The days-long Amber Alert for Wynter Cole Smith came to an end Wednesday night when Detroit police found her body in an overgrown alley.
The 2-year-old girl had been missing for nearly three full days at the time of the discovery. Here’s a timeline of everything that happened.
11:19 p.m. Sunday
Police said it all began when Rashad Maleek Trice, 26, of Detroit, went to Wynter’s home in the 3000 block of BeauJardin Drive in Lansing.
Trice is accused of sexually assaulting and stabbing Wynter’s 22-year-old mother, who is also his ex-girlfriend.
The woman was stabbed multiple times before she was able to escape the house and call for help from a neighbor, authorities said.
11:30 p.m. Sunday
Wynter was officially reported missing at 11:30 p.m. Sunday, when officers showed up to the Lansing home and realized she was gone.
Trice had taken the mother’s white 2013 Chevrolet Impala and disappeared with the 2-year-old girl, according to authorities.
2 a.m. Monday
An Amber Alert was officially issued for Wynter around 2 a.m. Monday.
The alert included information about Trice and the stolen car.
Midnight to 4 a.m. Monday
FBI agents and police spent days trying to piece together where Trice went after leaving Lansing.
They believe he got on the freeway and arrived in Metro Detroit just after midnight.
He was in the city of Detroit around 1:10 a.m., according to authorities.
Officials believe he left Detroit around 2:40 a.m. and traveled around the east side.
4:45 a.m. Monday
St. Clair Shores police said they spotted the stolen Impala 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 patrol car in the area of Little Mack Avenue and 10 Mile Road, police said.
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.
4 p.m. Tuesday
Almost 36 hours after Trice’s arrest, authorities were still trying to determine what had happened to Wynter.
At 4 p.m. Tuesday, FBI agents and Lansing police held a news conference to ask the public for help.
During that briefing, the FBI announced a $25,000 reward for information that led to Wynter’s discovery. Police also unveiled more specific information about the route Trice took between Lansing and St. Clair Shores.
2:15 p.m. Wednesday
Prosecutors announced charges against Trice in connection with the attack on his ex-girlfriend.
He was arraigned Wednesday in the hospital while under the watch of Lansing police officers.
Trice 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’s being charged as a violent habitual fourth offender and in custody without bond.
Officials said additional charges linked to Wynter are possible, pending the rest of the investigation.
6:50 p.m. Wednesday
Detroit police said they were performing a grid search between I-94 and Van Duke Avenue when they discovered Wynter’s body in an alley near Olympia Street and Erwin Avenue on the city’s east side.
She was found nearly 70 hours after the abduction.
Police told Local 4 that Trice was not at all helpful throughout the search. But his cellphone revealed where he had gone between the attack in Lansing and his eventual arrest in St. Clair Shores. Officials went through the data on his phone and identified various areas around Metro Detroit where he drove and spent time.
One of those areas was I-94 and Van Dyke Avenue.
FBI agents and Detroit police officers spent 4-5 hours on the grid search before finding Wynter’s body in the alley.
