Is There A Serial Killer Loose In This MI City? Chief Addresses Community Concerns

LANSING, MI — Lansing’s police chief on Friday addressed questions about whether there could be a serial killer in the city following the deaths of five men in the River Trail area.

While the victims share many similarities, a key difference separating one case from the others is that in the death of 22-year-old Daniel Lusk, charges have been brought, according to Chief Robert Backus, who noted that Lusk is also the only victim who was fatally stabbed.

“One question that we are being asked is, ‘Do we have a serial killer in Lansing?’” Backus said in a news conference published in full by News 10.

“What we need the public to know is that we are investigating all of these cases. They are all active investigations, and we are looking at the idea or the possibility that these may be related cases. We look for information, we look for trends, we look for patterns, and we have developed some.”

The victims are all unhoused men who are believed to have been attacked while lying down or sleeping in the early morning hours, according to Backus.

“I want everyone to know up front that these are all active investigations; they're fluid investigations,” he said.

The Victims

Identified by Backus and News 10, the victims and their case details, as explained by Backus, are as follows:

• Gino Chouinard, 54: Discovered with injuries to the face around 7:30 a.m. Oct. 14 in the 300 block of East Oakland Avenue, died Oct. 27, cause of death undetermined.

• Dennis Dunnebacke, 70: Found breathing but unresponsive and covered in vomit with facial injuries around 1:30 p.m. July 9 under the Kalamazoo Street bridge, died July 16.

• Robert Smith, 57: Found unresponsive and bleeding from the head around 7:50 a.m. July 13 in the 300 block of East Oakland Avenue, died July 17, cause of death found to be homicide.

• Daniel Lusk, 22: Discovered stabbed to death about 4 a.m. Aug. 20 under the Michigan Avenue bridge. Edward Smith, 23, was charged with open murder in his death.

• Louis Woodruff, 57: Found with facial injuries around 3:30 a.m. Aug. 30 in the 200 block of East Cesar Chavez Avenue under the bridge, died Sept. 1.

Safety Steps

In response to the deaths, police have increased their presence around the trail in the afternoon, evening and early morning hours, and placed camera trailers in the area, according to Backus.

They’ve also asked social workers to focus their efforts on homing those along the trail, he said, adding one advocacy group reported an estimated 50 percent reduction in unhoused people on the trail following the recent safety efforts.

Police established a tip line for the cases at 517-483-6023, Backus said, adding anonymous tipsters can call Crime Stoppers at 517-483-7867.