Hayley's father, William Petit, Jr. '78, was injured and is in serious but stable condition at St. Mary's Hospital in Waterbury, Conn.
The invasion began around 3 a.m. on Monday morning. At 9 a.m., Hawke-Petit was pressured into driving to and withdrawing money from a local bank, where she was able to notify an employee that her family was being held hostage.
Upon arriving on the scene at the Petits' home, a police officer found the house burning. The suspects, whose names have not been released, attempted to flee and hit the first officer's car before crashing into the two police cars other officers had set up as a roadblock. The suspects were promptly taken into custody. No officers were injured in the collisions.
William Petit is said to have stumbled out of the house afflicted by severe head wounds, apparently caused by sustained beating. Petit walked to a neighbor's house, where he asked for help.
Hayley was 17 years old and graduated from Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Conn., where she was co-editor in chief of the school's academic writing journal. She was also co-captain of the crew team and a member of the basketball and cross-country teams.
A prominent figure on campus, Hayley was also the founder of a fundraising team called "Hayley's Hope," which raised money for multiple sclerosis. Hawke-Petit was diagnosed with MS eight years ago.
"Hayley's Hope" raised $54,000 for MS over the past eight years, and Hayley was honored by Women Against MS this spring at Miss Porter's. Michaela was set to manage the group once Hayley left for Dartmouth.
Hayley visited Dartmouth last October on a recruiting trip for the crew team, during which she stayed with Kate Harney '09. Harney, who hosted Hayley for three days, said that Hayley was her favorite recruit, and recalled her kind and friendly demeanor.
Hayley kept in touch with Harney over Facebook.com, expressing enthusiasm to her host about coming to Dartmouth after she was accepted early decision in December.
William Petit is the medical director of the Joslin Diabetes Center, as well as the director of the Section of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes at the Hospital of Central Connecticut. He is the president of the Hartford County Medical Association and a former president of the state chapter of the American Diabetes Association. Petit was elected to the ADA Hall of Merit in 1994.
After graduating cum laude from the College with a degree in Biochemistry, Petit graduated cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism at Yale University School of Medicine. He is a co-author of "The Dictionary of Endocrinology."
At Dartmouth, Petit was a member of Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity for his entire college career and a member of the Nathan Smith Society, a student organization for undergraduates who are interested in careers in medicine, his sophomore through senior years. Petit played basketball and was a member of the track team during his freshman year. He served as a freshman advisor the next year.
Petit is a member of the Dartmouth College Fund 2007 Honor Roll in the 20-29 year category, having donated to the College in every year for at least 20 years. He also contributed to the Kemeny Challenge, a Dartmouth fundraising effort to finance the construction of Kemeny Hall.
