5 people have been found dead near a river trail in Michigan, sparking serial killer fears

Police in Lansing, Michigan, are investigating whether a serial killer is preying on the city’s unhoused community following a string of violent overnight attacks that have left five men dead along a popular greenway.The deaths, which occurred along a single one-mile stretch of the Lansing River Trail over the last year, have put residents on edge and drawn criticism over local safety measures and public notification policies. Police have already arrested 23-year-old Edward Joseph Smith, charging him with murder in the stabbing death of one victim, while four other men suffered severe head and facial trauma. Each victim was found lying down, and likely sleeping, between midnight and 6 a.m. when the attacks happened, police said. “Do we have a serial killer in Lansing?” Police Chief Robert Backus said during a recent news conference. “We are looking at the idea — or the possibility — that these may be related cases.”Backus said that police believed the crimes could represent a “pattern” targeting unhoused, white men, though officials were treading carefully. Authorities in Lansing, Michigan, are investigating whether a single attacker is targeting unhoused men along a city greenway, where five late-night deaths have led to one murder charge so far (AP)“We are looking at every case with the idea of, is this a similar suspect or the same suspect?” Backus said. “But we cannot move forward in an investigation thinking that these are all the same person. We have to look at these on a case-by-case scenario.” According to court records seen by The New York Times, surveillance footage captured a man leaving the scene, walking through downtown and stopping at a drinking fountain to wash his arm. Police discovered blood on the fountain, recognized Smith from the footage, and allegedly located a sweatshirt in his tent that matched the suspect's clothing.Smith remains in custody without bond and has been referred for a competency evaluation, court records show. Backus highlighted that the stabbing involved a suspect and victim in their 20s, whereas the other four victims were over the age of 50, and pointed out that it was the only incident involving a known weapon.The violence along the trail began on October 14, 2025, when Gino Chouinard, 54, was discovered unconscious with severe facial injuries. He died 13 days later. His uncle, Robert Chouinard, told CNN that his nephew — a former state champion high school wrestler, elite athlete and National Guard veteran who served in Iraq — had been turned away from a shelter the night before after missing the intake window by minutes.“They wouldn't let him into the shelter,” Robert Chouinard told CNN. “They’re pretty strict with the rules. He called his girlfriend and told her he was going to sleep at the river trail.”Robert Chouinard said that his nephew suffered a crushed skull and six broken ribs.“Gino was a state champion high school wrestler, an elite athlete, and I checked his knuckles and his knees,” he said. “There were no defensive wounds, no struggle, no fight at all. So apparently he was sleeping and got it in the back of the head.” He added: “There’s a serial killer on the loose in my estimation. It's either a serial killer or a copycat. … Gino was a tough kid, a beautiful kid, beautiful looking, a wonderful personality.” The deaths, which occurred along a single one-mile stretch of the Lansing River Trail over the last year, have put residents on edge and drawn criticism over local safety measures. Police have arrested one 23-year-old suspect thus far (AP)Although the medical examiner initially listed the cause of death as undetermined, Backus said that finding was under review. After a months-long gap, four more deaths occurred within two months over the summer. On July 9, 70-year-old Denis Dunnebacke was found unconscious near the Kalamazoo Street Bridge with facial trauma and died days later. Backus noted that hospital staff suggested the incident could have been medical in nature, though police treated it as suspicious. The medical examiner has not issued a ruling. Four days later, on July 13, 57-year-old Robert Smith was found bleeding from the head on the trail. He died at a hospital, and police said his death was declared a homicide.On August 20, 22-year-old Daniel Lusk was found stabbed to death under a bridge, leading to the murder charge against Edward Joseph Smith. Ten days after that, on August 30, 57-year-old Louis Woodruff was found with severe facial injuries under another bridge. He died on September 1 in a case ruled a homicide by police.Public awareness grew in September after The Lansing State Journal reported similarities among four cases, leading police to confirm the fifth. Community leaders and families criticized the delay, saying police moved too slowly to issue warnings.Dean Lusk, whose 22-year-old son Daniel was killed, told reporters police knew of earlier incidents and “refused to do anything about it.” A view of the Grand River and a portion of the Lansing River Trail in Lansing, Michigan — city officials have deployed mobile surveillance trailers and extra night patrols along the greenway as unhoused residents report fearing an outside attacker (Google Maps)City Council member Ryan Kost said previous city sweeps of homeless encampments pushed people toward the river trail, leaving a population with “no way to fight back.”Backus apologized for failing to release a news statement on one death, citing delayed medical findings and a desire not to cause unnecessary panic. He said officers were taking the investigation seriously despite limited cameras, few witnesses and delayed autopsies.Lansing Mayor Andy Schor said in a statement that the attacks specifically targeted unhoused men sleeping overnight and that “the general public has not been targeted.”To step up security along the 20-mile trail, the city deployed mobile camera trailers, increased police patrols and dispatched social workers.On the trail, unhoused residents spoke of constant fear. Derick Byrd, 56, who knew three of the victims, said, “It’s scary knowing that even if you’re homeless, you can’t even lay out here and go to sleep without somebody beating you.” He added that residents suspect the killer comes from outside their community: “When the sun goes down, some people come up in here who don’t live here, don’t know us and we don’t see them.”