Police investigate possible serial killer after 5 river trail deaths in Lansing, Michigan
Police are investigating whether five deaths along a river trail in Lansing, Michigan, could be connected, including the possibility of a serial killer. All five victims were men believed to be homeless.
Lansing Police Chief Rob Backus said at a briefing last week that the deaths occurred over an 11-month period along a roughly one-mile stretch of the city’s River Trail. All five investigations remain active.
“One question that we are being asked is, ‘Do we have a serial killer in Lansing?’” Backus said. “We are investigating all of these cases, and we are looking at the possibility that these may be related cases.”
The victims were white men ranging in age from 22 to 70. Investigators suspect their injuries occurred overnight, particularly in the early morning hours, and believe the men may have been lying down or sleeping when they were injured.
Four cases involved apparent blunt-force injuries to the face, with no known weapon identified. The fifth involved a stabbing, and a suspect has been charged in that case.
The first victim, 54-year-old Gino Chouinard, was found with facial injuries in the 300 block of East Oakland on October 14, 2025. He was taken to a hospital and died on October 27. The medical examiner determined that his cause of death was undetermined.
On July 9, officers found 70-year-old Denis Dunnebacke unresponsive beneath the Kalamazoo Street Bridge. He was breathing but had apparent facial injuries and was covered in vomit. He died at a hospital on July 16.
Backus said hospital staff initially indicated that Dunnebacke’s condition could have resulted from a medical problem rather than a crime. Police investigated the incident as a suspected serious assault, but the cause of death remained unresolved at the time of the briefing.
The third victim, 57-year-old Robert Smith, was found unresponsive and bleeding from his head in the 300 block of East Oakland on July 13. He died four days later. The medical examiner classified his death as a homicide on September 17.
Police immediately recognized similarities between Smith’s case and Chouinard’s, including the location and circumstances, Chief Backus said.
On August 20, officers found 22-year-old Daniel Lusk stabbed to death beneath the Michigan Avenue Bridge. Edward Smith, 23, was subsequently charged with open murder in that case.
Backus declined to identify the suspect as responsible for any of the other deaths, saying investigators must follow the evidence rather than build a theory around a particular person.
Following the arrest, a fifth victim, 57-year-old Louis Woodruff, was found with apparent facial injuries beneath a bridge in the 200 block of East Cesar Chavez on August 30. He died at a hospital on September 1, and his death was classified as a homicide.
Backus said the investigations have been complicated by limited surveillance footage and a lack of witnesses during the hours when the injuries are believed to have occurred.
Police have placed camera trailers along the trail and assigned social workers to contact homeless people in the area and help them find housing. Officers have also been patrolling the trail by bicycle, golf cart and on foot.
Anyone with information about the River Trail incidents can call the dedicated police tip line at 517-483-6023.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
