‘Do we have a serial killer?’ Arrest made in one of five deaths along Michigan trail
Lansing police are investigating possible connections between the deaths of five homeless men along the city’s river trail over the past year, after a 23-year-old man was charged with murder in one of the cases.
Edward Smith was arrested Sept. 2 in connection with the Aug. 20 death of 22-year-old Daniel Lusk, who was found stabbed to death beneath the Michigan Avenue bridge in Michigan’s capitol city.
Lansing Mayor Andy Schor told The Center Square in a statement that law enforcement continues to investigate possible links between the cases.
“The investigation into the tragic deaths of several unhoused residents is ongoing and includes all possible connections between them,” Schor said. “The Lansing Police Department has identified patterns and trends and continues to look into all potential leads.”
Smith currently faces one open murder charge. In Michigan, an open murder charge allows prosecutors to pursue a murder conviction without specifying the degree of murder in the initial charge.
The five deaths occurred over the span of about 10 months, with a gap of 268 days between the first and second.
According to information provided to The Center Square by the Lansing Police Department:
• Oct. 14, 2025: Gino Chouinard, 54, was found with facial injuries along the Lansing River Trail. He was hospitalized and died Oct. 27. The medical examiner ruled his cause of death undetermined. Police have not identified a suspect.
• July 9, 2026: Denis Dunnebacke, 70, was found unresponsive but breathing beneath the Kalamazoo Street bridge, with apparent facial injuries. He died July 16. The medical examiner has not determined a cause of death and is awaiting additional medical follow-up. Police have not identified a suspect.
• July 13, 2026: Robert Smith, 57, was found unresponsive and bleeding from the head near the 300 block of East Oakland Avenue. He died July 17, and the medical examiner ruled his death a homicide on Sept. 17. Police have not identified a suspect.
• Aug. 20, 2026: Daniel Lusk, 22, was found stabbed to death beneath the Michigan Avenue bridge. The investigation led to the Sept. 2 arrest of Smith.
• Aug. 30, 2026: Louis Woodruff, 57, was found with apparent facial injuries beneath a bridge near the 200 block of East Cesar Chavez Avenue. He died Sept. 1. Police are investigating his death as a homicide.
Schor cited some similarities among the cases, which were all within a 1.5 mile section of the trail.
“These attacks have specifically targeted men who were unhoused and sleeping along the river trail overnight, particularly from midnight to 6:00 a.m.,” he said. “We are unable to provide further details on the investigation at this time.”
Lansing Police Chief Robert Backus addressed the question concerning many at a recent press conference: “Do we have a serial killer in Lansing?”
“What we need the public to know is that we are investigating all of these cases,” Backus said. “They are all active investigations, and we are looking at the idea or the possibility that these may be related cases.”
Local authorities have said they do not believe the general public is at risk, but that they are increasing police patrols, camera surveillance, and other security measures in the area.
“LPD continues to investigate all possible connections, but we know that the general public has not been targeted in these attacks,” Schor said. “The Lansing river trail and our downtown remain safe for residents and visitors.”
Sunny
