In some accounts, victims' bodies are mutilated, and in some variations, the Bunny Man's ghost or aging spectre is said to come out of his place of death each year on Halloween to commemorate his passing. The aspect of the story which gets the most attention are the alleged murders. They shared vivid details, Conley says, as did the aunt who helped them after the incident. Ms. Johnson relates that the tale met all of the qualifications of an Urban Belief Tale.30 Specifically, it (1) takes place in an urban setting, (2) existed prior to her project, and (3) had appeared in print as truth. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. Peter Roy was a Danish immigrant who had come to Fairfax from Minnesota in 1912. I was extremely frustrated to find that the page containing the referenced article was missing from the original paper. Dr. Griffin specializes in foot and ankle conditions in patients of all ages. And he had a hatchet, and he threw it through the car and just turned around and went back away. Douglas M. Griffin. To this day, its said that if you are at Bunny Man Bridge at midnight on Halloween night, you too will meet the fate of those teens and rabbits. And then, after that, the police tried to investigate, but they couldn't get anything. Two documented appearances by a bunny-suited figure in the same Fairfax County community. Alexandria Gazette, Sept. 21, 1918, P.1, 21Still Hold Ruben. He specifically cites historical inaccuracies for why the account is falselike that Lorton Prison wasnt open until 1916, theres no Fairfax court record of Douglas Grifon and the old Clifton Library (where the articles author tells skeptics evidence exists) never even existed. After re-reading Johnson's paper several times I finally noted that she heard the tale for the first time around Halloween 1970. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. The investigation report confirms the basics of the event as told in the October 31 Washington Post article. I used to party there all the time. A man wearing a furry rabbit suit with two long ears appeared again on Guinea Road in Fairfax County Thursday night, police reported, this time wielding an ax and chopping away at a roof support on a new house. Name: Douglas L Griffin, Phone number: (419) 865-4563, State: OH, City: Holland, Zip Code: 43528 and more information Person Phone Address Enter a full name Enter a city and a state Log in Douglas L Griffin from Holland, OH Age:71 years old Also known as: Mr Douglas L Griffin,Mr Douglas Griffin,Douglas Griffin View Full Report Mobile number 44Johnson, William L. Investigation Report 858-748. Weeks passed, and rabbit corpses began appearing in the woods. Updated: 08/07/2018 . Both mother and daughter were found in a shallow grave next to the lodge and less than 200 yards from where Charles Holober's car had been stuck. The next morning, they were found hanging from the bridge, gutted like bunnies. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Was he trying to make an existing legend come to life? Folktales like these evolve over time - when I heard it the Bunnyman had escaped from a prison van transporting psychopathic prisoners from Lorton prison in the early 30s. I was even further surprised to find a second appearance recorded two weeks later: The "Rabbit" Reappears34 Strange deaths and phenomena have constantly been connected with the Bunny Man Bridge. 37Brown, Officer J.S. But, is this story true or is it just an urban legend? Parked near the bridge they spotted something moving in the distance. Often, they have done research on the Internet. Then an old man came out of the house and warned them to get off of his property. Today Fairfax County Virginia is home to over a million residents and is highly urbanized and is one of the wealthiest places in the country but in the 70s this process was only partly complete so there were many areas that remained undeveloped and even rural, this was one of them, and even today this part of the county remains fairly sylvan. Officers later found that Grifon was institutionalized for killing his family and children on Easter Sunday. Ruben claimed "he met Eva Roy, looking after her father's cows. Of course one story isn't enough to base anyhting on but the fact that there was enough of a buzz to generate four stories suggests to me that someone was up to something in the Fall of 1970. it really sucks that this isnt the top post. He asked her for food and in a conversation with her he told her he was an ex-convict. 9126 Sunnywood Dr, Houston, TX, 77088-3603. However, when the police interviewed the girlfriend, she stated the man was wearing a white Klansman suit, which is long and pointy. Some say he escaped form a mental institution, others say he was an escaped convict. Griffin Greenhouse Supplies, Inc, founded in 1947 by Charles J. Griffin, and headquartered in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, is the top greenhouse and nursery supplier in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Police say they have the hatchet, but no other clues in the case. So, when someone asks you what youre going to be for Halloween, just tell them youre going to be a Bunny Man and see if they get the reference. James W. Robinson Secondary45School opened the next year with nearly 3,900 students. Until the second World War Fairfax County was a rural farming community. For more than 25 years stories of the Bunny Man have been kept alive primarily amongst our teenage population. Louis Boersig was caught and summarily executed, and the murder of Eva Roy, even though it has many of the elements that a legend could build upon, is simply too old. The vandalism reports occurred ten days apart in 1970 in Burke, Virginia. We are unable to monitor unsupervised children in the lobby area. A constant trickle of Bunny Man questions re-engaged Conleys interest in the story. [9], Norfolk Southern freight train at Colchester Overpass, Train and road traffic at Colchester Overpass. Children of Smith GRIFFIN and Harriet DOUGLAS were as follows: 473 i Douglas 6 Griffin [1396], born 24 Mar 1815 in Smithville, Ontario, Canada; died 1879. Fairfax Herald, Jan. 17, 1919, P.3, 25No Verdict Found. As they drove down the road, the couple discovered a hatchet on the car floor. Third, she states that it went on for "a couple of weeks" then stopped. But the truth is often stranger than fiction. The case was not to be easily solved, however, as other suspects were soon identified and eventually eliminated. They found a hatchet inside the car afterward. They find all inmates but one. More importantly, the earliest versions (dating to the 1970s) did not mention any deaths at all. After hearing four days of testimony the jury returned a verdict of guilty, and Holober was sentenced to die in the electric chair.8 Holober's attorney, T. Brooke Howard, filed an appeal alleging that the jury failed to give proper consideration to the plea of insanity, and that the Court made errors in its instruction to the jury.9, The Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals eventually overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial. Air Force Academy Cadet Robert Bennett told police that shortly after midnight last Sunday he and his fiancee were sitting in a car in the 5400 block of Guinea Road when a man "dressed in a white suit with long bunny ears" ran from the nearby bushes and shouted: "You're on private property and I have your tag number.". The interesting thing about the picture above is that it does come from an actual urban legend. Then, he threw a wood-handled hatchet through the front car window. The secret spot is not secret any more. "All you people trespass around here," Phillips said the "Rabbit" told him as he whacked eight gashes in the pole. It turns out the legend of the Killer Bunnyman comes from a couple of real events that happened near the Colchester Road bridge in Virginia. But the police were unable to turn up anything conclusive, writing, After a very extensive investigation into this and all other cases of this same nature, it is still unsubstantiated as to whether or not there really is a white rabbit. The police deemed the case inactive. This was maybe 6-7 years ago and may be different now. Oct. 31, 1970. It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. About 5:00 p.m., just as the searchers were about to give up for the night, one of the detectives noted that the ground on which they were standing was very soft. But anyway, imn my study of history I kind of became fairly trusting of Newspapers. Sadly, we will likely never know his identity. Fairfax Herald, Aug. 16, 1918, P.3, 18The Roy Case. 1A-Blast, Annandale High School, Mar. "If you don't get out of here, I'm going to bust you on the head.". Also known as Claude D Griffin, Doug D Griffin. The available newspapers record many murders, but few shocked Fairfax like the ferocious and senseless attack on Mrs. Minnie Ridgeway and her two young daughters. Evil Creatures. He has located two incidents of a man in a rabbit costume threatening people with an axe. Conley thinks the Fairfax Station Bridge, which Google Maps now even calls Bunny Man Bridge, was nothing more than a a nearby local teen party spot and a creepy-looking (and potentially dangerous) bridge that got incorporated into the story. Additionally, if the Bunny Man was in his early 20s in 1970, then he likely would still be alive today, unless he got careless with his hatchet, jokes Conley. The first incident was reported the evening of October 19, 1970, by U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Robert Bennett and his fiance, who were visiting relatives on Guinea Road in Burke. He found no rabbit, but did receive a call shortly after his visit from someone who worked at Kings Park West.38 The caller claimed to have just received a telephone call from someone identifying himself as "the Axe Man." A man wearing a furry rabbit suit with two long ears appeared-again--on Guinea Road in Fairfax County Thursday night, police reported, this time wielding an ax and chopping away at a roof support on a new house. He was born in Henderson, KY on September 25, 1940, the only child of the late Douglas Culver . Current address. She stated that some of the neighborhood children "who have seen or been with the Bunny Man" described him as an older teenager. "20 The Washington authorities were unconvinced by Ruben's story and wanted to try him for assault and theft before turning him over to the Virginia courts. While the legend may be more horrific, frightening and blood curdling, the truth is just as bizarre. Vol. Fairfax Herald, Mar. The skies are grey but the colors of the leaves brighten the streets with wonderful yellows and reds. Having no better leads I began a systematic search of the Washington Post for October of that year in hopes of finding the previously cited news article. I came home from school. his main haunt has been the area surrounding a railroad overpass near Fairfax Station, Virginia frequented by party goers, the now infamous "Bunny Man Bridge.". 1973 University of Maryland undergrads class paper, Google Maps now even calls Bunny Man Bridge, Fearless Artist Is Helping Creators Overcome Obstacles, Rebecca Boggs Robertss New Book Highlights the Other President Wilson, Goodbye, Mazza Gallerie and Lakeforest Mall, Dan About Town: The Best of Bashes, Balls, and Benefits This Past January and February, 5 Takeaways from ESPNs (Newest) Bombshell Dan Snyder Report, Trucker Convoys Began to Fail Their Way Around DC One Year Ago, PHOTOS: Supporters Rally for Ukraine on the Anniversary of the Russian Invasion, DCs Hottest Dating Show Is the Zoos Horny Ducks, Check Out DC Uniteds New Cherry Blossom Jersey (Sorry, Kit), DCs Best Breakfast Sandwich Pop-Up Is Becoming an All-Day Restaurant, 11 Fun Things to Do in the Washington, DC, Area in March, The 100 Very Best Restaurants in Washington. The crime was discovered by a neighbor who heard moans coming from inside the house. Off-road Bunnyman searches with dirt bikes and jeeps were commonplace. Neighbors were soon enlisted to help, but it was some 24 hours later that her body was found tied to a tree in the woods near the old Hanse House, her apron strings tight about her throat. "Does Corporate Culture Influence IPO Pricing?," VfS Annual Conference 2022 (Basel): Big Data in Economics 264105, Verein fr Socialpolitik / German Economic Association. Little effort was required to show that all of the specifics given in the Forbes version are false. NOTE: FCPS Secondary Schools accommodate grades 7 through 12. Residents of . For Patients . Fairfax Herald, June 16, 1950, P.1, 10Holober Sent to State Hospital. Ive been to this area as a teenager. However, Bennett's fiance contested their assailant did not have bunny ears on his head, but was wearing a white capirote of some sort. Monsters which are inherently malevolent by nature. Fairfax Herald, Jan. 28, 1938, P.1. While there are several variations of the urban legend splashed across the furthest reaches of the Internet, the true story of the Bunny Man may actually be even weirder. After graduating from college, I accepted a position with the Fairfax County Public Library, eventually becoming an Information Specialist in the Virginia Room. Dr. Griffin has first-hand experience persevering through foot pain and issues. Except Lorton wasn't built for pyschopaths, but rather as a workhouse for "less serious offenders". Children are always welcome for services, but due to the nature of our Educational Facility and the possibility of injury, we must ask that only the guest receiving services be allowed on the clinic floor. I think the guy with the hatchett was probably jsut some weirdo that lived in the area dn though the bunny suit would be a good way to freak people out around halloween. Bennett turned the car around while the man screamed at them about trespassing, including: "You're on private property, and I have your tag number." He ran across the nearby train tracks as the train was coming and was hit and killed. Fairfax Herald, Mar. Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. It has been told and retold by local teens for years. I was elated (and not a little surprised) to find the following: Man in Bunny Suit Sought in Fairfax33 Mostly its an urban legend but some weird shit did go down there. You'll find such an attorney at J. Douglas Griffin, Attorney at Law, P.L.L.C. The Bunny Man, like any good legend, has evolved over time. from Cornell University, and took his M.S. Fairfax County Public Library Historian-Archivist Brian A. Conley extensively researched the Bunny Man legend. By the 1980s the Bunny Man had become an even more sinister figure with several gruesome murders to his credit. [5], Colchester Overpass was built in about 1906[6] near the site of Sangster's Station, a Civil War era railroad station on what was once the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. So nothing particularly mysterious, just a fun story seniors tell their younger brothers and sisters. While the legend has evolved and changed through the years, it follows these lines: In the early 20th century, deep in the woods that divided the town of Clifton from Fairfax Station, there was an asylum for the insane. Although FCPD is not required to release any information relating to misdemeanor offenses, they kindly supplied a redacted36 copy of the report for this project. The "Rabbit" threw a wooden-handled hatchet through the right front car window, the first-year cadet told police. Pam Jinks, 68 - Apr 17, 2020 Robert Lester Blake, 62 - Apr 15, 2020 Lynda Posey, 76 - Apr 9, 2020 Lester Arnold, 71 - Apr 8, 2020 Judy Shumway Purdy, 74 - Mar 31, 2020 Charles Edward . Obituary Douglas J. Griffin February 10, 1935 - May 29, 2017 Douglas J. Griffin, 82, residing in Sandusky, passed away Monday morning, May 29, 2017 at Firelands Regional Medical Center after a brief illness. On the way there, the bus swerved and crashed. The real story of the Bunny Man begins in October 1970. While they didnt particularly want to talk about the 45-year-old incident, they did confirm it happened. there is nothing of substance to the story and the none of the stories listed by the OP have been substantiated. 1971. https://research.fairfaxcounty.gov/local-history, Crafts and Trades in Colonial Virginia Bibliography, Researching the History of Your Fairfax County Property, https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library_newsindex/. It is possible that a young man did dress in a rabbit suit and put an ax into someone's porch post, or that another man did indeed throw an ax at a pair of trespassers while dressed as either a bunny or (more likely) in a Klan outfit. All three victims were taken to Alexandria Hospital, where Loretta later died. Whatever Happened to Permanent Daylight Saving Time. I was listening to the news. The story also received wide recognition after being featured on national television. Douglas S. Griffen is the Founder and Director of the Advanced Strategy Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, and widely viewed as one of the top meeting and strategy facilitators in the country. Anita M. Ramos, Library Associate, Fairfax County Public Library From photography to web design and video editing, he has collaborated on projects with companies like Swimmer Magazine, Lonely Planet, and the Travel Channel. She wanted to know how she could find information on a murder that was supposed to have taken place near her home. Location & Hours 15 Wirt St SW Leesburg, VA 20175 Get directions Edit business info Recommended Reviews Your trust is our top concern, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. 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