The Bedford County couple, who survived a hostage situation involving two escaped inmates from Georgia said they were happy to be alive.
Neighbors told NewsChannel 5 they couldn't imagine how the couple felt just one day after the terrifying incident, but said they were just glad no one was hurt.
The two Georgia inmates, Donnie Rowe, 43, and Ricky DuBose, 24, allegedly killed two correctional officers during their escape.
They found their way to the couple's home Thursday after police said they stole two vehicles. The men forced their way into the home, threatening the couple in their 60s.
The victims told deputies the suspects held guns to both heads and told them they'd kill them. They told the couple they were murderers from Georgia, and that they didn't have anything to lose because they'd likely be dead in 24 hours.
After tying them up with belts and placing socks on their hands to make it harder to escape, the suspects ate beef stew that the wife victim had just made.
They left after about three hours, taking the man's boots, clothes, the woman's jewelry and other valuables.
The couple eventually got loose and called the Sheriff's Office. Officials said the victims are "scared to death."
"We were tied up, we were all tied up we just got lose. You were tied up right? Oh yes," said the victim on the phone with dispatchers.
Next door neighbors were shocked to find out escaped fugitives were so close to home.
"And that really scared us then that it was that close, and I thought to myself well, if they weren't home, I probably would have been the next stop they made," said Mary Reed.
Mary Reed was home while her neighbors were living through a nightmare. She tells NewsChannel 5 she didn't know what was going on until she saw the blue police lights.
"There were police down there in their driveway that's how we figured out that's where it was, and that really scared us then," said Reed.
Homeowner Who Caught Inmates Recounts The Moment They Surrendered
The sheriff's office said the Bedford county couple were lucky to be alive, and the couple knew it too.
The couple was shaken up after that home invasion, but thankfully they were not injured.
