She was three years old when the unthinkable happened.
She lived through it.
And she’s still standing.
In 1984, in the quiet suburbs of Aurora, Colorado, a man named Alex Christopher Ewing broke into the newly settled home of the Bennett family. What unfolded that night was a brutal massacre that left three people dead and one toddler barely clinging to life.
Vanessa Bennett—only three years old at the time—survived.
Her parents, Bruce and Debra Bennett, and her 7-year-old sister Melissa, did not.
Nearly four decades later, Vanessa is telling her story—not just of survival, but of rebuilding, fighting, and refusing to be forgotten.
The Night That Took Everything
It was January 16, 1984, when Vanessa’s world changed forever.
Alex Ewing, already wanted for a previous murder, entered the Bennett home with a hammer. He bludgeoned Bruce and Debra, sexually assaulted and murdered Melissa, and left Vanessa critically injured—her skull crushed, her face fractured, her tiny body barely holding on.
Six days earlier, Ewing had murdered Patricia Smith in Lakewood, Colorado. But this time, he left someone alive.
“I don’t remember the attack,” Vanessa says.
“I don’t remember my parents or my sister. The only thing I remember is the Pink Panther insulation in the walls. We had just moved in.”
That memory—vague, surreal—is the only tangible thread connecting her to her lost family.
A Lifetime of Scars
The physical trauma Vanessa endured was severe:
- A shattered jaw, rebuilt with plates
- Partial paralysis on her left side
- A metal plate in her forehead
- Ongoing neurological and motor issues
But the emotional wounds ran deeper.
“I couldn’t feel if I was holding something or dropping it,” she says.
“But what hurt more was not knowing them—not remembering their love.”
She was raised by her paternal grandmother but grew up in a world of whispers and grief. There were no bedtime stories, no family vacations—just trauma and survival.
A Childhood of Anger and Isolation
Vanessa’s young years were marked by insomnia, rage, and confusion.
“I was mad all the time. I didn’t understand why I was different, or why I felt so broken.”
She was bullied for her disabilities, often made to feel like a burden or an outcast. As she grew older, the pain morphed into rebellion.
“I bounced between relatives. I ended up in a boarding school.
I never felt wanted. I never felt safe.”
The Descent Into Addiction
By her teens, Vanessa was self-medicating with weed and alcohol. At 19, she had a son—but when he was taken from her custody, her life spiraled into darkness.
“That crushed me. I didn’t know how to be a mom. I had no one to show me how.”
She turned to cocaine and heroin. Her life became a cycle of arrests, homelessness, and survival.
“I lived under a bridge with my boyfriend. We washed our hair in hospital bathrooms.
I got arrested just to have somewhere to sleep.”
Yet through it all, some small part of her refused to give up.
The Long Road to Recovery
Vanessa’s journey to healing wasn’t easy. There were setbacks. Relapses. Rock-bottom moments. But she kept fighting.
“I’ve been in treatment for years now. I’m not perfect. But I’m trying.”
In 2018, she reunited with her son, who had grown into a straight-A student.
“He’s amazing. He’s everything I wish I was at his age.
Seeing him gives me hope. It tells me I did something right.”
She longs to reconnect with her daughters, who are being raised by extended family.
“They don’t let me see them. Don’t even tell me where they are.
That’s the pain I carry every day.”
When the Truth Finally Came Out
In 2018, after nearly 35 years, DNA testing linked Ewing to the Bennett family murders. He was already serving time for a separate assault in Nevada.
“I didn’t think they’d ever catch him,” Vanessa says.
“I thought he was dead. Or maybe he just disappeared.”
In 2021, she sat through the trial.
“Hearing my grandma’s 911 call… she didn’t even know the address. We had just moved in.
That gutted me.”
She had to leave before the crime scene photos were shown.
“I couldn’t see my sister like that. I just couldn’t.”
But when it was time to give her victim impact statement, Vanessa stood tall.
“I told them everything. The addiction. The anger. The loneliness.
The courtroom was silent. Everyone cried.”
Finding Peace in the Written Word
Today, Vanessa lives with her husband, who is also disabled. They survive on limited income, food stamps, and resilience.
“We don’t have much. But we have each other. And I’m proud of how far I’ve come.”
Writing has become her sanctuary.
“I write to survive.
My emotions are all over the place, but when I put them on paper, they make sense.
Writing is my therapy.”
She’s working on a memoir to help others.
“People always ask me: ‘How did you go on after losing your family?’
My answer? Because I had to. Because I wanted to live.”
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Vanessa Bennett?
Vanessa is the only surviving member of the Bennett family hammer attack in 1984, committed by Alex Ewing. She was 3 years old at the time.
What injuries did she suffer?
She sustained traumatic brain injuries, skull and jaw fractures, partial paralysis, and lifelong physical complications.
When was justice served?
Alex Ewing was identified in 2018 through DNA testing. He was convicted of the Bennett family murders in 2021 and Patricia Smith’s murder in 2022.
Where is Vanessa now?
She is sober, married, and rebuilding her life. She is working on a memoir and advocates for trauma survivors and those affected by violent crime.
What message does Vanessa share?
Her message is one of resilience: “No matter what, I never gave up. And I never will.”
🕊 Final Words: The Survivor Who Refused to Be a Victim
Vanessa Bennett should not have survived.
The world expected her to fade away—a forgotten name in a tragic headline.
But instead, she rose.
“I didn’t get to grow up with my family. But I did get to grow up.
And now, I get to speak.
And maybe—just maybe—I get to help someone else survive too.”
Her journey isn’t over. But every step she takes now is hers.
Vanessa isn’t just the girl who lived.
She is the woman who chose to fight.