Neighborhood Shaken by Bizarre Murder Mystery
Updated 5:37 PM EST, Tue, Mar 24, 2009
Loudoun County deputies are investigating the death of a Leesburg man and critical injuries of his wife after they were found in an exclusive neighborhood.
Early Sunday morning, deputies found a man's body in a grassy area next to Riverside Parkway in Lansdowne. An injured woman was found nearby. She was airlifted to an area hospital where she remains in critical condition.
The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office got a call at around 5 a.m. A witness had spotted a white van and people outside of it screaming and reported a suspicious vehicle.
When deputies arrived, they found the body of the man, William Bennett. He had suffered severe head trauma. The woman, Cynthia Bennett, wasn't discovered until the sun started to rise. She was in a grassy area across the street, over a fence. Both were wearing jogging outfits.
"We found the blood on the fence and then we found the female laying over the fence as though she may have been injured and crawled over the fence and was out of sight of the suspects," Loudoun County Sheriff Stephen Simpson said.
The victims were in their mid-to-late 50s.
The couple apparently was exercising when they were attacked by three people who got out of the van, investigators said.
"We get the occasional drunk driver, but someone coming and killing someone, that's something you don't want to think about," said Doug Drake, who lives near the crime scene.
"If this does turn out to be strictly random, that's probably our worst nightmare and for people who live in this community," Simpson said.
Investigators ask anyone who might have seen or heard anything unusual in the area Sunday morning to call the sheriff's office at 703-777-0475. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Loudoun Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919.
First Published: Mar 22, 2009 6:06 PM EST
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