Wynter Cole-Smith’s body was located by a federal search team on Wednesday.
The body of a missing 2-year-old Michigan child was found on Wednesday after she was reported missing.
According to Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosebee, a federal search team located Wynter Cole-Smith in Detroit at about 6:50 p.m., close to the Coleman A. Young International Airport. Cole-Smith had been missing from the Lansing area since July 2.
Sosebee asserted that “this investigation has changed from a missing child case to a homicide investigation.” Everyone had not expected this outcome, so it was unexpected. I swear the police will see to it that the family gets the justice they deserve.
John J. Dewane, the prosecutor for Ingham County, said, “Our hearts are with Wynter’s family as they start to process and grieve the needless loss of a beautiful 2-year-old child.” As this case transitions from a missing person investigation to a homicide investigation, our office supports the efforts of our law enforcement colleagues at the state and federal levels to hold people accountable for their deeds.
ClickOnDetroit, the Lansing State Journal, and the Detroit Free Press all reported that on July 2, Wynter was allegedly abducted from her home by 26-year-old Rashad Trice, who is also suspected of stabbing Wynter’s 22-year-old mother. A white t-shirt with rainbows was what Wynter was last spotted wearing.
When the mother fled to a neighbor’s home to call the police, Wynter, Trice, and the mother’s 2013 white Chevrolet Impala were all gone. According to the media, the mother’s 1-year-old son was still in the flat when the cops arrived and was unharmed.
Trice was allegedly caught after running away on July 3 at five in the morning in the Detroit area, according to St. Clair Shores police. When officers arrived on the scene, Trice was reported to have driven off, hit another patrol car, and then resisted arrest. But Wynter was not with him. The following day, July 3, after Trice had allegedly departed the Lansing home, police released a map of his alleged travels.
According to a statement from the Ingham County prosecutor’s office, Trice has been charged with assault with the intent to murder, first-degree criminal sexual conduct, first-degree home invasion, unlawful imprisonment, aggravated domestic violence, and felonious assault in connection with the attack on Wynter’s mother.
Trice was listed in a news release as a violent habitual fourth offender.
Trice, being held without bond, must appear in court on July 13 to defend himself. It is unclear if he has entered a plea or if a lawyer is speaking on his behalf.
