The brutal killing of his mum when he was a year old, changed Daniel Wing’s life forever. Over 30 years later, her murder remains unsolved and Tina Wing is all but forgotten. Now Daniel is determined to discover the truth about the tragedy that shaped his past. Who Murdered You, Mum? starts Monday, 25th November at 10pm on Crime+Investigation.
On the evening of 28th June 1992, 32-year-old Tina Wing was being held in a secure mental facility in North London. That night, she was allowed her first unsupervised walk around the hospital grounds. It was supposed to be a milestone in her rehabilitation, a step towards a new life.
But the walk, which was only due to last an hour, ended tragically when Tina never returned. Her body was found in nearby bushes, brutally murdered.
The crime sent shockwaves through her family and the surrounding community, but to this day, no one has ever been convicted of her murder. Despite a police investigation and trial, the case remains a chilling mystery.
The complex life of Tina Wing
Tina Wing’s life, and the events surrounding her death, are complex. She lived a troubled life and before her murder had been transferred from prison to a mental facility. She was originally sent to prison after being accused of setting a cot on fire with her baby, Daniel, inside.
Miraculously, Daniel survived, but the event marked Tina as a dangerous woman in the eyes of the authorities.
However, this narrative is one that Tina’s family has always vehemently rejected. To her family, Tina wasn’t a monster – but a vulnerable woman trapped in a toxic cycle of alleged domestic abuse by Daniel’s father, Alan.
Tina’s family describes Alan as a ‘cruel stalker’, whose alleged abuse left her emotionally and physically scarred.
Police investigation and trial
Circumstantial evidence led police to arrest Alan and charge him with murder. The prosecution believed they had an open-and-shut case. However, Alan was acquitted by a jury of all charges due to a lack of evidence and Tina’s family was left devastated.
With Alan’s acquittal, the police investigation ground to a halt. The authorities had built their case around him and had not pursued other potential leads or suspects. Therefore, when Alan was acquitted, it became evident that the police lacked crucial evidence that might have pointed them toward a suspect, possibly overlooked during the initial investigation.
As a result of this absent definitive proof, Tina Wing’s murder case went cold and remains unsolved to this day.
A legacy of injustice
For Tina Wing’s family, the pain of her loss is made worse by the lack of justice. Her case stands as a cold reminder that some murders – no matter how straightforward they may appear – remain unsolved years after the crime.
One aspect that may have affected the investigation was the stigma surrounding Tina's mental health. Being institutionalised in a secure facility could have led to biases that influenced how seriously the authorities approached her murder.
Cold cases involving individuals with mental health conditions, particularly women, may not receive the same attention or resources as others, and institutional stigma could have contributed to the lack of progress in Tina's case.
Additionally, the early '90s presented significant challenges in terms of forensic science. DNA testing was still in its infancy, and crucial evidence may not have been adequately preserved for future analysis.
However, with modern advances in forensic technology, there may still be hope that Tina’s case could one day be solved if any preserved evidence is re-examined using today's methods.
For her family, the ongoing struggle for justice has taken a significant emotional toll. Over the years, they have battled with unresolved grief, knowing the person responsible for Tina’s death has never been brought to justice. This lack of closure has dominated their lives, forcing them to continually relive the trauma and push for answers that, for now, remain elusive.
Tina Wing’s family continue to seek answers and have not given up hope that one day the truth will emerge. For now, however, her murder remains one of North London’s most tragic unsolved crimes.
