Tina Lim

Status:

Open

Missing From:

Choa Chu Kang, Singapore

Summary:

Tina Lim Xin Ying was a 14-year-old Secondary Two student in Singapore who disappeared on June 22, 2002, while traveling to visit her ailing grandfather in Jurong. She never reached her destination and has remained missing for over 24 years. Although her family received mysterious phone calls in 2003 from someone claiming to be Tina, police determined these were not from her. She was presumed dead in 2010.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

On June 22, 2002, during the June school term break, 14-year-old Tina Lim left her home at Block 462 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 at approximately 4:15 PM to visit her ailing grandfather in Jurong. Her father had suggested the visit and told Tina he would pick her up the next day. Tina never arrived at her grandfather's house. That evening, her aunt called Tina's father to inform him that she had not appeared. Tina was wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and slippers. She did not bring extra clothes, her passport, or much money, suggesting she had not intended to run away. Her father immediately contacted relatives, friends, her school, and the Singapore Police Force.

Additional Details:

Following Tina's disappearance, her father Lim Boon Kee made extensive search efforts. He distributed over 7,000 missing person flyers featuring her photograph and contact details across Singapore, posting them in public areas and shopping centers like Lot One and Jurong Point that Tina frequented. He spent over S$1,000 on advertisements in local newspapers. His contact number was printed on the posters, and he received at least 10 prank calls daily, some claiming Tina had met with an accident, but none provided useful information. By September 2002, he had expanded his search to Malaysia, including Johor, Genting, Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak, and areas near the Thailand border. More than a year after Tina's disappearance, her grandfather—the person she was meant to visit—passed away on October 28, 2003. On November 1, 2003, the last day of her grandfather's funeral, Tina's father and several relatives received at least 10-13 phone calls from an unidentified caller with a hoarse, whispering voice featuring muffled sobbing. The caller identified herself as Tina and said she wanted to come home but 'somebody won't let me leave' and was in a very dark place. The caller confirmed being in Singapore but could not specify the exact location. Tina's father, stepmother, and other relatives were convinced the caller was Tina, though they did not ask verification questions. The police traced the calls to a residence in Pasir Ris but determined after interviewing the family there that Tina could not have made the calls from that location. Police concluded the calls were hoaxes. In 2005, three years after her disappearance, her father offered a reward of S$30,000 for credible information about her whereabouts, but no viable leads emerged. In 2010, seven years after her disappearance, Tina was declared dead in absentia following court proceedings under Singapore's presumptive death laws. Her case was portrayed in a 2004 Singaporean television series called 'Missing.' The case resurfaced in media attention in December 2020 in connection with the breakthrough in another cold case, that of Felicia Teo. As of August 2026, Tina remains missing.

Case Last Updated:

Nov 02, 2026