New push to solve grandfather's 1986 slaying
RESCUE, Calif. - On June 2, 1986, 76-year-old Halley Wing was gunned down in the driveway of his son's northern California ranch. Nearly 30 years later, the case remains unsolved.
The day of Wing's murder was also his son Vern's 49th birthday, and the large Wing family had plans to celebrate that evening. Halley Wing, a grandfather and retired prison guard, lived on the adjoining property to his son on the family's land in Rescue, Calif. That day, Wing noticed a small blue sedan he hadn't seen before approaching his son's empty home - driving up a long narrow driveway that a stranger wouldn't be likely to navigate, family said.
He decided to drive over and investigate.
As his wife Bernice watched through binoculars, one of the two suspects got into the passenger side of Wing's car and opened fire, family said. He had interrupted an apparent burglary, police say.
He never got to celebrate with his son.
Wing's murder is among the dozens of cold case homicides in El Dorado County, Calif. that a special task force is aiming to solve. The task force was launched by county district attorney Vern Pierson in 2013 in an effort to close the more than 60 cold case murders in the county of 180,000 - nearly double the amount of cold cases than nearby counties twice its size, according to the DA's office.
As a part of that effort to solicit tips from the public, the office is developing a series of videos highlighting each of the cases and releasing them monthly on their Facebook page. 48 Hours' Crimesider will be highlighting the videos and reporting on the cases. Wing's case is the latest to be featured.
At the time, police noted that items had been stolen from the home, according to Dave Stevenson, an investigator with the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office. Evidence was uncovered at the scene, Stevenson said, but so far, it hasn't led to an arrest. Police have never named a person of interest or a suspect, he said.
At the time of his death, Wing left behind two daughters, three sons, 17 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren. A prominent figure in El Dorado county, granddaughter Marcia Stumpf described him as the "center" of their large family, many of whom owned property nearby.
"To have that ripped from you is very jarring, it does change you," said Stumpf, who was 22 at the time of her grandfather's murder, living with her husband a short distance away.
Despite the years without an arrest, Stumpf said her family remains hopeful investigators will find her grandfather's killer. Knowing what happened that day would provide much-needed closure for her family, she said.
"Not having answers has been devastating," she said.
One major challenge in the case is the passage of time, police say. But, they believe that the renewed publicity may encourage someone with knowledge about the case to come forward.
"Cold case homicides present a lot of unique and difficult circumstances when investigating them after 30 years, such as in this case," said Stevenson. "It's our hope that contacting, reaching out and getting the word out to the public throughout the U.S. may bring information forward that could help us solve this cold case homicide."
Stumpf agreed. She said people have approached her throughout the years who didn't realize her grandfather's murder has never been solved.
"The important part of a lot of cold cases is to remind the public that it is still open, and there are people who are still hurting," she said.
Wing's family is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of his killer. Anyone with information is asked to call Chief Robert Cosley at (530) 903-8468 or email robert.cosley@edcgov.us.
