The Murder of Dru Sjodin

Dru smiling

On September 26, 1981, Dru Katrina Sjodin was born to Linda (Sutfin) Walker and Allan Sjodin of Minneapolis. Dru was the couple's second and last child, preceded by her brother Sven who was two years her senior. Linda Walker said on the family website that Dru was "very good-natured," "smiley" and just an overall "wonderful baby" who was well received by the family.

Dru had a happy childhood. As a young girl, she was referred to as Princess because she loved to dress up in pink dresses. She was the quintessential "girlie-girl" her mother said. From a young age, she established close friendships and was adored by those who knew the sweet little girl with "electric" blue eyes.

At the age of three, Dru's parents divorced but remained friends. Her mother remarried a man named Sid Walker. Dru lived with her mother, brother and Sid in their new house in the Twin Cities area. However, she and her brother saw their father frequently and spent vacations with him, which often included Sid and their mother.