SEVIERVILLE, Tennessee — For decades, Dan Blalock was a beloved Sevier County math teacher. He taught generations of students and one of them, later, ended up being a neighbor who also became a trusted friend.
"Everybody loved Dan," Don Farmer said of his friend.
He and his wife, Patsy, live up the street from Blalock's childhood home. The couple said Blalock was extremely proud to still be receiving mail there, even though he had moved in with his sister Annie in her Sevierville home roughly a decade ago.
It was at that home on Aug 12, 2023, when Blalock made a 911 call for help. He told the dispatcher he couldn't get up after taking a fall.
But investigators said that's not at all what happened.
"EMS gets there," Stacey Payne, executive director for East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers, said. "They discovered that it's more than just he's fallen. He's been attacked. And they call for the Sevierville Police Department, who respond and begin the investigation of trying to find out who attacked Mr. Blalock, who hurt him to the point where he needed to go to the hospital immediately."
Once the Farmers heard what happened, they tracked down Blalock and went to see him in the hospital.
"Once we walked in that room, we were shocked at how bad he looked, with his face, all swollen and black," Patsy Farmer said. "We stood there for several minutes in shock, we couldn't believe somebody could do that to a gentle soul, especially an elderly man, 86."
The Farmers wanted to know what happened and Blalock was able to tell them. He told the Farmers he recognized his attacker as a man he had seen a few times at a neighbor's home. But he could not remember his name.
"Dan said that he recognized the person," Don said. "That's why he let him in. And he just said he'd like to use the bathroom. So Dan let him go in, and I guess Dan turned to go into the living room and next thing he had Dan around the neck. Dan was talking about trying to pull his hands away from his neck. He couldn't do it."
Blalock would spend weeks in the hospital recovering. Meanwhile, investigators were working to find his attacker. Payne said police had leads but still had missing pieces, including a possible motive.
"Why did this man who gave so much time and energy to his community, helped so many kids throughout the years, why was he attacked," she said.
The Farmers said that they know the motive was not robbery. They said Blalock had $1,000 in cash in his wallet when he was attacked. So they, too, are stumped.
"I don't know why anyone would want to hurt him," Don said. "He’s just good people."
The next shock for the Farmers would come just after they visited their friend in the hospital. After weeks of improvement, they said Blalock took an unexpected turn. He died from his injuries on Nov. 8, 2023, nearly three months after the attack.
"This whole community loves him," Patsy said. "We're all so sad that he, you know, that he had to go that way."
In another sad twist to the story, just three months after Blalock died, his sister Annie died as well. Blalock family members tell 10News they now blame Blalock's attacker for killing two of their loved ones.
"It's just so sad," Patsy said. "They loved each other so much, were so close, for it to end this way, for no reason, no real reason."
Now the Farmers are hoping someone will come forward with information. In fact, that's what Payne said investigators truly need.
"We all have our grandparents, our parents, and if you can just put yourself in that position of, what if this happened to one of them," Payne said. "Wouldn't you want somebody to come forward? And if you've got that information, and you're not coming forward, then my question is, why? Who are you protecting?"
Anyone with information can call East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers at 865-215-7165.