Son of NFL star captured in Mexico after parents found murdered: Police

Mexican law enforcement has captured the son of a former NFL player and his wife after they were found dead inside their rural Minnesota home earlier this week.

ABC News reports that 22-year-old Dylan John Bennett was arrested Saturday at a hotel in Cancun, Mexico. Authorities in Minnesota have charged Bennett in connection with the deaths of his parents, Barry and Carol Bennett, both 63.

The two were found shot to death Wednesday inside their home in Long Prairie, Minnesota, about 120 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

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Barry Bennett was shot in the torso and head and was found in the home’s entryway, while Carol Bennett’s body was discovered on the kitchen floor; she also was shot in the torso and head, according to a probable cause statement.

Dylan Bennett lived with his parents.

ABC News reports that Bennett contacted Todd County Sheriff Steve Och and said he was planning to turn himself to the FBI.

But before that could happen, police in Mexico arrested Bennett. He will likely be extradited back to Minnesota in the coming days, the sheriff’s office said.

Barry Bennett told local police in December that Dylan “had expressed homicidal thoughts about killing his parents” while he was in a mental health facility, court records state.

Investigators believe Dylan Bennett withdrew a large amount of cash from his parents’ bank account on Monday and also used his mother’s debit and credit cards in Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio.

Court documents state a plane ticket was purchased Wednesday for a flight from Columbus, Ohio, to Atlanta, and then to Cancun. Authorities believe Bennett gave someone a handgun to hold onto while in the Columbus area.

Barry Bennett was a defensive lineman in the NFL and started playing in 1978 with the New Orleans Saints. He later played for the New York jets before joining the Minnesota Vikings.

On Friday, the Minnesota Vikings tweeted: “We are saddened by the tragic loss of former Vikings player Barry Bennett and his wife, Carol. Our thoughts are with their friends and family during this difficult time.”

Barry Bennett taught physical education for more than a decade in the Long Prairie-Grey Eagle Public School District, according to Superintendent Jon Kringen.

“He loved the kids that he had in class, and the kids really loved Barry,” said Kringen, who called Bennett the type of teacher “that I think every parent would want their kid to have.”

“The school district is mourning,” Kringen said. “We are incredibly saddened by these tragic events.”

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