Authorities in Michigan are currently looking into a series of five homicides that might be linked, according to police reports.
The Lansing Police Department held a press conference to announce that these five deaths occurred over the past year and share some unsettling commonalities among them, as reported by FOX 2.
The victims were found along the Lansing River Trail, which runs directly through the Michigan State University campus.
“One question we’re hearing quite a bit is whether we have a serial killer in Lansing. We want the public to understand that we are actively investigating all of these cases. Each one remains open, and we are considering the possibility that they may be connected,” said Lansing Police Chief Rob Backus during the Friday press conference, as noted by FOX 2.
In these instances, authorities mentioned that it seems the victims might have been attacked at night.
Backus noted that in four out of the five cases, there was “blunt force trauma to the facial area.” To date, no weapon has been found.
The timeline of events related to these killings includes:
- Oct. 14, 2025 – Gino Chouinard, 54, was discovered unconscious along the trail and died on Oct. 27, 2025. The cause of his death remains unknown.
- July 9, 2026 – Denis Dunnebacke, 70, was found unresponsive beneath the Kalamazoo Street bridge. He passed away on July 16, 2026, with an undetermined cause of death.
- July 13, 2026 – Robert Smith, 57, was found with severe head trauma and died on July 17, 2026. His death was ruled a blunt force homicide by the medical examiner.
- Aug. 20, 2026 – Daniel Lusk, 22, was fatally stabbed under the East Michigan Avenue bridge. Police arrested 23-year-old Edward Joseph Smith on Sept. 3, in connection with this stabbing.
- Aug. 30, 2026 – Louis Woodruff, 57, was located under the East Cesar Chavez Avenue bridge with severe facial injuries. He died on Sept. 1, 2026, and his death was ruled a blunt force homicide.
Backus indicated that investigators are trying to determine if all five deaths along the trail may be linked to one individual, possibly including the person currently in custody, though he didn’t confirm any guilt.
Reports suggest that the victims were all homeless White men, likely sleeping when attacked. The police continue to investigate all of these cases actively.
