Fears of 'Serial Killer' Grip Michigan City as Authorities Investigate Disturbing Deaths

Police in Lansing, Mich., are investigating whether one person is responsible for the deaths of five men found along a short stretch of the Lansing River Trail over the past year.

“One question that we’re being asked is, do we have a serial killer in Lansing? What we need the public to know is we are investigating all of these cases,” Lansing Police Chief Rob Backus said.

Backus addressed the deaths at a news conference on Friday, October 2. “They are all active investigations, and we are looking at the idea or the possibility that these may be related cases,” he said.

The five victims were white men believed to be homeless, and they ranged in age from 22 to 70, police said. All five were found along a short stretch of the trail near downtown Lansing between October 2025 and August 2026, and investigators believe some of the men may have been attacked overnight while they were sleeping.

“If this does turn out to be a series of connected deaths, then we’re looking at someone preying on incredibly vulnerable people,” Backus said. “These attacks have specifically targeted men who were unhoused and sleeping along the river trail overnight, particularly from midnight to 6 a.m.,” Lansing Mayor Andy Schor said in a statement.

Three of the five deaths have been ruled homicides. Four of the five victims suffered “blunt force trauma to the facial area,” Backus said, and no weapon has been located.

The first victim, Gino Chouinard, 54, was found unconscious along the trail on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, and he died on Monday, October 27, 2025. Denis Dunnebacke, 70, was found unresponsive beneath the Kalamazoo Street bridge on Thursday, July 9, and he died on Thursday, July 16. Both men’s causes of death are undetermined, and police said on Wednesday, October 14, that the medical examiner’s office had formally declared Dunnebacke’s cause of death indeterminate.

Robert William Smith, 57, was found with severe head trauma on Monday, July 13, and he died on Friday, July 17. Louis Woodruff, 57, was found under the East Cesar Chavez Avenue bridge with severe facial trauma on Sunday, August 30, and he died on Tuesday, September 1. The medical examiner ruled both deaths blunt force homicides.

Daniel Lusk, 22, was found fatally stabbed under the East Michigan Avenue bridge on Thursday, August 20. Police arrested Edward Joseph Smith, 23, on Thursday, September 3, and he has been charged with open murder in Lusk’s death.

The 23-year-old hasn’t been named a suspect or charged in the other four cases. Investigators are exploring whether all five deaths are connected to a single killer, possibly the man in custody, but Backus didn’t confirm that he’s responsible for the other killings.

A lack of eyewitnesses and limited surveillance footage have made the investigation difficult. Police have since set up camera trailers and a public tip line, and night shift officers have been assigned to patrol the area. Backus said police have also worked with advocacy groups to keep homeless people away from the trail in the early morning hours, and the number of people in those areas has dropped by 50 percent.

The Lansing River Trail runs through Michigan’s capital city and connects to Michigan State University’s campus in East Lansing. Dozens of residents, including Woodruff’s daughter, Sariah Woodruff, gathered at City Hall on Monday, October 12, to call for an emergency overnight shelter.