Famous Susan Marie Driscoll murders and ghost haunt
[ User Submitted ] On September 25, 1976 Susan Marie Driscoll, later found innocent by reason of insanity, for the deaths of her estranged husband John Walsh, and two children Philip (13) and Dawn (11). All three died as a result of gunshot wounds.
The house on Maya*** Drive was sold to David and Susan Sohr, who told staff writer Dave Polis of the Evening Tribune, of eerie similarities between the two families, of odd experiences witnessed in the home, and once felt the spirit of Driscoll in the home. No further experiences have been reported since the 1980’s.
I remember this very well ! Dawn Driscoll went to Valhalla at the same time I did. In the 1977 Ragnarok yearbook, there is a large photo of Dawn in the middle of page 113. Dawn’s younger brother went to school with one of my brothers at Emerald Jr. High.
Susan Driscoll was released in 1982 (at age 41) from Patton State Hospital in San Bernadino. She’d be around 75 or so now. Wonder what happened to her. She did have a degree of some sort in criminal psychology…go figure.
I want so much to talk to you! Can you contact me? I’m her sister.
She was my best friend too. We met in 6th grade at Meadow Brook Middle school. I have several pictures of us. I loved her grandparents. Her Grandfather would make us corn pancakes. I adored Susan, often wishing she were my mom. My mom was strict and Susan was cool. After the murders I felt so bad towards my own mom. I have many happy memories of us. Her death left a huge hole in my heart. I’m Cathi Losi on Facebook. Would love to share pictures with you.
Dawn was my best friend at the time of her death. I loved her grandparents. Does anyone know if they are still alive? Is Susan out of prison?
I am Dawn’s half sister and I’m still haunted by this! It’s disgusting that Susan is still alive.
I was one of Dawn’s closest friends in high school (at Valhalla) and was devastated by her death. Our group of friends went out the night before she was murdered (a football game I think). We had plans to go to the beach the next day but Dawn’s mom said she was away and couldn’t go. Later, we knew that was a lie. We sat together in geometry and when she wasn’t at school and didn’t answer her phone we all wondered what was wrong, but never imagined she was gone. It was a life changing tragedy for all of her friends. I think of her often. All of us gave her and her brother our own memorial service at her gravesite. I had written a poem that I read there, we also read a poem Dawn had recently written. It was hard for us to function and understand such a loss at only 16. I’m so sorry for your loss. I was shocked her mother was released. I knew her mom, she wasn’t a warm person, but Dawn spoke very lovingly of her.
Please! I’m her half sister! teresadulong@gmail.com
I would give anything to hear from you. Please 561-305-5353. Dawn’s sister Teresa Dulong. We had the same father. My father and Susan went to the same high school got married and had my sister. They got a divorce and she was adopted out by Susan s husband.
Hi ! Are you Jolene? Or Nicademas? I’m Chris Taber- this Has always saddened me! Where is her grave?
She was my best friend middle school to 10th grade! I think I was also part of the group!
Dawn is buried at El Camino cemetery in Sorrento Valley. Im Rocky (Brown) Boyette. We were very close friends at the time of this awful crime.
I wonder if we met? She and I were best friends from 6th grade on. We moved to Orange Co a couple years later. I met a bunch of her friends at Mt Helix one day. My heart still has a big whole from losing her.
My father was Jon Brent Dulong and he was my sister’s biological father. He gave up his rights to Driscol! I’m disgusted in the fact that he must have known Susan’s instability! My father gave up his rights in the 60’s thinking she would be taken care of and safe@
I’m sorry for your loss even all these years later.
Thank you! I want to find Susan. I want pictures actually
I lived down the street at the time. I vaguely remember Dawn but Phillip was a friend. I knew him as Slade which must’ve been his middle name. He was a couple years older than me so my mom was never too keen on me running around with him. Looking back it feels like we were both kind of outsiders and that was probably our connection. It was a long time ago and I still feel the loss. I will always remember him as a friend. The whole thing was awful and I pray they are all at peace.
I lived down the street at the time. I vaguely remember Dawn but Phillip was a friend. I knew him as Slade which must’ve been his middle name. He was a couple years older than me so my mom was never too keen on me running around with him. Looking back it feels like we were both kind of outsiders and that was probably our connection. It was a long time ago and I still feel the loss. I will always remember him as a friend. The whole thing was awful and I pray they are both at peace.
I remember dawn so wasBEAUTIFUL!!!!!!
I was an acquaintance of Slade.
I showed up to campus early one morning (Emerald Jr High) because a girl I was crushing on was a bus rider an I wanted t see her before another bus rider, who was also crushing on her, got there.
I asked Mr Johnson, who was supervising th morning drop off, if her and/or his bus had arrived yet.
His answer didn’t chill me at first.
She is here but Slade won’t be coming.
Thank you! For commenting. I’m so sad for the loss of these two beautiful souls. My quest was to find the answers to my beautiful sister Dawn. I know that the loss of these Souls were great
Dawn was my best friend in 8th and 9th grade! I spent many nights and days at her house! We remained friends throughout 10th and until her tragic death in 11th grade.
I spent many weekends with her grandparents- nice sweet people! Her Aunt committed suicide! Her Mother would pic her acne at extreme where she had many scares! She seemed normal to me – cool hippy type! Her step Dad was like a biker guy- had a vintage corvette!
One day I visited Dawn- her furniture and fire place hearth was all chopped up with an Ax!
I asked her- she said her Mom was upset and hacked up all the furniture! Being young and nieve and having a Mom who was a phycologist I thought oh she’s just expressing her feelings!
Her Brother Slade was my first boyfriend!
There was something wierd though in the house as Dawn showed me and told me about porn books being put in her underwear drawer! She would throw them away and they’d reappear! We never knew who was doing it- we suspected her step Dad- but I always thought it was her Mom!
When she and her family was murdered- I and my High School were in shock!
Especially me- that I had spent so much time at her house with her Mom and family!
I had dreams about her telling me she’s not dead for the next 6 years. In 1982-3 when I read an article in the newspaper that Susan – her Mom was being released after only 3 years in mental illness faculty- I was outraged! In my opinion she needed now to pay her sentence in regular prison! After that I had a dream where Dawn came to me and told me – her Moms ok now and she s moving on- that she’ll not be visiting me anymore! And she never did!
It’s been almost 50 years! I’ll always love Dawn! My very sweet beautiful friend!
She was my best friend too. Susan took us to our first concert- Donny Osmond. I think of her often.
I loved her grandparents too! Her grandfather would make us corn pancakes! Wasn’t he the mayor of their community? I still miss her.
I am saddened and fascinated by these stories of Dawn and her brother. I have tried to find out more information about Susan’s trial and how this happened that they just let her out of the mental institution.
I lived in the house from 1978 to 1992. My great uncle, who lived next door, owned the house and sold it to my parents (Dave and Susan Sohr) who are mentioned above. We moved in when I was 4 and supposedly the neighbors were none too thrilled when they found out that a tall blonde woman named Susan with a husband and two kids were going to be moving into the house where the murders took place.
I didn’t find out about the murders until I was about 14 or 15 years old. I was told the mother murdered her kids and I always imagined them as little kids. I had no idea what their names were and that the daughter actually went to Valhalla (I went there as well).
I never loved that house. My childhood was fine, but the house just wasn’t some place with a good feeling. When I found out about the murders, it all made so much sense. Did I feel like it was haunted? No, not really. Was the house creepy? Absolutely.
Apparently after Susan murdered her family, she wrote poetry and strange things all over the doors and cabinet doors of the home. I think it’s part of what made them decide she was insane in court. I think some of it was entered into evidence, but the rest was left in the house. My parents sold the house in 1994 during their very tumultuous divorce, but I wouldn’t be surprised if my dad still had one of those cabinet doors.
Dawn’s room was in the downstairs kinda garage conversion thing. Im fairly certain that’s where she died. We were close and she was a part of our lil circle. Beautiful girl. Life stolen.