The Last Night Susan Was Seen
In November 1985, 27-year-old Susan Lynn Dawson was living in the small Saskatchewan community of Neville.
She had moved there from Winnipeg only a few weeks earlier, bringing along her beloved dog. Susan was working as a housekeeper for a local man named Terry Murphy and was living at his residence.
On November 12, Murphy hosted a party at the house.
Susan was seen there that evening.
No one could have known it would be the last confirmed sighting of her.
Two days later, the house would be destroyed in a violent explosion.
The Explosion That Changed Everything
On November 14, 1985, a massive blast tore through Murphy’s residence.
Murphy died in the explosion, and his remains were recovered from inside the destroyed property.
But when investigators searched for Susan, there was no sign of her.
Her dog was missing too.
That immediately created a disturbing question: if Susan had been living at the residence and was last seen there only two days earlier, where was she when the explosion happened?
And if she was not inside the house, where had she gone?
The answers have never been established.
A Troubling Theory
In the aftermath, questions also surrounded Murphy himself.
Reports have indicated that Murphy had been upset about wildlife-related charges and had previously talked about creating a similar scenario. Those accounts have contributed to speculation about whether the explosion was deliberately planned.
But whatever Murphy’s intentions may have been, they do not explain what happened to Susan.
There has never been a confirmed account of where she went after the party, and no remains have been recovered to establish her fate.
The possibility that Susan was already gone before the explosion remains one of the most important unanswered aspects of the case.
Who Was Susan Dawson?
Susan was 27 years old when she disappeared.
She was approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed around 110 pounds. She had brown hair and brown eyes.
She had moved to Neville from Winnipeg only weeks earlier, beginning what should have been a new chapter of her life.
Instead, her name became connected to one of Saskatchewan’s enduring mysteries.
Her disappearance was overshadowed by the destruction of the house and the death of Terry Murphy, but Susan was a person with a life, a family, and a dog she loved.
And somewhere between that November party and the explosion two days later, she vanished.
Forty Years Without an Answer
More than four decades have passed since anyone can confidently say they saw Susan Dawson.
The house is gone.
Terry Murphy is gone.
But the questions surrounding Susan remain.
What happened to her after she was seen at the party?
Did she leave the residence before the explosion?
Did someone know where she was?
And what happened to the dog she had brought with her from Winnipeg?
There are still no definitive answers.
Susan Dawson was only 27 years old when she disappeared.
Her story should not be forgotten simply because so many years have passed.
Someone may remember something from those November days in 1985 — something that seemed unimportant at the time but could mean everything now.
Please share Susan’s story.
May Susan Dawson be remembered, and may the truth about what happened to her finally come to light.
This story is based on publicly available information and reported facts. It has been independently written and presented for informational purposes. Images, if any, belong to their respective owners.
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