Good day to all my viewers and listeners. The story I will share with you today took place in England in 2011, but before we begin, please prepare yourselves, as this is a heartbreaking story about the tragic fate of a Chinese family inside their own home in the UK. We are talking about the Ding family and their horrific ordeal.

If there was a shocking Lin family tragedy in Australia, there is also the Ding family tragedy in the UK. The difference is that one member of the Lin family survived; however, the Ding family tragedy we are discussing now was far more gruesome. No one survived the attack; everyone was wiped out by a heartless individual.

The culprit fled and traveled between different countries to evade the authorities, leading to a worldwide manhunt to track down the family’s killer. Please join me today as we listen to the full story of the tragic fate of the Ding family in the UK.

A Peaceful Life Interrupted

Helen and Jeff Ding both originated from Eastern China. They immigrated to the UK in 1990. Their first child, Shing, was born in 1993, and their second child, Alice, was born in 1999.

Both Jeff and Helen held professional jobs in the UK. Jeff was a professor of Chemistry at Manchester Metropolitan University. He was highly regarded by his students because, in addition to being an excellent teacher, he mentored them well.

Helen Ding was a language teacher in the UK. Neither she nor Jeff were abusive or violent parents, so their daughters, Shing and Alice, grew up respectful and with good intentions in life.

The two sisters were both talented. Shing, who was 18 years old, was excellent and passionate about music, especially playing the violin. In addition, Shing was an intelligent young woman, a high school student with numerous A grades in subjects such as Chemistry, Classics, Latin, Mathematics, and Biology.

Because of this, she received an offer to study at Nottingham University, where she dreamt of studying medicine. Her younger sister, Alice, who was 12 years old, followed in Shing’s footsteps. She was also talented in music, which brought them close, and they were a source of pride for Helen and Jeff.

The Ding family lived peacefully and happily in Wootton, Northampton, England. They were known as a good family, so they socialized and got along with many acquaintances and neighbors.

The Discovery and Failed Police Response

April 29, 2011, was an unexpected day for the Ding family—it was their last happy day together. It was an ordinary day for the family, but it was also a holiday, so everyone was home, making the most of the day. Tragically, it was their last day as a complete family.

On this same day, Prince William and Kate Middleton were getting married, so the entire UK was celebrating, including the town of Wootton, where the Ding family resided. The whole community celebrated, and the day felt special due to the royal wedding.

Almost all residents held mini-parties and street parties outside their homes, but no one noticed the commotion at the Ding family house. Their house remained quiet, as if the family were away on vacation.

A friend of the Ding family wondered why they had not shown up for their planned meeting. The Ding family’s neighbors also grew concerned because they had not seen the family since April 29.

So, on May 1, 2011, a neighbor decided to check on the house, worried about the Ding family. The neighbor knocked on the front door, but no one answered.

He noticed the house was eerily silent. He heard no conversation or anyone tending to chores inside; he did not even hear the laughter of Alice and Shing.

His curiosity grew into deep suspicion, so he investigated the entire house further, circling the perimeter until he reached the kitchen. He decided to peek through the window but was unprepared for what he saw.

Inside the kitchen, he saw a person lying face down and motionless. He immediately suspected the person was dead but could not confirm which Ding family member it was. He instantly called the police.

When the police arrived and investigated the Ding house, they learned that the person the neighbor saw lying on the kitchen floor was Jeff Ding. He had numerous wounds, estimated to be 23, inflicted by a knife.

As the investigation continued, they realized Jeff Ding was not the only victim; every member of the Ding family had been killed.

Helen Ding was found in the entrance hall near the kitchen, also sustaining five stab wounds from a knife. On the second floor of the house, the police found the other victims, Shing and Alice Ding.

They were in their rooms. The fate of the children was gruesome, with bodily fluids scattered on the floor and bed.

Shing was found slumped on the floor, also stabbed five times. Twelve-year-old Alice was found on the bed, stabbed four times.

Police suspected the family was ambushed by the perpetrator, as they did not appear to have fought back.

In the ongoing investigation, police learned that one of the victims managed to call the police during the attack. The call was placed at 3:30 PM on April 29.

This call originated from Alice’s mobile phone. The dispatcher that day reported hearing shouting and the cries of the children, Shing and Alice.

Tragically, this call was mishandled by the Northampton police that day. They did send officers but to the wrong address, believing the call originated there. When no further calls came and they found nothing suspicious in the area, they immediately dismissed the search on the afternoon of April 29.

When the neighbor found the body in the kitchen on May 1, two days had already passed since the tragedy.

Identifying the Motive and Suspect

When the gruesome tragedy circulated, the entire community of Wootton was in disbelief, as almost everyone knew the Ding family as good people. They could not help but fear that a serial killer might be responsible and could still be lurking in Wootton, looking for other victims.

The police had several theories about the Ding family’s fate. They initially considered that one of the family members, Jeff or Helen, might have been the perpetrator, killing the rest of the family before taking their own life, as similar cases have occurred worldwide.

However, this theory was immediately dismissed by the police based on the victims’ positions and wounds. Another theory the police quickly dismissed was robbery, as they found no signs or marks that the house had been ransacked.

However, one of the police’s strongest suspicions was that the perpetrator harbored intense hatred towards the family, based on the numerous stab wounds inflicted, especially on Jeff Ding, who sustained 23 wounds.

They suspected the family knew their killer, and the motive was possibly revenge.

The Northampton police described the Ding case as one of the most difficult. Because two days had passed before the bodies were discovered, the perpetrator had a vast amount of time to escape far away, potentially out of Wootton or even the UK.

As the forensic teams and Northampton police continued their investigation at the crime scene, they found a puzzling item in the Dings’ letterbox: a calling card from the West Midlands police.

This calling card was left by West Midlands police officers on May 1, just hours before the neighbor found the victims. The West Midlands police had intended to question Jeff and Helen about an important matter that might involve them.

However, because the Dings did not open the door and the officers did not know what was happening inside, the West Midlands police left a calling card in the letterbox for Jeff and Helen to call them. The West Midlands police were unaware that the Dings were already dead when they visited.

As part of the investigation, the Northampton police contacted the West Midlands police. They inquired why they left a calling card for the Dings and what their purpose was. They immediately learned the reason the West Midlands police were at the Ding house on May 1: to inquire about a missing person.

The missing person was known to Jeff and Helen, and the police hoped the couple could provide information about this individual.

The missing person was Anxiang Du, 52 years old, reported missing by his wife on April 29. It was suspicious that the Ding tragedy and Anxiang Du’s disappearance coincided.

Anxiang Du, Jeff, and Helen knew each other because they were business partners in a herbal remedy store in Birmingham. They had successfully established more than one store due to its profitability.

However, a few years later, they had financial problems with the company, and Jeff Ding suspected Anxiang Du was illegally taking money from the company. When they had issues with the store, Jeff and Helen wanted to remove Anxiang Du from the partnership.

This led to repeated arguments between Jeff and Anxiang, which lasted for several years and even resulted in a court case. When the case concluded, the Dings won.

Anxiang Du was frustrated and enraged by the court’s decision. Worse, the court’s final decision came on April 28, one day before the Ding tragedy.

Anxiang Du and his wife were ordered by the court to pay the Dings over £80,000. Anxiang Du’s wife said her husband was furious after this, as he was restless and lacked the massive amount of funds needed to pay the Dings.

On April 29, Anxiang Du told her he was leaving but did not return and never told her where he went. She immediately filed a missing person report for her husband, Anxiang Du, with the West Midlands police.

That was the purpose of the West Midlands police visit to the Ding house: to ask if they had any information about the missing Anxiang Du.

The Manhunt and Conviction

Given the information gathered by the Northampton police, especially the history of conflict between Jeff and Anxiang, they immediately realized they had a person of interest in the Dings’ fate: Anxiang Du himself.

He was the only one with a strong motive. However, they could not immediately prove it without solid evidence. Their first step was to track Anxiang Du’s movements before the tragedy.

CCTV footage confirmed he took a train and bus to Wootton, the Dings’ town. A resident also reported seeing a Chinese man outside the Dings’ house on April 29.

Because of this, the Northampton police were certain that Anxiang Du was the Dings’ killer. The biggest problem was finding him. Police also learned that Anxiang Du stole the Dings’ Vauxhall Corsa car, confirming he used it for his escape.

The police released Anxiang Du’s photo and the stolen car’s image to the public. They used automatic number plate recognition cameras to track the car, which was seen going to a gas station where Du bought a map of Northampton.

From there, the car traveled toward London. However, the police could no longer track the car there, as Anxiang Du abandoned it in St John’s Wood. They searched for him in London’s Chinatown, but the suspect had already continued to France and Spain.

Because of reports of him entering these countries, the UK police followed him there. They pursued Anxiang Du through these countries, but the suspect was elusive.

He continued toward Morocco. Anxiang Du was about to move to another country when Moroccan officers apprehended him, suspecting him of being an illegal immigrant.

However, they released him because they could not confirm the suspicion and were unaware he was wanted in the UK. Anxiang Du remained free in Morocco for three months.

However, based on tips received by the Northampton police from witnesses who saw him in Morocco, they finally found him there. They arrested him on July 7, 2012, and immediately returned him to the UK for legal charges.

He was charged with four counts of murder. During the trial, many things occurred. He pleaded not guilty to the Dings’ fate.

His defense argued he was not of sound mind at the time. However, the prosecution concluded that the suspect planned the attack and wanted revenge on the Ding family, fueled by his anger at the court ordering him to pay them over £80,000.

Anxiang Du was found guilty and sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in prison on November 28, 2013.

This concludes the tragic fate of the Ding family. Thank you very much for watching and listening.