Dylan Ray Dooling was stabbed to death late on the night of June 2, 2023 in Turlock, California. (Obituary)
Police in central California say they need the public’s help in solving the mystery of who stabbed and killed a 17-year-old the day after he graduated from high school earlier this month.
Dylan Ray Dooling graduated from Pitman High School in Turlock, California, on June 1 and was planning on attending classes at Modesto Junior College in the fall. The following day, just before 11:00 p.m. on June 2, he was stabbed to death after leaving a house party on North Daubenberger Road.
Police say the killer was among a group of males who accosted Dooling and got into a fight with him that night.
The suspects are believed to be in their teens to early 20s.
“Dylan was a good young man,” Pastor Morri Elliot said at a recent memorial for the fallen graduate in comments reported by CBS News. “He was a loyal young man, and he was with his girlfriend Zoe that night and he was, from what I understand, he was protecting her.”
According to a GoFundMe, the Dooling family potentially needs help with funeral expenses, medical bills, and attorney’s fees.
“He loved his big family and enjoyed hanging out with his cousins,” the fundraiser fondly remembers. “Dylan could put a smile on anyone’s face with his silly humor and infectious laugh.”
After the attack, Dooling’s friends called 911 and first responders rushed him to a nearby hospital, police told The Modesto Bee. The boy would succumb to his wounds roughly an hour later.
Turlock Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Michael Parmley told the paper late last week that there is very little news – instead sharing a link for members of the public to upload potential leads.
Specifically, law enforcement is interested in surveillance footage between the hours of 9:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. on the night in question. Videos and photos are encouraged to be uploaded here: tinyurl.com/doolinghomicide.
Police, for their part, have not shared information regarding the genesis of the argument or fight that led to Dooling’s death.
Morris, in additional comments reported by the Bee, stressed that the party itself was not the typical stuff of suburban excess or the stereotypes advanced in Hollywood high school films.
“Someone said to me, ‘Well, you know those parties,’” the pastor said. “I’m like, ‘These boys were in the backyard playing chess.’”
Dooling’s obituary notes that he is immediately survived by three parents and his younger sister.
“Dylan loved cologne and had a large collection,” Dooling’s obituary goes on to say. “He prided himself over his curly hair always making sure it was perfectly styled. Like most teens, he enjoyed playing video games and hanging out with his friends. Recently he became an avid chess player. He took a chess board to school every day in his backpack so he could play with friends. Over recent years he grew into a handsome young man.”
Neighbors who were not identified, but who were cited by CBS News, said more people than expected showed up to the graduation party – ultimately leading to the sad and fatal confrontation.
“If anybody knows anything about the boys, the group that did this, let the Turlock Police Department know,” the slain teenager’s former pastor added. “Dylan didn’t deserve this, and nobody deserves this.”
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