Sutton woman recovering after murderous attack

SUTTON — Nancy Dryden is making a speedy recovery in a Guatemalan hospital with her family by her side, according to a family Web page.

The site, danieldryden.blogspot.com, details the aftermath and recovery after Dryden was assaulted and her husband, Daniel Dryden, 66, was slain Aug. 9 by four machete-wielding robbers aboard the couple’s sailboat on Lake Izabal.

Nancy Dryden, 67, was wounded in the attack and on Thursday checked out of the hospital in Guatemala to attend her husband’s cremation, according to the site. Her children were with her.

“We raced to Guat City today for Dan’s cremation. What should be a four-hour trip took our driver three hours, and we knew Dan was saying ‘Yee Haw!!’ the entire way,” said one post on the site.

Although the robbery suspects made a getaway immediately following the attacks, the Associated Press reports two brothers have been arrested for the killing and investigators are comparing their fingerprints to evidence found at the scene.

According to the family Web page, the Drydens’ friends and family have flooded them with support, including more than 100 e-mails and numerous telephone calls. The couple is well known in the Sutton area, where they lived as retirees.

”The brutality in which my dad died is shocking and incomprehensible, but the abundance of love we have felt from our community — including those unknown to us — is immeasurable,” reads one post signed Daniel Dryden III.

The killing also stirred emotions in Guatemala, according to the Web site, where “three local churches have held special prayer meetings for the Dryden family and Nancy’s recovery.”

According to the Associated Press and the family Web site, the boat on which they were sleeping had been recently purchased in Guatemala and was being prepared for a trip to the Caribbean.

“I now understand why Rio Dulce captured Dan and Nancy’s hearts. This place is amazing. It is one of the most idyllic freshwater sailing ports in Central America,” reads one post on the site.

There is no word yet on when a memorial service might be scheduled.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.