Loullie Saitoh

Do you know who murdered Loulli?
Loullie Saitoh was a 13-year-old girl who often spent time with her father, Dr. Tsunao Saitoh, a brilliant and respected neuroscientist. Her father, a 46-year-old Japanese immigrant and associate professor at the University of California San Diego, was a leading researcher in the field of Alzheimer's disease. His colleagues at UCSD's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center described him as a "dear, gentle man with a ready smile for everyone," who was on the cusp of a major breakthrough in his work. On the night of their deaths, Loullie, an Asian/Pacific Islander girl, had been with her father at his university laboratory, where he was helping her with a homework assignment.

On the warm evening of May 8, 1996, Dr. Saitoh and Loullie left the lab and made the familiar drive home. At about 11:00 p.m., they pulled into the driveway of their house on the 7000 block of Fairway Road, in the affluent La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego. At that moment, an assailant who had apparently been waiting for them launched a sudden and brutal attack. Multiple gunshots shattered the quiet of the tranquil neighborhood. Dr. Saitoh was shot multiple times at close range while still in the driver's seat of his BMW. Loullie managed to get out of the car and run a short distance into the driveway before she, too, was gunned down. An autopsy would later show she had been shot in the back.

Although neighbors later told police they heard loud noises around 11:00 p.m., no one called 911. The father and daughter were not discovered until approximately 1:30 a.m. when two skateboarders passed by the home and saw the horrific scene. They found Dr. Saitoh slumped over the steering wheel of his car and Loullie’s body nearby in the driveway. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

The San Diego Police Department immediately launched an intensive investigation, with one lieutenant describing the double homicide as a "complete mystery." Detectives quickly ruled out robbery as a motive; Dr. Saitoh's wallet and the money inside had not been taken, and their home was untouched. The sheer precision and accuracy of the shooting led some investigators to believe it was the work of a professional killer, a "hit man." A police source noted, "The guy was a good shot... The shots were well placed, and he did not miss."

Investigators collected numerous .380 caliber shell casings from the driveway and the street. Ballistics analysis identified the murder weapon as a Grendel P-12, a .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol. This was a significant clue, as the gun was manufactured in limited quantities. In an exhaustive effort, police test-fired every known Grendel P-12 in San Diego County but found no match to the casings from the crime scene. The murder weapon itself was never found. Police also sealed Dr. Saitoh's laboratory at UCSD to search for clues related to his groundbreaking and potentially lucrative research.

The murders devastated Dr. Saitoh's colleagues, who mourned the loss of a brilliant mind dedicated to curing a terrible disease. "We're all devastated," said Phyllis Lessin, an assistant chief at the research center. "He was one of the world's leading researchers in this area." She later recalled her belief that if anyone at the center were to win a Nobel Prize, it would have been Dr. Saitoh. At a service for her husband and daughter, Loullie's mother, Shizue, who was estranged from Dr. Saitoh, thanked the community for their support.

Decades have passed, but the ambush on Fairway Road remains one of San Diego's most baffling cold cases. Investigators have explored numerous theories, from a professional hit to a random act of violence, but have never publicly identified a suspect or a clear motive. The case, however, is not without hope. In February 2023, it was revealed that investigators had recovered a partial DNA profile from some of the shell casings, a piece of evidence that could one day lead to a breakthrough with advancements in technology.

The San Diego Police Department continues to seek information about the murders of Loullie and Tsunao Saitoh. The case remains open, a painful and unresolved tragedy for a family and a community. Anyone with information is urged to contact the SDPD Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or to leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.