If you’ve ever sat through the documentary Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father, you know the specific kind of soul-crushing grief it leaves behind. It’s the kind of film that makes you want to reach through the screen and help, but the credits roll and you’re left wondering about the two people at the center of that storm. Are David and Kathleen Bagby alive today, or did the weight of losing their son and grandson finally take its toll?
Honestly, it’s a question thousands of people ask every year. Their story is so viscerally painful that it’s hard to imagine anyone surviving it. But the Bagbys aren’t just anyone.
As of early 2026, David and Kathleen (Kate) Bagby are alive. They continue to live in California, though they’ve stepped back significantly from the public eye. After decades of fighting for legal reform and reliving their trauma for the sake of justice, they’ve earned a bit of quiet.
The Long Road from Newfoundland
To understand why people are so concerned about their well-being, you have to look at what they endured. Most people know the broad strokes: their son Andrew was murdered by Shirley Turner, who then fled to Canada, gave birth to Andrew’s son Zachary, and eventually killed both herself and the toddler while out on bail.
It’s a sequence of events so horrific it feels like fiction. But for David and Kate, it was a daily reality for years.
They didn't just sit back and mourn. They moved to Newfoundland. They befriended the woman they knew killed their son, all just to get a few hours of supervised visitation with their grandson. They played a "long game" that ended in the most devastating way possible. When Zachary died in 2003, many expected the Bagbys to give up.
They didn't.
Instead, they turned that "perpetual rage," as David once called it, into a legislative hammer. They fought for Bill C-464, also known as "Zachary’s Bill," which changed Canadian law to allow courts to refuse bail to someone if their children are in potential danger. That bill became law in late 2010.
Where Are David and Kathleen Bagby Now?
For a long time, the couple lived in Sunnyvale, California. Later, they moved to a bungalow in a nearby area, seeking a fresh start in a place that didn't have a memory of their tragedy attached to every corner.
They've mostly retired from active advocacy. Years ago, David mentioned that they simply "can't do it anymore." Attending trials for other murdered children and hearing the same gruesome details over and over started to feel like a second sentence. You can only pour from an empty cup for so long.
Current Status and Health
While they are alive, they are certainly older now. David Bagby was born in the mid-1940s, putting him in his late 70s or early 80s today. Kate, a former nurse who grew up in the UK, is in a similar age bracket.
- Residence: They remain in Northern California.
- Public Life: They rarely give interviews anymore.
- Legacy: They still maintain a connection to Kurt Kuenne, the director of Dear Zachary.
There was some confusion online a few years back when an obituary for a "David Bagby" from Illinois started circulating. That was a different person entirely. Our David Bagby—the one who wrote Dance with the Devil—is still here.
The Impact of "Dance with the Devil"
If you want to understand the fire that kept them going, you have to read David’s book, Dance with the Devil: A Memoir of Murder and Loss. It is one of the rawest things ever put to paper. It isn't a "healing" book. It’s a book about anger.
He wrote it as a "castigation of a broken system." Even now, years later, the book serves as a primary source for law students and victims' rights advocates. It’s a reminder that David and Kathleen Bagby didn’t just survive; they forced the world to change so no one else would have to survive the same thing.
Why Their Story Still Matters in 2026
We live in a world where true crime is often treated as "content." People binge-watch tragedies and then move on to the next one. But the Bagbys represent the human cost that remains after the cameras stop filming.
The fact that David and Kathleen Bagby are alive and still standing is a miracle of the human spirit. They lost their only child. They lost their only grandchild. And yet, they chose to stay. They chose to fix a law in a country that wasn't even their own.
They still attend meetings for support groups for parents who have lost children. They don't always talk about crime specifically; sometimes they just sit with people who understand what it’s like to have a hole in your life that never fills up.
Practical Insights for Supporters
If you’ve been moved by their story, the best way to honor them isn’t by trying to contact them—they value their privacy immensely—but by supporting the causes they championed.
- Support Victims' Rights: Look into organizations like the National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children (POMC). The Bagbys were heavily involved with similar groups for years.
- Advocate for Bail Reform: In many jurisdictions, the "presumption of innocence" still leads to dangerous individuals being released. Stay informed about local bail laws.
- Watch (and Share) Dear Zachary: The film serves as a living memorial. Every time someone watches it, Andrew and Zachary’s story lives on, and the systemic failures that killed them are highlighted.
The Bagbys gave everything they had to make the world a slightly safer place for children. Now, they are living out their years in the peace they fought so hard to find. They aren't "celebrities," and they never wanted to be. They’re just a mother and a father who refused to be quiet until the world listened.
Summary of the Bagbys' Status
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Are they alive? | Yes, as of 2026. |
| Where do they live? | California, USA. |
| What was their major achievement? | Passage of Zachary's Bill (Bill C-464) in Canada. |
| Are they still active? | Mostly retired from public advocacy. |
To keep Andrew and Zachary’s memory alive, consider donating to the Andrew Bagby Memorial Scholarship or similar medical education funds, as Andrew was a dedicated physician before his life was cut short.