Tina Lynn Wilkerson was a beloved 20 year old who had her entire life ahead of her.

Tina loved babysitting and had dreams of becoming a nurse or a singer someday. She grew up in Lake Station, IN in a loving family and had four brothers. She could befriend anyone, loved children, and was described as a true people person. She was hilarious, loved singing, and was one of a kind. She had a smile that could light up a room, loved spending time with her cousins, she was protective over her friends, and was always there for anyone in need.

“She was one of a kind, definitely. She had a smile that would light up the room, unbelievably. She could turn any bad situation into a wonderful situation.” - Linda Chalavis, Tina’s cousin.

In August of 1995, Tina’s fiancé was murdered.

On August 11, Tina’s fiancé, Richard Sleziak and his friend Kenneth Lewis, were murdered in an apparent drug deal gone wrong in Gary, IN. After Richard’s death, Tina changed. She was quieter, more reserved, and acted out slightly more often. Three days later, Tina attended Richard’s funeral in Lake Station, IN. Authorities later determined that Richard’s death and Tina’s murder were not connected.

Overnight on August 15, 1995, Tina was last seen in Lake Station, IN.

After Richard’s funeral, Tina was last seen walking near IN-51 around 2:00 am on August 15, 1995. A couple hours earlier, a 15 year old in her home saw someone trying to start Tina’s car, a 1981 Buick station wagon that was parked in the 2600 block of Riverside Drive in Lake Station, IN. Unfortunately, she was unable to see who was in the car trying to start it because it was too dark outside.

Tina’s body was discovered later that morning.

At 5:10 am on the morning of August 15, 1995, Tina’s body was discovered by a passerby in an open brush area along Marquette Road near Four Winds Park’s baseball fields. She was nude, lying face down with multiple stab wounds and a large cut across her neck. She had cuts on her hands, indicating that she had struggled to defend herself against her attacker. Authorities determined that Tina had been killed elsewhere, due to the lack of blood on the scene where her body was found.

"It makes the investigation hard because you don't have the actual crime scene.” - Lake Station Detective, Kevin Garber.

Tina’s car was found within the next few hours, in the same place that the 15 year old reported seeing it earlier that night. Authorities announce that the car will be analyzed and examined for any potential evidence.

Where the case stands today.

In 2004, the Indiana State Police offered to assist the Lake Station Police Department in the investigation. Unfortunately, they were unable to bring forward any information or find any leads that had been missed by investigators. In 2016, Case Files Chicago covered Tina’s case to help raise awareness for Tina’s case and had hopes of bringing new information to investigators.

"This case is going to be solved by someone coming forward. I really want to bring closure to the Wilkersons." - Lake Station Police Chief, Mike Stills.

Today, Tina’s case remains unsolved more than 27 years later. If you have any information regarding Tina’s case, please contact the Lake Station Police Department at (219) 660-0000.