Serial killer fears grow in Michigan as five deaths on hiking trail in 10 months
Serial killer concerns are growing in Michigan after five men have died along the Lansing River Trail over the last year.
Four of these deaths happened within the space of weeks, with some believing a serial killer could be targeting homeless men in the city.
Gino Chouinard, 54, was the first to be found injured in the area on October 14, 2025. He was discovered with facial injuries and died in hospital on October 27. The medical examiner was unable to determine his cause of death.
Almost nine months later, 57-year-old Robert Smith was found with severe head trauma. He died four days later, on July 17, 2026. His death has since been ruled as homicide.
Advert
Denis Dunnebacke, 70, was then found unresponsive on July 9 and passed away in hospital on July 16. His death was later classified as indeterminate.
Daniel Lusk, 22, and Louis Woodruff, 57, both died just weeks later.
Lusk was found fatally stabbed on the Lansing River Trail in Michigan on August 20, while Woodruff was found with injuries on August 30. He died two days later on September 1.
Police Chief Robert Backus said they were 'looking at the idea' that these deaths may all be related. Authorities also believe that there could be a 'pattern' of homeless white men being targeted.
“We are looking at every case with the idea of, is this a similar suspect or the same suspect?” the chief said at a press conference.
“But we cannot move forward in an investigation thinking that these are all the same person. We have to look at these on a case-by-case scenario,” he added.
A 23-year-old man was arrested and charged in September 2026 in connection with the murder of Lusk. However, he has not been charged in connection with the other four deaths and authorities have not established a link between him and the other cases. They have also not confirmed that all five deaths are related.
Lansing Mayor Andy Schor has since spoken out on the deaths.
“We don’t want to see anybody preying on the unhoused, which is why we have put law enforcement resources into that area,” he said during a press conference.
Schor also raised his concerns about the national spotlight surrounding the investigation, saying it was 'not accurate' to what was happening in Lansing 'day to day'.
He told Fox 5 Las Vegas that some of the coverage leaves out important information.
“This is a really detailed situation,” he told the outlet.
“We're getting a 90-second-clip where someone just says, 'Is there a serial killer in Lansing?' and it's a lot more complicated than that.”
He later added: “Without giving details or background, they're putting out there that Lansing is dangerous, but it's not.”
The mayor then confirmed that officers were being put on the trail and that the city is also putting people in shelters where it can.
The deaths remain under investigation.
Topics: Michigan, True crime, US News
Kiesha Dosanjh