Co-workers got ‘odd’ texts from woman’s phone before ex-boyfriend killed her, cops say
When a 25-year-old woman didn’t return to work after her lunch break, her co-workers grew concerned, according to a Michigan sheriff’s office. Then authorities said her colleagues began getting “odd text messages from her phone.”
Gina Bryant’s boss reported her missing Thursday, Oct. 12, according to The Detroit News.
“It was suspected that Ms. Bryant was with ex-boyfriend, Justin Wendling,” the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office said Oct. 18 on Facebook.
The suspicions were correct, authorities said, and the 26-year-old man from Holly would later be accused of killing the Macomb Township woman.
Then he killed himself, according to the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office.
Bryant was studying at the University of Michigan-Flint to be a nurse, The Detroit News reported, and her ex was a medical resident.
Their relationship began nearly one year ago, but Bryant moved out of their shared apartment after months of abuse, her sister, Angelica Gintner, told the newspaper. Two weeks later, Wendling fatally shot Bryant, authorities said.
An investigation by the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office found that Wendling was waiting at Bryant’s home when she returned from work, according to the Facebook post. A neighbor’s security camera captured the man as he led Bryant to his vehicle at 1:42 p.m. on Oct. 12.
The next day, Wendling called his parents and said he had killed his ex, according to the sheriff’s office. He also said he “was going to kill himself.”
His parents called law enforcement and provided his location — LaSalle, Illinois, about 375 miles away, according to the Facebook post.
Authorities said surveillance video and witnesses at a LaSalle truck stop confirmed Wendling shot and killed Bryant at about midnight on Oct. 13.
LaSalle police said neither Bryant nor Wendling had a connection to the community, according to The Macomb Daily.
Wendling then drove about 90 miles to Bettendorf, Iowa, the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office said. When officers approached his vehicle, he killed himself, authorities said.
“(Bryant’s) family has suffered an unspeakable and tragic loss due to domestic violence,” Charlotte Jolly said on Facebook. “Gina is, was, and always will be my very best friend.”
Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said his office has seen “an uptick” in domestic violence cases.
“These incidents are tragic not only to the victims & survivors, but to family members as well,” he said on Facebook. “Please, if you or someone you know is in an unsafe situation, do not hesitate to reach out.”
Gintner described her sister as a “very beautiful, down-to-earth, giving woman,” according to The Detroit News.
“She could brighten up a day with just her smile,” Gintner continued. “She’d give you the shirt off (her) back. She was caring and compassionate.”
On Facebook, Hannah Pefley said Bryant “felt like family.”
“We’ve all agreed that you were such a light and impacted so many people in your lifetime,” Pefley wrote. “I still don’t think these words emulate just how much you mean to me. You are and forever will be, one of my sissy’s.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence and need someone to talk to, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for support at 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788.
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