On February 19, 1981, 17-year-old Taiwanese-American high school student Ying Hua Ling was abducted and murdered in Vero Beach, Florida, along with her 48-year-old mother, Hsiang Huang Ling. Ying Hua Ling, an award-winning math student at Vero Beach High School, had recently immigrated from Taiwan with her family. That afternoon, as she stepped off her school bus, she was approached by David Alan Gore, a then-28-year-old auxiliary sheriff's deputy.
Gore used his badge to gain her trust and lured her into his vehicle. He then drove her to her home, where he encountered her mother. Brandishing a firearm, he abducted both women and forced them into his truck.
Gore transported the mother and daughter to a secluded citrus grove, where he raped both women. He then summoned his cousin, Fred Waterfield, to the location. According to Gore's confession, Waterfield raped Ying Hua Ling and subsequently ordered Gore to 'get rid of her.' Gore claimed that Hsiang Huang Ling was tied to a tree and left to asphyxiate. The two men dismembered the bodies and concealed the remains in 30-gallon pesticide drums, which they buried in separate citrus groves.
The Ling family's disappearance remained a mystery until December 7, 1983, when Gore, facing trial for another murder, led authorities to the burial sites. Investigators recovered the remains of both women, confirming their tragic fate. Gore later confessed to the murders of six women, including the Lings, between 1981 and 1983. He was convicted on multiple counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. Gore was executed by lethal injection on April 12, 2012, after spending 28 years on death row.
Fred Waterfield, Gore's cousin and accomplice, was convicted for his role in the murders of two 14-year-old girls, Angelica LaVallee and Barbara Ann Byer, in 1983. He received two consecutive life sentences. Although Gore initially implicated Waterfield in the Ling murders, he later recanted, claiming sole responsibility. As a result, Waterfield was not prosecuted for the deaths of Ying Hua Ling and her mother.
