The Stalking of Dorothy Jane Scott

The Deadliest Love Obsession

Obsession is a beast of a topic. Obsession makes you powerless, preoccupied, and in some brains, it makes you dangerous. It makes you lose a sense of reality and make bad choices. It eats away at you day after day, you’ve got to have your fix. There is no such thing as a healthy obsession, the label “obsession” itself negates any positive connotation. It’s frightening that we can either be the victim of our own obsession — day in and day out. Or you can be the center of someone else’s obsession. You did nothing to earn that spot besides smile at the wrong person at the wrong time. But you will know when you are on the other end — because obsession moves quickly and unchecked, it only gets worse. In today’s story, Dorothy Scott found herself locked in the sights of an obsessor- and she couldn’t get out alive.

In early 1980, Dorothy Jane Scott was a single mother living in Stanton, California with her aunt and 4 year old son, Shawn. She was working as a secretary for two jointly owned stores in Anaheim. One sold psychedelic accessories, like tapestries and lava lamps, and the other was a head shop, which is a retail outlet for paraphernalia related to tobacco and cannabis. Dorothy’s friends and coworkers say that in general she was somewhat of a homebody, and a devout Christian who did not drink or do drugs, despite her employment at the shops. It makes a little more sense once you know that her dad actually used to own the shops and he brought her on as a back office employee. Her relationship with her parents was healthy, and they babysat Shawn every day while Dorothy worked. And as a single mother, she worked hard. Shawn’s father was entirely absent as he relocated to Missouri and started a new family. Her dating life was casual, yet sporadic. Dorothy’s family said that although she dated on occasion, there was no steady boyfriend that they knew of. And that’s all I’ve got for Dorothy’s character and day to day life. She was simple, in a consistent and beautiful way.

But, no one is truly simple. We all have demons and battles that we like to keep hush hush. And Dorothy’s battle was in the form of phone call harassment. She received anonymous phone calls at work and even at home, where Shawn and her aunt were under the same roof. After a few occurrences, Dorothy told…