5 Lansing River Trail Deaths Raise an Unsettling Question: Is This a Serial Killer?

Police are not saying Lansing has a serial killer. What they are saying is unsettling enough: investigators see patterns among five deaths along roughly a mile of the Lansing River Trail, and they are examining whether some may be connected.

Five Lansing River Trail Deaths Under Investigation

a close up of a yellow police line behind bars

My streaming queue has enough true crime in it that Netflix probably worries about me. Watching a documentary about a serial killer three states away is one thing. Hearing Lansing Police Chief Rob Backus publicly address whether one could be operating practically in our backyard hits considerably differently.

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According to WILX, police are reviewing the deaths of five unhoused men: Gino Chouinard, 54; Denis Dunnebacke, 70; Robert Smith, 57; Daniel Lusk, 22; and Louis Woodruff, 57. Four suffered serious head or facial injuries. Lusk was stabbed, and Edward Joseph Smith, 23, has been charged with open murder in that case. Police have not connected him to the other deaths.

Why Lansing Police See a Possible Pattern

yellow and black metal rod

WKAR reports the disturbing similarities go beyond geography. Police say the victims were unhoused white men, with the incidents generally happening overnight or early in the morning, and investigators believe some victims may have been lying down or sleeping when injured. Medical examiner findings are still pending in some cases, so no serial killer has been confirmed.

Backus said police do not currently have broader safety concerns about people using the River Trail outside the overnight and early morning period investigators are examining. Police have increased patrols and deployed portable cameras. Anyone with information should call the dedicated Lansing Police tip line at 517-483-6023.

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This is one true-crime story I'd much rather keep on the television screen than watch unfold ten minutes from downtown Lansing.