A roughly one-mile section of Lansing, Michigan’s River Trail, located between Old Town and Kalamazoo Street, is at the center of a disturbing investigation. The trail stretches about 20 miles through the city, but five unhoused men have died violently along that particular downtown corridor. Lansing police are now examining whether the cases could be connected to a possible serial killer.
Lansing Police Chief Robert Backus emphasized that each death remains an active case, while acknowledging that detectives are exploring a possible link. “We want the public to understand that every one of these cases is being investigated,” Backus said. “We are looking closely at whether they may be related.”
The victims were between 22 and 70 years old, and police said all five were unhoused. Authorities identified them as Gino Chouinard, Dennis Dunnebacke, Robert Smith, Daniel Lusk and Louis Woodruff.
Criminologist David Hayes said the victims share characteristics that could point to a pattern, if investigators ultimately determine the deaths are connected. “There is a clear victim profile,” Hayes said. “They were found near the bridge and appear to have been sleeping outdoors.”
That living situation, Hayes explained, can place unhoused men at heightened risk of becoming victims of violence, particularly when they are sleeping in isolated or exposed locations.
“If the cases are connected, it is possible that one person is responsible,” Hayes said, cautioning that investigators will need additional evidence before reaching that conclusion.
Police said four of the men suffered fatal injuries to or near the head. The fifth victim, 22-year-old Daniel Lusk, died after being stabbed. Michigan State University professor Karen Holt said differing methods of killing can make it more difficult to recognize a potential series.
Popular portrayals often suggest that serial killers repeat the same method and leave an identical signature at every crime scene, Holt said. In reality, she added, “that is not necessarily how these cases unfold.”
Holt noted that variations in the circumstances surrounding each attack can influence how a crime is carried out. She also said advances in police investigations, technology and surveillance over the past two decades could give authorities more tools to identify a suspect.
Because the deaths occurred within a small area of Ingham County, investigators may have a better chance of identifying a meaningful pattern, Holt said. “When incidents happen so close together, it becomes easier to see possible connections and, hopefully, locate the person responsible quickly.”
