The breakdown:

Lansing police are investigating whether five deaths along the River Trail from October 2025 to August 2026 may be connected.

The victims were men aged 22 to 70; most suffered facial injuries or blunt-force trauma, and several died days after being found.

Police said the men were unhoused and may have been attacked while lying down in the early morning; Daniel Lusk's death is the only case with an identified suspect, Edward Smith.

Investigators cited few overnight witnesses and a lack of surveillance cameras as challenges; some deaths' official causes remain undetermined.

LANSING, Mich. - Five people were assaulted and died from their injuries along the Lansing River Trail, and police said their deaths  may be related. 

Police said four men were found with significant injuries and one man was found dead along the Lansing River Trail between October 2025 and August 2026.

Here's what we know about the River Trail deaths:

Is there a serial killer in Lansing?

Lansing police confirmed that they are investigating possible connections in the murders, but did not officially confirm there is a serial killer in the area.

 One question we are being asked is,  Do we have a serial killer in Lansing?' What we need the public to know is that we are investigating all of these cases,  Lansing Police Chief Robert Backus said in a press conference Friday, Oct. 2.  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. 

What happened to the victims on the Lansing River Trail?

Gino Chouinard, 54, was found beaten with injuries to his face on Oct. 14, 2025, on the River Trail near Center and Monroe streets at around 7:35 a.m. He died from his injuries on Oct. 27. No suspect information was released, and his cause of death is not yet determined.

Denis Dunnebacke, 70, was found with facial injuries on July 9, 2026, under the Kalamazoo Street bridge on the River Trail at around 1:30 p.m. He died from his injuries on July 16. Poli

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