**Tom Hanks’ Daughter Hunts Truth About Her Grandfather’s Alleged Murderous Past in Gripping Exclusive**

• E.A. Hanks, daughter of Tom Hanks and his former spouse Susan Dillingham, authored the new memoir The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road
• Her book discloses claims from her mother’s journal accusing her grandfather of assaulting and killing a young girl
• The memoir explores her mother’s struggles with addiction and psychological disorders, along with her early life with siblings before her father obtained custody
  

Years after Susan Dillingham’s passing, E.A. Hanks began organizing stored possessions left behind. Among preserved items were a frayed childhood blanket, kitchen utensils, poetry collections, and stacks of assorted documents.

Within these materials, E.A. (short for Elizabeth Anne) discovered a crimson notebook owned by her biological mother, Tom Hanks’ first wife.

“It wasn’t dated chronologically,” the 42-year-old author explains, “but rather filled with fragmented thoughts and sudden recollections. That’s when I found her account detailing my grandfather’s horrific act.”

The descriptions proved deeply unsettling. E.A. states, “She portrayed her father sexually assaulting, killing, and consuming a child’s remains.”

In 2019—17 years after Susan’s 2002 death from lung cancer at 49—E.A. embarked on researching her mother’s troubled history and verifying potential truths behind the disturbing allegations against John Raymond Dillingham, her maternal grandfather who died in 1981.

Seeking clarity, she undertook a six-month cross-country journey along Interstate 10 in a borrowed van, traveling from Los Angeles to her mother’s ancestral home in Palatka, Florida.

Her memoir The 10 documents this quest. “Should any portion of that journal prove factual,” she reflects, “then my mother never had a fair chance at life from the start.”

The expedition also aimed to understand the woman her father loved during their collegiate acting studies. “My dad carried childhood trauma from family divorces and shifting households,” she says of 68-year-old Tom. “Their bond stemmed from two wounded souls seeking mutual healing.”  

Following their 1985 divorce after five years of marriage, Susan initially retained custody of E.A. and brother Colin, 47. However, family dynamics deteriorated when Susan relocated them to Sacramento without informing their father.

Susan’s mental health progressively worsened during this period. (Though undiagnosed, E.A. suspects bipolar disorder compounded by severe paranoia.) By age 10, E.A. recognized their home life differed drastically from others’.

“The outbursts intensified,” she recalls. “Meals became irregular. Her public composure dissolved as she increasingly vocalized prayers and conversations with deities.”

Young E.A. shielded these struggles even from her father, then remarried to Rita Wilson with sons Chet and Truman. “I became my mother’s confidant and defender,” she admits. “Exposing her struggles felt like betrayal.”

A physical altercation at age 14 prompted custody transfer to Tom. Summer visits continued until 1996, when Susan drove E.A. to Florida and showed her John Dillingham’s photograph. When questioned, Susan reportedly confirmed his identity before abruptly exiting.

This encounter marked E.A.’s sole interaction about her grandfather until uncovering the unsettling journal passages.

During her 2019 travels, E.A. consulted relatives about Susan’s upbringing. Their responses revealed family dysfunction but no definitive answers.

“They described an environment where neglect could easily occur,” she notes. “My mother emerged as someone profoundly altered by unspeakable experiences.”

This fueled speculation that Susan’s writings metaphorically described personal trauma. “Perhaps she symbolically depicted her own violated childhood through these horrific images,” E.A. suggests.

Though unresolved regarding her grandfather, E.A. concludes, “Confirming his actions wouldn’t clarify my mother’s suffering. The book’s essence isn’t solving crimes, but accepting unresolved mysteries.”

Completing her 5,000-mile journey, E.A. found closure through reflection. “I gifted myself time to process my mother’s legacy,” she reflects.

She credits her father’s influence for fostering resilience. “Dad instilled commitment to truth and perseverance—qualities defining our relationship.”

The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road releases Tuesday, April 8 at major retailers.