After Deaths of Former NFL Player and Wife, Their 22-Year-Old Son Is Arrested in Mexico

Dylan Bennett, 22, was arrested in Cancun on Saturday after the shooting deaths of his parents, Barry and Carol Bennett

Dylan Bennett
Photo: Todd County Minnesota Sheriff's Office

The son of a former NFL player who was found dead last week along with his wife inside their rural Minnesota home has been apprehended by Mexican authorities, PEOPLE confirms.

On Saturday, 22-year-old Dylan Bennett was arrested in Cancun, Mexico, and has been charged with fatally shooting his parents — Barry Bennett and Carol Bennett, both 63 — inside their Long Prairie residence, according to a statement from the Todd County Sheriff’s Office.

It is believed Bennett, who lived with his parents, went on the run Monday, immediately after the deaths of his parents. Their bodies were found by police on Wednesday, the statement confirms.

It is unclear what motivated the killings.

Barry Bennett was a defensive lineman who played in the NFL from 1978 through 1988 with the New Orleans Saints, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings.

A probable cause statement alleges Barry Bennett was found shot in the head and torso just inside the home’s entrance. His wife’s body was on the kitchen floor; she was shot in the back and torso.

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Dylan called authorities in Minnesota moments before he was apprehended in Mexico.

The probable cause statement says Barry Bennett had notified the sheriff’s office late last year that, while “in a mental health treatment facility,” Dylan “had expressed homicidal thoughts about killing his parents.”

New York Jets Barry Bennett
Wilbur Funches/AP/Shutterstock

Authorities traced Dylan to Mexico through his bank withdrawals. He also used his phone while in Cancun, which helped investigators determine his location.

The Vikings issued a statement about the deaths Friday on Twitter, saying, “Our thoughts are with their friends and family during this difficult time.”

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