Body of missing Lansing girl Wynter Cole Smith found in Detroit; investigation ongoing
LANSING — Lansing police confirmed Wednesday night they have found Wynter Cole Smith's body on Detroit's east side.
"This is not the outcome anyone hoped for," LPD Chief Ellery Sosebee said, speaking at Lansing City Hall.
He said the search for Wynter ended around 6:50 p.m. in Detroit near the Coleman A. Young International Airport, and the investigation has become a homicide case as a result of the discovery. He said Lansing police will be working with law enforcement in Detroit and various prosecutors on what the new charges will be.
Sosebee declined to take questions at the conclusion of the two-minute press conference.
"When we have an update we can share with you, we'll provide it as soon as possible once we know it won't interfere with the investigation moving forward," he told media.
He extended condolences to Wynter's family and thanked the public for support in helping find her. He said a federal search team located her.
"I promise law enforcement will see that the family gets the justice that they so deserve," he said.
While the search for Wynter is over, Sosebee pleaded for people to come forward with any information regarding the case.
"Please continue to forward any new information, any digital evidence, any witnesses, witness statements or any other pertinent information to the Lansing Police Department or the FBI," he said.
Update: 10 p.m.
Lansing police have confirmed the body of Wynter Cole Smith has been found in Detroit, on the city's east side.
Update: 9:15 p.m.
LANSING — Lansing police are hosting a 10 p.m. press conference at City Hall Wednesday night regarding 2-year-old Wynter Cole Smith, who went missing Sunday from her home in the 3000 block of BeauJardin Drive.
Police have not released any additional information.
Public, police search Wednesday afternoon for Wynter
LANSING — Police searched roadway shoulders and wooded areas below the Interstate 496 overpass near the Red Cedar River and U.S. 127 on Wednesday looking for 2-year-old Wynter Cole Smith, who's been missing since July 2.
Police believe she was kidnapped after a man stabbed her mother late Sunday night. Suspect Rashad Trice is in police custody after being arrested in St. Clair Shores early Monday. Wynter's mother had non-life-threatening injuries and has been released from the hospital.
Search parties also unfolded from the capital area to Detroit as people are eager to help police and family locate the child.
Over 50 people have signed up with a nonprofit organization, and other private searches have started, as Michiganders comb through wooded areas, shoulders, medians and all possible other locations for Wynter.
The Dock Ellis Foundation has coordinated searches with the family, Lansing Police and the FBI to narrow where to start, CEO and Founder Jasmine Ellis said.
"It just takes being able to partner with people and speaking to law enforcement so we're doing a process of elimination since the case is so fresh," she said.
The Dock Ellis Foundation focuses on assisting minority missing persons cases across the country.
Derrica Wilson, co-founder of Black and Missing Foundation, said it's important for people to look everywhere and think outside of the box for Wynter's whereabouts. She said the need is greater for minority children because people outside of the state likely don't know about Wynter's disappearance.
"What we're seeing is that Wynter could be anywhere and we haven't seen it elevated to the mainstream where everyone is aware of her disappearance," Wilson said. "Just because she's missing from Michigan doesn't means she's still in Michigan."
Ellis said this search is unique given Wynter's age.
"People need to understand that it's really important to listen to law enforcement or organizations like ours to wait until we are able to gather with them to show them the correct way of doing the search because of her age," she said. "So we need to just make sure that we are communicating and working together to be able to get answers and bring her home."
Lansing resident Synquiss Antes has coordinated searches with a team of people. She told the State Journal over Facebook Messenger her team started at the Greater Lansing Veterinary Clinic in Williamston on Tuesday, then searched the shoulders and medians of Interstate 96 near the Williamston exit. Police believe Trice traveled that route after fleeing Lansing.
"We searched both exits to Williamston as well as nearby gas stations and the rest stops in the area. We will reconvene (Wednesday) to widen the search," she wrote. "We also searched in the median, in the tunnels/creeks in between the two Williamston exits."
Reward Offered: Update: FBI offers up to $25K for information that could locate Wynter Cole Smith, 2
How to help search teams
Anyone who wants to help search for Wynter is encouraged to wear bright, reflective clothing if they're looking along the roads.
Antes encouraged her team to search with fully-charged phones, bottles of water, protective gear from the sun and to wear proper foot attire to walk in tall grass and in watery areas.
"Everything is a potential crime scene so keep that in mind & if you see anything call the police immediately," she wrote on her Facebook page.
Ellis added for teams to stay in contact with one another to stay safe and to keep their eyes peeled for the slightest thing out of the ordinary. She suggested people carry notebooks to document what they see, along with photographs.
"When professional search teams go out, there's a particular way that they're doing things," she said. "I understand the community wants to help but again, we just need to be very careful when we're out there and make sure that we're not impeding on an investigation."
What routes did Trice take?
Lansing Police and the FBI have shared approximate times for Trice's travel to St. Clair Shores:
From 11:20 p.m. on Sunday to 12:20 a.m. on Monday, Trice is believed to have been between Lansing and Genoa Township;
Around 12:50 a.m. he was near Lathrup Village via I-96;
Between 1:10 a.m. and 2:40 am., Trice traveled on M-39 from Southfield to Detroit, where he has ties, and then back onto I-96
He took various local roads and ended in St. Clair Shores, where police arrested him.
What led to Wynter's disappearance?
According to Lansing Police, they were dispatched Sunday after 11 p.m. to a home in the 3000 block of Beau Jardin Drive, where they found a 22-year-old woman with stab wounds and other signs of assault. The woman identified Trice to police. She was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and has since been discharged.
The woman and Trice had been in a previous relationship. Police said the child is not Trice's biological daughter.
An Amber Alert was sent out at about 2 a.m. Monday, reporting the child as missing and endangered, after Trice allegedly stole the victim’s white 2013 Chevrolet Impala and kidnapped Wynter, who was missing from the home.
Alert Issued: Update: Lansing police urge community to help find missing Lansing girl
St. Clair Shores Police arrested Trice after a brief chase that resulted in a car crash near Little Mack Avenue and 10 Mile Road shortly after 6 a.m. Sosebee told the State Journal that charges have not been finalized as the incident crossed several jurisdictions.
Lansing Police and the FBI asked the public not to spread rumors on social media about the search.
Anyone with information on Wynter’s whereabouts is asked to submit tips to http://tips.fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI. They also can call Lansing police at 517-483-4600 or CrimeStoppers at 517-483-7867.
Photographer Matthew Dae Smith contributed.
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Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at 517-267-1344 or knurse@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @KrystalRNurse.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Body of Wynter Cole Smith found in Detroit, police confirm
