The Lansing River Trail, a greenway that winds through Michigan’s capital, has long drawn walkers and cyclists to the Grand River.
asserted
that → wind → River
But lately, the trail has become known for something else: suspicious deaths.
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trail → become → something
In less than a year, five homeless men died from injuries suffered in the middle of the night on a 1.6-kilometre stretch near downtown Lansing, Michigan.
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men → die → Lansing
Each was lying down, possibly sleeping, police said.
uncertain
police → lie → ?
Four suffered head injuries.
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Four → suffer → injuries
A fifth was stabbed.
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fifth → stab → ?
A suspect has been charged with murder in that attack, but the others remain under investigation.
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others → charge → investigation
Public awareness of the deaths among the homeless spread only recently.
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awareness → spread → homeless
In September, The Lansing State Journal noted similarities among four of the killings.
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Journal → note → killings
Soon after, investigators confirmed the details of a fifth.
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investigators → confirm → fifth
Then Police Chief Robert Backus raised the question that has the city on edge.
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that → raise → edge
“Do we have a serial killer in Lansing?” Backus said during a news conference, adding: “We are looking at the idea – or the possibility – that these may be related cases.”
The prospect of a killing spree in a public park has frightened residents and prompted nighttime patrols by community groups and police.
uncertain
prospect → have → groups
The deaths have also renewed questions about how Lansing handles homeless encampments, park safety and public communication about crimes.
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Lansing → renew → crimes
The police department has faced sharp criticism from local leaders, homeless residents and a victim’s father for failing to warn the community.
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department → face → community
“It’s scary knowing that even if you’re homeless, you can’t even lay out here and go to sleep without somebody beating you,” said Derick Byrd, 56, who has stayed along the river and knew three of the men who were killed.
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who → ’ → men
Backus said that temporary cameras were now along the trail, and that the city was considering better lighting and permanent surveillance.
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city → say → lighting
The chief said he considered the trail safe – except overnight.
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trail → say → overnight
Along the trail downtown, public squares, playgrounds, art installations and apartment buildings sit near woods with homeless encampments.
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squares → sit → encampments
The path winds under bridges that are dark and isolated at night, serving as popular sleeping spots.
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that → wind → spots
Last Friday (US time), homeless people on the trail far outnumbered others.
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people → outnumber → others
At Lansing Shuffle, a bar just steps from the greenway, bartenders discussed the deaths, and Austin Smith, 28, a patron, said talk of a serial killer had kept friends off the trail.
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talk → discuss → trail
They “just pass it by, find a different route,” he said, “because why even take the chance?
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he → pass → chance
”
Lansing’s homeless population has grown in recent years, officials said, with clusters of tents scattered in the same downtown where Michigan lawmakers and lobbyists gather in marbled hallways and high-dollar restaurants.
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lawmakers → grow → hallways
A 2023 study estimated the city of more than 113,000 had a homeless population of 2371.
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city → estimate → 2371
Along the river, the string of deaths among the homeless began October 14, 2025, when Gino Chouinard, 54, was found unconscious with injuries to his face.
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Chouinard → begin → face
He died 13 days later.
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He → die → ?
The medical examiner listed his cause of death as undetermined, but Backus said it was now under review.
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it → list → review
Then, over the summer, four more men died within two months of one another.
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men → die → one
Denis Dunnebacke, 70, was found under a bridge, unconscious and with facial injuries, on July 9.
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Dunnebacke → find → July
Four days later, Robert Smith, 57, was found unresponsive and bleeding from his head.
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Smith → find → head
Both men died within days.
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men → die → days
Dunnebacke’s cause of death remains under investigation while Smith’s has been ruled a homicide, police said.
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police → remain → investigation
A little more than a month later, on August 20, Daniel Lusk, 22, was found stabbed to death under a bridge.
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Lusk → find → bridge
Ten days later, Louis Woodruff, 57, was found with facial injuries under another bridge.
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Woodruff → find → bridge
Woodruff’s death, on September 1, is being investigated as a homicide, police said.
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police → investigate → homicide
The next day, police arrested Edward Joseph Smith, 23, and charged him with murder in Lusk’s death.
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police → arrest → death
Surveillance footage from nearby buildings captured a man leaving the scene and walking across downtown, including a stop at a drinking fountain to wash his arm, court records show.
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records → capture → arm
Police found blood on the fountain, recognised Smith from the video and found a sweatshirt in his tent that matched the one worn by the suspect on the surveillance footage, the records show.
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records → find → footage
At his news conference, Backus noted that while all five deaths had similar circumstances, Lusk’s was the only one that involved a known weapon – a knife.
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that → note → weapon
The stabbing involved a victim and a suspect in their 20s, police said, while the other victims were older than 50.
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victims → involve → 50
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
