https://nypost.com/2019/08/23/son-sought-in-suspicious-deaths-of-ex-jet-barry-bennett-wife/?utm_source=url_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttonsSon sought in ‘suspicious deaths’ of ex-Jet Barry Bennett, wife
By Joshua Rhett Miller August 23, 2019 | 12:27pm | Updated
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Jets defensive lineman Barry Bennett in 1985, Dylan John Bennett
Jets defensive lineman Barry Bennett in 1985, Dylan John Bennett Getty Images/Todd County Sheriff’s Office
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A former defensive lineman for the New York Jets and his wife were found dead in a rural Minnesota home – and detectives are searching for the couple’s son in their “suspicious deaths,” police said.
The bodies of Barry Bennett, 63, and his wife, Carol, were found Wednesday in the former NFL player’s home in Long Prairie. A friend called the Todd County Sheriff’s Office to report that Bennett had not returned phone calls or texts from a day earlier.
Both Barry Bennett and his wife, also 63, were found dead “under suspicious circumstances,” according to Todd County Sheriff Steve Och, who did not officially identify the Bennetts on Thursday because their relatives had not yet been notified of their deaths.
But sources have identified the victims as Bennett and his wife, KMSP reported.
Investigators later identified Dylan John Bennett, 22, as a suspect in the case, though Och did not identify the man’s relationship to the Bennetts. Neighbors have identified him as the couple’s youngest son, KVLY reported.
Bennett is believed to be driving a blue 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe with Minnesota plates, Och said in Thursday’s statement. Investigators suspect Dylan Bennett may have left Minnesota, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.
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“Based on information gathered during the investigation, it is determined that there is no threat to public safety at this time,” the statement read.
After graduating from Concordia College in Minnesota, Barry Bennett played 11 seasons in the NFL, including six seasons with the Jets from 1982 to 1987. He also played for the New Orleans Saints from 1978 through 1981 and appeared in one game for the Minnesota Vikings in 1988, the final year he played.
Bennett taught physical education at a high school in Long Prairie for about a decade after his NFL career and retired about four years ago, the superintendent of the Long Prairie Grey Eagle School District told the Star Tribune.
Bennett was a “really good man” who loved interacting with children and rarely spoke of his NFL playing days, superintendent Jon Kringen told the newspaper.
“It hit hard this morning,” Kringen said. “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.”
Messages seeking comment from a Jets spokesman and the Todd County Sheriff’s Office were not immediately returned Friday.
