Citrus man accused of murdering his mom, dumping her in Hernando

BROOKSVILLE — A 49-year-old Citrus County man has been charged with first-degree murder, accused of killing his own mother.

Donald C. Wing, Jr., was apprehended Friday in Georgia, after Citrus County Sheriff’s Office detectives issued a warrant for his arrest.

While final autopsy results have not yet been released, detectives have "ample evidence" to believe the woman found dead last week in northwest Hernando County is 74-year-old Janet R. Wing, said spokeswoman Heather Yates.

Mrs. Wing was reported missing last Tuesday from her Beverly Hills home. Based on physical evidence, police said she was likely killed there and later moved to the patch of woods off Atlanta Ave. near U.S. 19, where her body was found the next day.

She lived both in Florida and with relatives in other states, but her son ''apparently was living with her in Citrus County,'' Yates said. The cause of death appeared to be homicide, with evidence of trauma to the upper body, according to a preliminary autopsy.

What brought Wing from Florida to Georgia isn’t known, but police say he was hospitalized in Thomas County, Ga., prior to his arrest there.

A spokeswoman for the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office said Wing remained in custody Saturday, awaiting transport back to Florida to face charges.

-- Tom Marshall, Times Staff Writer