I've not seen anything mentioned at whyaretheydead or anywhere on the internet about Dale Bogen's suicide while she was on services at ASHO back in Nov 1984. Does anyone remember her or the situation?

I was out of town for 2 months and when I came back I asked around ASHO if any one had seen her. The D of P told me to speak to the Dir I & R, Bobby Schaffner, who I knew pretty well. I said," Bob, What's going on with Dale Bogen? The D of P told me to ask you." He asked me to step in and close the door, which I did.

Now, my 1st thought was this: I knew that she was getting auditing but I also knew she was a petition-approved pc so I thought maybe something changed on that and asked him. I knew he'd be straight with me. "No, she was a pc" on a rundown that is sometimes given to people who are overwhelmed and unable to proceed in processing but she'd committed suicide after leaving the org one night back in November (1984).

I was shocked. Here it was over a month later I did not know how to respond. This was, for me, the 3rd unexpected death of a scientologist in over 1 year. It was so unreal. I could not imagine Dale doing something like that but then again, I did not know every personal thing about her. I asked how she died and how did he find out. He said the police contacted ASHO when they found her because she had receipts and some books in the car. He said she took her car way up the main road in the Los Angeles Mountains, parked and plugged up the exhaust line with a rag or something and then got back in the car and went to sleep with the engine on. He knew nothing else.

I put my 'KSW hat' on and I asked him if he made sure her folders got to Qual for rev and correction. He said "yes", but we both knew at that time that nothing was predictable and 'what was supposed to be and what actually happened were often 2 different things' . We just looked at each other and I could tell he was not the happy Bob I'd all come to know in the past. He looked so tired. We chatted for a few minutes about other things and I left.

I finished up my cycles in Los Angeles and returned home shortly thereafter, seemingly blocking the whole thing out until I got news that Bobby had died after he'd struck a truck with his motorcycle on June 05,1987.

I never got the courage to follow up, after that, until now. This is the first time I have talked about Dale's suicide to anyone. Thank you to all those who are making it easier for ex-members to come out and speak up but most thanks to Mr. Creed Pearson, for writing the truth in your letter to ED INT. You see, I've stepped out of the shadows because it inspired and strengthened me to hold firm my faith in God and speak up today to show my support in getting the truth out.

I have no animosity against anyone in or out of scientology. Some of the most wonderful and intelligent people have fallen prey to it's trap. I will be writing more in the future, and I will be asking about these people and hoping that what I say can reach them or be of help to someone else.

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