The legend of the Bunny Man Bridge

3 min read

2 years ago Leo S

The regular one-lane concrete tunnel in Clifton, Virginia known as the Colchester Overpass can look a little bit macabre on a moonlit night, so it’s little wonder that it has cultivated a creepy legend surrounding it.
Well, this is the story of the specter of an axe murderer known as the Bunny Man and now, not by chance, the overpass is known to most as the Bunny Man Bridge.

As story goes, the population of Fairfax County grew after the Civil War and eventually an insane asylum was built there.
Residents were appalled that the institution had been constructed and it seems no one wanted to live nearby. Eventually, since the local politicians decided not to oppose the public outrage, it was shut down.
As a result the administration transferred the patients to other facilities and in 1904 the process was completed. However, during the transfer, the bus crashed, releasing the crazed criminals.
Despite most were found dead or recovered (according to some accounts they were found with their heads severed and fresh carrots stuffed into their mouths), two managed to escape, Marcus Lawster and Douglas Griffen.
At least, for a time.
Not long after the crash, the body of one of the convicts, Marcus, was found hanging from the Colchester Overpass. There was a note attached to his foot that said, “You’ll never find me no matter how hard you try! Signed, The Bunny Man.”
The search continued for the second convict and a number of half-eaten rabbits were said to have been found hanging in the trees in the area.
Finally the killer was cornered, but was hit by a passing train before he could be apprehended.
It sounds good, but actually there was never any insane asylum in the area.
However, in the 1970s, there were some reports of a crazed man in a white outfit which was described as a rabbit costume and/or a Ku Klux Clan robe — who would harass and threaten people for trespassing on his property.
No one was ever convicted for the attacks, but this is likely the true source of the tales of the Bunny Man, a man dressed in a white bunny suit, who carries a hatchet.
No matter where it originated, the story continues to this day, and now it is said that if one crosses through the tunnel at midnight, the hatchet-bearing killer will appear and murder such bold intruders, hanging them from the bridge.