A young mother is killed during a burglary in Minneapolis In the early morning hours of July 11, 1985, Tina Slaughter, a 27-year-old African-American single mother of two young boys, was brutally attacked in her Minneapolis home. An intruder broke into her apartment on the 1700 block of Fremont Avenue North and stabbed her multiple times while her children, Duane and Marcellus, slept peacefully in another room, unharmed.
Despite her severe injuries, Slaughter fought for her life.
After being attacked in her bed and another room, she managed to escape her apartment and seek help from a neighbor. There are conflicting reports on whether she or the neighbor made the initial 911 call, but help was summoned. Police arrived to find her semi-conscious in a hallway. Tragically, she succumbed to her injuries at the hospital just hours later.
The initial investigation revealed that the attacker had also stolen a television, suggesting a burglary that turned violent. A suspect was reportedly seen fleeing the apartment building, but no arrests were ever made in connection with the murder. The case grew cold over the years, leaving Slaughter's family with unanswered questions and a void that could not be filled. The tragedy was compounded in 2001 when her oldest son, Duane, was killed in an unrelated incident.
Decades later, a glimmer of hope emerged in the long-unsolved case. In 2016, investigators re-examining the evidence discovered new DNA from an item found at the crime scene. This breakthrough offered a new avenue for the investigation, with authorities hoping that advancements in technology could finally lead them to the person responsible for Tina Slaughter's death. Despite this development, the case remains unsolved, and police continue to seek information from the public, believing that someone, somewhere, has knowledge that could bring justice for Tina and her family.
