The bodies of former NFL lineman Barry Bennett and his wife were found inside their rural Minnesota home Wednesday and police are now searching for the couple’s 22-year-old son.
Bennett and his wife Carol, both 63, were found by a friend who performed a welfare check after phoning Todd County Sheriff’s Office to report that they had not responded to texts or phone calls since Tuesday.
Authorities said both died under “suspicious circumstances” at their home in Long Prairie, a town of about 3,500 about 30 miles east of Alexandria. Additional details about the deaths were not immediately available.
Todd County Sheriff Todd Och said that a 22-year-old man is being sought in connection with the case.
The suspect was identified by The Pioneer Press as Dylan John Bennett, the couple’s son, who was living with them at the time.
He is believed to be driving a blue 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe with a Minnesota license plate BCK-487.
Och said in a statement that there is no immediate threat to public safety.
The Todd County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond on Friday to a Fox News request for additional information or comments.
Bennett was a defensive lineman and played 11 seasons in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints, the New York Jets, and the Minnesota Vikings before retiring in 1988.
He subsequently became a physical education teacher in Long Prairie, but retired, according to The Star Tribune.
“It hit hard this morning,” said Jon Kringen, superintendent for the Long Prairie Grey Eagle School District. “Everyone was in shock when they heard. It’s impossible to comprehend that this could happen. People are lost for understanding. … He and his wife were good people.”
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Central Minnesota Violent Offender’s Task Force are assisting in the investigation.
