The Bunny Man Was Real (Just Not Like That)

In the woods outside Clifton, Virginia, there’s a railroad overpass locals call Bunny Man Bridge. Legend says an escaped asylum inmate, a man who murdered his family on Easter Sunday, hid there and lived on rabbits. He left their mutilated bodies hanging in the trees, and every Halloween since, teenagers who stay under the bridge past midnight have turned up hanging there too. It’s a fantastic story. It’s also built on an asylum that never existed, a prison that hadn’t opened yet, and a library you can’t visit because nobody ever built it. But in October 1970, someone really did put on a bunny suit and throw a hatchet through a parked car’s window in Fairfax County. Eleven days later, he was back with a long-handled ax. This week on Loreplay, Dayna follows the Bunny Man from campfire legend into the newspaper archives and an actual police file. Along the way, she finds out how one very angry man in rabbit ears turned into a 32-victim folk monster, and why nobody ever caught him. Lock your car doors. Sources Brian A. Conley, "The Bunny Man Unmasked: The Real Life Origins of an Urban Legend," Fairfax County Public Library, Virginia Room. research.fairfaxcounty.gov/local-history/bunnyman. The backbone of this episode; includes excerpts from the 1970 Washington Post articles, the Fairfax County Police investigation report, and the 1973 folklore paper. "Man in Bunny Suit Sought in Fairfax," Washington Post, Oct. 22, 1970, B2 (via Conley). "The 'Rabbit' Reappears," Washington Post, Oct. 31, 1970, B1 (via Conley). Fairfax County Police Dept., Investigation Report 858-748 (Officer J.S. Brown, Oct. 29, 1970; Investigator William L. Johnson, Mar. 14, 1971), redacted copy cited by Conley. Patricia C. Johnson, "The Bunny Man" (May 12, 1973), Maryland Folklore Archive, Box 32, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries. Timothy C. Forbes, "The Clifton Bunny Man," Castle of Spirits website, c. 1999 (the source of the asylum / Grifon / Wallster version). Scariest Places on Earth, Fox Family Channel, 2001 ("Terror on Bunnyman's Bridge"). Washingtonian, "The Scary, Weird, Somewhat True Story of the Fairfax 'Bunny Man'" (Oct. 23, 2015) — Conley interview; notes he tracked down the still-married couple and his view of the bridge as a teen party spot. Connection Newspapers, "Legend Lives on at Bunnyman Bridge" (Nov. 4, 2003) — Halloween road closures near the bridge. From Lizzie Borden to Elizabeth Báthory, the infamous Blood Countess, Loreplay explores true crime, haunted history, paranormal mysteries, and the people behind the legends. Join host Dayna Pereira for ghost stories, witch trials, urban legends, cryptids, and dark history told with researched storytelling, sharp sarcasm, and absolutely no patience for historical bullshit. Follow Loreplay wherever you listen to podcasts and find us on Instagram at @loreplaypod. Come play. 📲 Come hang out with me outside the void: Instagram and TikTok: @loreplaypod Website: https://loreplaypod.com Prefer to Watch 👀 Find us on YouTube here:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP49XVyr_raHi3VVxXr91_w 👀 GOT A STORY? (I know you do…) If you’ve experienced something weird, spooky, glitchy, or straight-up unexplainable.. send it in. Your story might be featured in a future episode. 📩 Submit here: [email protected] ⚠️ Listener Discretion: We talk about dark stuff here.. death, violence, and the occasional deeply cursed human behavior. If that’s not your vibe, totally fair… but if it is? Welcome home. 🖤 💀 If you liked this episode: Follow, rate, review, share it with a friend who also loves questionable life choices and spooky stories. It helps the show grow, and keeps me emotionally stable (barely).