On March 22, William and Cynthia Bennett left their Potomac Station home for an early morning walk and never returned. Shortly after 5:30 a.m., police found William, 57 lying dead, they found Cynthia, 55 badly beaten but still alive a short distance away.

Around 5:30 a.m., less than a mile from the Bennett home, a resident on Rocky Creek Drive called police to report the presence of a suspicious vehicle ( a white panel work van), and three men outside the van causing a disturbance.

By the time a Loudoun County Sheriff’s deputy arrived, the van was gone. However, the body of William Bennett was spotted by the deputy, lying near the intersection of Rocky Creek Drive and Riverside Drive (the same reported location of the white van). More deputies arrived and found the bloodied body of Cynthia Bennett.

Both had obviously been beaten with a blunt object.

Cynthia was sent by helicopter to an area hospital, where she remains in critical condition. The severity of her injuries have prevented her from speaking with police about the attack.

Loudoun County Sheriff Steve Simpson said: “We have a situation here which appears to be random.â€