LANSING, Mich. – FBI agents and police provided a live update Tuesday afternoon on the Amber Alert involving a 2-year-old Lansing girl who has been missing for nearly 40 hours.
Wynter Cole Smith, 2, of Lansing, has been missing since 11:30 p.m. Sunday, July 2, when her mother’s ex-boyfriend went to her apartment and stabbed her mother, according to authorities.
The ex-boyfriend has since been taken into custody, but Wynter is still missing.
FBI acting special agent in charge Devin Kowalski and Lansing police Chief Ellery Sosebee provided an update on the case at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
You can watch the full replay of the news conference in the video player below.
Lansing assault
Officials said Wynter was at her mother’s apartment with her 1-year-old brother on Sunday night when Rashad Malik Trice, 26, showed up.
Trice and the mother had a previous relationship, but Wynter is not his biological daughter, according to authorities.
Police said Trice stabbed the mother, threatened to hurt Wynter, and stole the mother’s white 2013 Chevrolet Impala. The mother fled her apartment to call authorities, and when she returned, her daughter was not at home.
Wynter was officially reported missing around 11:30 p.m. Sunday. Her brother was unharmed in the apartment when officers arrived.
Trice arrested in St. Clair Shores
After an Amber Alert was issued for Wynter on Monday morning, officials across the state were told to be on the lookout for the Impala.
The Amber Alert suggested Trice had ties to the Detroit area and could be heading in that direction.
St. Clair Shores police said they saw the Impala around 4:45 a.m. Monday in the area of 9 Mile Road and Harper Avenue.
When an officer tried to stop the Impala, Trice sped off, according to authorities. He crashed into another St. Clair Shores patrol car in the area of Little Mack Avenue and 10 Mile Road, police said.
One officer from inside the car was treated for injuries and discharged.
Police said Trice actively resisted arrest while being taken into custody at the crash scene. He was brought to a nearby hospital for treatment of injuries from the crash, according to officials.
Search continues
As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, the search for Wynter continues, and the Amber Alert remains active. She was not with Trice at the time of his arrest.
Police said Trice is not cooperating with the investigation.
Officials said he was seen driving throughout the Detroit area between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. Monday. He was also seen in Hamtramck.
Anyone who saw the Impala at any time is asked to call authorities, especially if it was between the hours of 11:15 p.m. Sunday and 1 a.m. Monday.
Wynter was last seen wearing a white T-shirt with rainbows on it. She is about 2 feet tall, weighs 25-30 pounds, and has brown eyes and shoulder-length braided hair.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or click here to submit an online tip.
