swelling so much."
Every day more than two dozen visitors crowd the hospital halls at Harborview Medical Center.
"Over and over, and over, people say, 'Not J.D. No one doesn't like J.D.," said Colleen Aylward.
The mother knows her son will never be the same. Now she and her husband want to know who did this to him and why.
"We want justice," Bright said. "We want questions answered. He deserves it. We deserve it. His mom deserves it."
Colleen Aylward says she has no tears left, but she is also overwhelmed. Following another briefing with doctors on Thursday morning, she fainted, landing in the emergency room herself.
Bellevue police have not released many details, only that they are retracing J.D. Aylward's activities the night he was beaten. He was found without a wallet, but he did have his phone on him. Detectives have started calling the last numbers he dialed.
Aylward excelled at so many football positions during his years at Sammamish High School that recruits considered him a triple threat. He dons a ring from his Fiesta Bowl win at Boise State. But the vibrant and lean 5-foot-11 wide receiver from Bellevue now lies lifeless in intensive care.
"He's in bad shape," said his mother Colleen Aylward.
A 911 call at 4 a.m. Sunday alerted police to a battered body on 140th Street in Bellevue.
"And he looked like a dead man, blood out of his head, big pool of blood," said Colleen Aylward, who has seen police photos of the scene. "Hard to look at, but enough to make me want to kill somebody."
On the day of the beating, J.D. Aylward exchanged text messages with his best friend and roommate Thomas Bright throughout the day, first from a wedding then later from Munchbar in Bellevue.
"The last received text message (was) at 2:15 that night, saying he was out, having fun. I never responded; I was asleep. I wish I did," Bright said.
These text messages have relatives and detectives trying to piece together who J.D. Aylward was with and where they went before the beating that left him critically injured.
"(Doctors) cut his scalp, pulled the skin back and sawed the scalp off. (They) stapled his skin back on whole rows of staples," said Colleen Aylward. "(Doctors) put his skull in the freezer to save for later, because his brain is swelling so much."
Every day more than two dozen visitors crowd the hospital halls at Harborview Medical Center.
"Over and over, and over, people say, 'Not J.D. No one doesn't like J.D.," said Colleen Aylward.
The mother knows her son will never be the same. Now she and her husband want to know who did this to him and why.
"We want justice," Bright said. "We want questions answered. He deserves it. We deserve it. His mom deserves it."
Colleen Aylward says she has no tears left, but she is also overwhelmed. Following another briefing with doctors on Thursday morning, she fainted, landing in the emergency room herself.
Praying to the Divine Mother for Colleen and JD.. for expedited healing and justice for the wrong doers. Om Shanti Peace
Prayer? If I were so laid up as this poor bloke, I'd prefer really experienced medical care. Because what happens if the prayer line gets crossed somehow, and echoes back backwards. That would make him get worse. Don't risk this.
Munch Bar Bellevue attracts ALOT of negative attention. If we want to change our neighborhood for the better then we should start at the root of it all. It is unfortunate for night clubs to be given such bad names, but it's for a reason. What has happened to JD and so many other individuals is uncanny and needs to be stopped. I pray for JDs speedy recovery and hope who ever did this is found. But I firmly believe it is the places that over serve and promote bad behavior that need to go. For everyone's future and safety.
@ My Prayers go out to JD and his family!! Â
Ok people, there ARE witnesses out there. Someone, somewhere saw this poor man during the night. If you were in the bar or the area where he was found, THINK, something could have caught your attention. We really need to step up as a society and help out if possible when crimes happen. The police can't do it all by themselves. If you may have any information, even if you think it's not relevant, pass it on. You never know.
Reminds me of the guy who got  jumped in the alley last week at midnight in Pioneer Square.  He was out in one punch and just got robbed.  Something tells me this guy might have put up a fight.  Can't help but wonder if it was the same guy or similar situation...
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I hope he recovers.
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This breaks my heart. Stay strong mother. You and family are in my prayers. Â
My heart goes out to the family and friends. Checked out the caringbridge page and I just wanted to offer this thought. It's great how much support he's getting right now and how optimistic everyone is. Just make sure that if his recovery is not as speedy as you hope that he continues to get the support he needs long-term. It seems like that wont be a problem for JD though.
Mom, family, my prayers and thoughts are with you. Science has come a long way - he is in the best hands in the country for what has happened to him. Likely he won't be the same, but all of us change throughout life. He will still be a good guy who will heal with love, acceptance and therapy. Physical therapy will do a lot. Go a day at a time and love and strength to you.
Man, I hope he recovers. Whomever did this to him must pay the price. I hope he can say who it was. I feel so very sorry for him and his mother. I hope his mother has people to lean on through this terrible time. She's going to need all the strength she can get, and LOTS of prayers. You're both in my prayers.
Sometime between 2:15 abd 4 a.m. Glad I don't do those hours anymore. Much more dangerous than it used to be. Good luck!
Prayers for a full recovery and answers as to who did this. Knowing why won't ease your pain, but knowing the people who did this are being punished and prevented from doing it again might help.Â
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Never ceases to amaze me what human beings are capable of doing to other human beings. Disgusting. I feel incredibly sorry for his mother - a nightmare of great proportions. Hang in there mom, they will find ther person or persons that did this to him.
Best wishes from your friends in Edmonds. Stay Strong
JD was last seen by his friends in Munch Bar/Mirror Lounge in downtown bellevue after going out saturday night. Anyone who was near there who might have seen him leaving please come forward to the police. We are unsure how he got to where he was found or who he left with. This seems to be a key clue to finding out what happened to him. He was wearing all black that night, if anyone thinks they might ahve remembered seeing him leave please call Bellevue Police. Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers.
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praying for you and your family
We WILL find who is responsible for this outrageous act of violence and they will surely be dealt with appropriately.
i have a feeling street mugging incidents will keep climbing... do your part to protect yourselves...  when you're out, don't drink too much, stay sober, try to have a good time like a responsible mature adult, and at the same time, keep your self-defensive instinct always... an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. btw, i don't know why or how the beating of JD took place. so i was not saying he got beaten and robbed because he was drunk. i'm only suggesting a good idea for people in general to protect themselves when they are out to have a good time. i hope for the prompt justice and his speedy recovery...
@CIAassassin ...truer words were never spoken...head always on a swivel when out and about. It's a war out there on the street, always has been and always will be. The good people must always beware of the evil ones and be willing and able to defend themselves against the evildoers. CPL and practice is the answer.
We as his friends and family are so grateful for all the support and prayers coming his way tonight!
If you would like to stay up to date on his progress to FULL recovery :)
follow him here....
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jdaylward.
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Let's get JUSTICE for JD!
Being a parent myself I don't know how one would cope with something this ugly. It always seems to happen to the cream of the crop. Hopefully whomever did this will not only get caught but will spend the rest of their days behind bars. Will be praying for this young man and his family/friends.
So unbelievably sad! Wonder if it's random or not? I hope they have a suspect. However, I have zero faith in the Bellevue police after the Sky Metalwala case.
 @victory1 So exactly what could BPD done in Sky's case that they haven't done? They aren't miracle workers. They can only work with the evidence they have. You sound like you know something that they and others don't???
 @boeman Are you serious? Do you really believe that there is no way for them to talk to the mother? If you or I were babysitting Skye and he went missing and they proved that we were lying about the circumstances, do you believe for one second that we could just walk away and refuse to talk to the police and just end it like that? Have you EVER seen a case like that in your lifetime? Why haven't they asked the FBI to get involved? Why does the FBI get involved with thousands of other missing children cases, but somehow has zero interest in this one? If the Bellevue Police Department cannot handle their job, then they need to request assistance. There is no doubt that having an attorney has provided the mother with the ability to keep silent, but the police force should be on her 24/7. If that was the case, we would have some information by now. We do know that the mother has some severe psychological issues that would have caused her to slip up by now!
 @Surveyor1  @victory1  @boeman The FBI has not solved many missing child cases lately.
FBI only gets involved if it's believed the child has been kidnapped & transported across state lines. FBI isn't 'better" than the local law enforcement agencys- it's handles different types of crimes.
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Since the US does not allow local law enforcement to employ torture as a means of extracting information out of a suspect, they pretty much cannot 'force" mama to spill her guts on what she did with her baby.Â
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How do you know shes not being watched? LE doesn't usually reveal all they know regarding an investigation. It's a cat & mouse game... given enough time, she (or whomever is invovled) will slip up and the truth will be revealed. That's the great thing about Sociopaths- they think they are better and smarter than everyone else and the rest of us are too stupid to know what they are up to.Â
@victory1 @boeman How do you know the FBI isn't involved in some capacity? the last thing you want is for them to prematurely charge her with anything. If they don't have the evidence and they charge her because they think she did it, she will beat it in court. Remember Casey Anthony?
They certainly aren't going to charge her based on your request that they do so.
How is it know that it was a beating and that he didn't get hit by a car?
 @dudethecat There are smart people that can analyze injuries and within a reasonable amount of accuracy tell you how they occurred.
he had no injuries below the shoulders other than a scrape on his elbow that appears to been caused when he hit the ground
@dudethecat       did you see his eye
A friend of my husband's was attacked in Seattle after the bars closed, earlier this year. Like the video of the man being attacked in the alley in Seattle, this was probably another random robbery. Or even someone he met at the bar who beat him and robbed him. Â Terribly sad. I hope he recovers fully, and that they find witnesses who can piece things together to find the attacker(s)Â
I'm going to guess that it was probably a gay bashing.
@EMDF9A - take your comments somewhere else. Completely inappropriate and basically non-relevant. The fact is a young man has been beaten severely and whomever did it, for whatever reason or purpose, they need to be tracked down and dealt with. I for one am hopeful that through video captures, etc. it won't be long before they are found.Â
 @EMDF9A speechless
@EMDF9A  - speechless...why would you even say something like that? Even if he was gay...why does that warrant such a comment? He's a HUMAN BEING who was beaten...isn't that enough?
 @mccwife Flag him offensive. All of you reading this, please flag his comment.
Random acts of violence are common contrary to what a lot of people think. Â If you are walking in certain areas by yourself watch out. Â The liberals are turning this country upside down.Â
 @HullenbeckCowl Ah the liberals attacked JD? They are responsible for this terrible act of violence? I'm failing to see how the liberals are responsible. You cannot pin the blame for everything that happens on a political standpoint or party. You just sound like and idiot.Â
I'm pretty positive it was some jerk or multiple jerks that did this to an innocent man and has nothing to do with politics.Â
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 @Melissa Foster  @HullenbeckCowl pretty good chance the people who beat people and rob them don't bother with voting or participating in our system in any way. Probably HullenbeckCowl would like to see us all go back to the "good old days" where public hangins' happened and women and minorities couldn't vote. He'd probably love that.
I wouldn't mind public floggings and hangings. Might make crimes like what happended to JD less common if thugs actually started fearing the possible punishment.
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Let's take our political issues elsewhere, shall we(?) and keep on topic of showing our support for JD and his family and hope for speedy capture of the guilty.Â
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This is not the place to push personal agendas.
 @HullenbeckCowl Man, I rarely reply to comments, but that has to be the dumbest and most obtuse statement I've read in a long time.
 @HullenbeckCowl actually, it's the republican policies that have been sending jobs to india and china since the 1980s, and cutting taxes on the wealthiest people while cutting programs for job training, school grants, after school programs, child care, and community policing, that has destroyed the fabric of America.  Add to that the insane deregulation of banks, and the fleecing of the Treasury by two wars + tax cuts on billionaires, and crimes and unemployed young men, soar.  But thanks for your input.Â
 @DT  @HullenbeckCowl For crying out loud.....GET OFF your pathetic political bandwagons!.This is all about a young man who was critically beaten by some thug or thugs, a young man who is loved by his family and friends. You politicos make me sick. This is NOT about red or blue viewpoints, but a human tragedy.
 @Yadayada  @DT  @HullenbeckCowl REALLY PEOPLE? WE HAVE TO GET POLITICAL? Guess what, OBAMA AND ROMNEY BOTH SUCK. I agree with yada, you politicos are disgusting. Doesn't matter what party you're on, you're all the cancer that's killing America.
@DT @HullenbeckCowl B.S. Try again.
I only wish the Republicans were solely in charge since the 1980's. But, I understand because liberalism really is a mental disorder!
 @Liberal_Illness  @DT  @HullenbeckCowl DT- your comment was spot on and you were included in my reply, but you're not one of the "scholars" I was referring to.
 @Liberal_Illness  @DT  @HullenbeckCowl Wow, such incredibly well thought out arguments from a couple of highly articulate scholars...whatever will I do? Oh, yeah- vote Obama 2012!
@HullenbeckCowl You just can't stay on subject! Gotta get political and ignorant. Shame on you and GROW UP!