Near midnight on the evening of October 18, 1970, Air Force Academy cadet Robert Bennett and his fiancée were parked along Guinea Road in Fairfax County, Virginia. They sat in their car outside Bennett’s uncle’s house, the low hum of the engine the only sound as they talked. But their quiet conversation was shattered by a terrifying interloper.
Standing about ten feet from the passenger-side window was a towering figure—a man wielding a hatchet, clad in what appeared to be a bunny costume. The bizarre outfit hid his expression, but his intent was clear as he began shouting at the couple. “You’re trespassing! I have your tags!” he bellowed before hurling the hatchet directly at the car and shattering the side window. Bennett sped away, leaving the costumed psychopath behind, then immediately reported the incident to the police.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found evidence of the terrifying encounter: the shattered glass from the car window, tire marks where Bennett had fled in panic, and the hatchet itself, lying ominously on the ground. But despite the unsettling clues, the police had no leads. No witnesses, no trace of the man in the rabbit suit. The case quickly went cold—until the Bunny Man struck again.
Just ten days later, on the night of October 29, 1970, Paul Phillips, a construction security guard, encountered the Bunny Man. While on duty at a construction site on Guinea Road, he spotted a man standing on the porch of an unfinished house. The figure, once again dressed in a bunny costume, raised his hatchet and began hacking at the porch’s support post. When Phillips confronted him, the Bunny Man threatened him in a voice dripping with menace, “You’re trespassing! If you come any closer, I’ll chop off your head!” Phillips quickly alerted the police, but like the first incident, they were left without answers.
Thus began a fifty-year saga of Bunny Man sightings across Fairfax County. Despite numerous reports and growing fear, his identity has remained a mystery. However, as the legend of the Bunny Man grew, stories began to surface—darker, older tales whispered by the locals. These stories seemed to pull the Bunny Man out of the shadows of urban legend and into the realm of true crime and horror.
One of the most enduring tales dates to the early 1900s. According to this version, a young man named Douglas Grifon brutally murdered his family with a hatchet. He was convicted of the crime and incarcerated in nearby Lorton Prison. Some variations claim it was an insane asylum. Regardless, during a prisoner transfer, Grifon allegedly escaped and vanished into the surrounding wilderness.
For months, Grifon evaded capture, surviving on wild rabbits, whose mutilated carcasses were found hanging from trees and strewn around railroad trestles. Over time, he became known as the Bunny Man, a sinister figure living on the fringes of civilization, donning the skins of the rabbits he hunted. But soon, the mutilation of rabbits wasn’t enough to satisfy his bloodlust. Grifon turned to human prey, and the region was gripped by fear as his body count grew.
Legend has it that his reign of terror came to a grisly end one night near a railroad overpass—the very location now known as Bunny Man Bridge. As the police closed in, Grifon, cackling like a madman, threw himself in front of an oncoming train. Even as his body was torn apart, his insane laughter continued to echo long after the train passed, or so the story goes.
There is no record of a Douglas Grifon having ever been imprisoned at Lorton, nor is there any known axe murders that occurred in Fairfax County. However, it is entirely plausible that a prisoner could have escaped during a transfer between facilities and that a manhunt ensued. Another possibility is that if such an escape occurred, it could be conflated with another bizarre, real-life crime – The Axeman of New Orleans. For several weeks in 1918, a demented axe murderer stalked the streets of New Orleans and claimed several victims. He even wrote a letter, published in the newspaper, warning citizens not to play jazz music lest he and his axe pay them a visit.
According to local lore, the Bunny Man still haunts Bunny Man Bridge to this day. It is said that if you stand under the overpass at night, especially on Halloween, he will emerge from the shadows, butcher you like one of his rabbits, and hang your corpse from the bridge for all to see. Despite countless teenagers daring to visit the site over the years, no bodies have been found swinging from the bridge’s beams. At least, not yet, but hope springs eternal.
Jason Roberts is a Seattle-based author noted for his acclaimed Western Horror series The Dead Wind Trilogy and other works of cosmic horror infused with historical fiction. His web-based series, Dark Distractions, examines paranormal mysteries, unexplained phenomena, and all things strange.
