Michael Landon’s family disputes the mysterious death of his grandson

Michael Landon’s daughter wants to find out how her 24-year-old son was killed on the side of the road after being hit by a Los Angeles subway bus.

Shawna Landon, one of the nine children of the Little House on the Prairie star, says in an exclusive Page Six interview that she believes the circumstances of Dylan Lupia’s death are mysterious.

Shawna, a real estate broker in LA, said Lupia was hit on August 17 at 19:31 on Palos Verdes Boulevard by a bus heading west. The coroner’s office did not inform her of her son’s death until the next evening, when she was to watch a movie with her daughters, 15-year-old Sophia and 10-year-old Olivia.

“Dylan was walking down the bus lane towards the bus,” he explains. “The bus driver claimed that he thought the bus had been devastated and that he saw no one.”

It wasn’t until a few days later, when Shawna, 50, visited the site with her sister Leslie Landon, that she concluded that the bus driver’s story did not match.

“There were no blind turns. It’s been a full day, ”he says. “There was no way this bus driver hadn’t seen my son walking towards him with his eyes fixed on the road. My son weighs 6-1 and 170 pounds as he walks the bike path towards him. My sister told me, “Shawna, that’s impossible.”

Shawna later learned that the bus driver allegedly did not stop or swerve over the road.

“He went to the next bus stop, about 1.6 miles from where he hit Dylan, and called the subway saying he thought the bus had been devastated,” he adds.

The subway protocol states that a driver must stop immediately if he thinks his bus has been devastated.

There was another person on the bus at the time of Lupia’s accident, and the Landon family desperately wanted to talk to her.

“We don’t know anything about that passenger,” says Shawna. “We only know that this bus driver did not follow the rules and procedures and did not receive any information from this passenger. It does not make sense.

“And lest this guy stop and call 911 … If he was looking in the rearview mirror, what would he do if something breaks the glass and [made] with such a hit, you would look in the rearview mirror, you would see my son lying on the road.

Shawna, who was the sixth child born to the offspring of a beloved television actor, says her son – who adored his little sisters – did not have an easy life.

“He definitely had his struggles,” he tells us. “He was on a spectrum. It was highly functional. It was difficult for him to keep a job and maintain relationships. He lost his father when he was 5 to a drug overdose, so he has been through a lot. He did what he could and he fought.

Shawna begins to emotionally theorize why Dylan was around when he died.

“My mother lived nearby. She passed in 2015 and they were very close, ”he reveals. “So I think he was probably up there to go and just reminisce.”

Michael died of pancreatic cancer in 1991, when he was 54 years old. Although he broke up with her mother when she was 10, Shawna remained close to her dad, spending every weekend with him with her siblings.

She is well aware that her famous name is a powerful tool.

“I can’t imagine the number of people hit by bus drivers and keep going,” he says. “I’m sure they found themselves homeless and nobody took their bodies away. They have no voice.

“Believe me, I know I’m not special. I’m not an idiot. I know why [I’m getting press attention]. It’s because of my dad. But I can’t imagine all those other people who don’t have a voice. “

Shawna hopes there is someone who can provide information and urges them to contact Detective Schloegl at 310-891-0515 or her attorney Robert Barta at 310-479-1454 or rbarta@bartatate.com.

Meanwhile, LA Metro says in a statement to Page Six: “Metro is directing our thoughts and prayers to Dylan Lupia’s family during this difficult time. We continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners and our in-house team to investigate this tragic bus accident and determine exactly what happened.

“Safety is a top priority in Metro. We ask for public help in providing any information that they may have in connection with this accident. Anyone who may have been in the area with the relevant information should call the LASD at 323-563-5000. Transit passengers may also anonymously report information about this incident or others by calling 888-950-SAFE (7233). “