LANSING, Mich. – It’s been two and a half days since an Amber Alert was issued for a 2-year-old girl who police believe was kidnapped by her mother’s ex-boyfriend after a stabbing in Lansing.
UPDATE: Body of 2-year-old girl found in Detroit alley
Wynter Cole Smith was reported missing around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, July 2. Her suspected kidnapper was arrested soon after, but as we pass the 60-hour mark since her initial disappearance, Wynter still has not been found.
Here’s everything we know about the case.
Wynter Cole Smith
Wynter is about 2 feet tall and weighs 25-30 pounds. She has brown eyes and shoulder-length hair worn in a braid.
She was last seen wearing a white T-shirt with rainbows on it.
Here are four photos of Wynter:
Rashad Trice
The person suspected of kidnapping Wynter is Rashad Maleek Trice, 26. He is her mother’s ex-boyfriend, but not Wynter’s biological father, according to authorities.
Lansing stabbing
Lansing police were called at 11:19 p.m. Sunday to Wynter’s home in the 3000 block of BeauJardin Drive.
Officials said Trice showed up at the home and stabbed Wynter’s 22-year-old mother multiple times. The woman was able to escape from the house and call for help from a neighbor.
Lansing police Chief Ellery Sosebee said when officers arrived at the home, Trice, Wynter, and the mother’s white 2013 Chevrolet Impala were gone.
Wynter’s 1-year-old brother was still at the home, unharmed, police said.
Wynter was officially reported missing around 11:30 p.m. Sunday.
Amber Alert leads to arrest
An Amber Alert was issued for Wynter, and it included information about Trice and the stolen Impala.
St. Clair Shores police said they spotted the car around 4:45 a.m. Monday in the area of 9 Mile Road and Harper Avenue.
When an officer tried to pull him over, 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 to be treated for injuries from the crash, according to officials.
Wynter was not with Trice when police took him into custody.
Sosebee said Trice is awake and conscious. He is currently at a Detroit hospital under the supervision of Lansing police officers. Once he’s medically cleared, he’ll be brought back to Ingham County.
Trice charged
Trice was arraigned Wednesday in the hospital as he recovers from injuries suffered when he crashed, according to authorities.
He is charged with assault with intent to murder, first-degree home invasion, unlawful imprisonment, aggravated domestic violence (second offense), unlawful driving away of an automobile, felonious assault, and two counts of first-degree criminal sexual assault.
He is charged as a violent habitual fourth offender. Additional charges linked to Wynter’s disappearance are possible, pending the rest of the investigation.
A probable cause conference is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. July 13, and a preliminary examination is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. July 20.
Trice is being held without bond.
Police detail route information
Since Trice’s arrest, the search for Wynter has centered around one major question: Where did he go in between Lansing and St. Clair Shores?
On Tuesday, the FBI and Lansing police revealed maps that show a rough estimate of the route they believe Trice took in the early morning hours Monday.
Watch below, or click this link to see the full Tuesday afternoon news briefing.
Trice is believed to have gotten on the freeway from Lansing around 11:20 p.m. Sunday. He reached Metro Detroit after midnight, and then went into the city of Detroit around 1:10 a.m., according to the maps.
Police believe Trice left Detroit around 2:40 a.m. and moved around the east side until his arrest in St. Clair Shores.
Previously, police confirmed he had driven in Detroit, Hamtramck, and St. Clair Shores. These maps provide much more context:
Investigators said Trice has family and associates around Metro Detroit, and they are looking into all those connections before eliminating them from their list of possible locations for Wynter.
Trice was not cooperating with the investigation, as of the last update from authorities.
$25,000 reward and how to submit tips
Acting special agent in charge Devin Kowalski said the FBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads authorities to Wynter.
Anyone who saw the Impala at any time is asked to call authorities, particularly if it was between the hours of 11:15 p.m. Sunday and 1 a.m. Monday.
If you’re able to go out and look for Wynter, especially along Trice’s route, police ask that you do so. Sosebee said anyone joining the search should be safe, specifically around highways, since they will be more crowded around the holiday.
Officials want to know anything that seems out of the ordinary, even if that piece of information might seem small or insignificant.
Residents and business owners along Trice’s route are also asked to review doorbell and security camera footage from overnight Sunday into Monday, in case the Impala passed by. It will help authorities create a more concrete timeline of his movements.
Police would especially like to know anywhere Trice stopped or parked within those hours. Again, the timeframe between 11:15 p.m. Sunday and 1 a.m. Monday is of particular interest to authorities.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or click here to submit an online tip.
Previous on-air coverage
Here is some of Local 4′s previous on-air coverage of this story.
