Midwest police chief fears serial killer may be to blame after five bodies were found along river

DAILYMAIL.COM • 2h ago

By WILKO MARTÍNEZ-CACHERO, US REPORTER 18:15 09 Oct 2026, updated 18:21 09 Oct 2026

A Midwest police chief has revealed a serial killer may be on the loose in his city after five bodies were all found near a river.

The five deaths along the Lansing River Trail in Michigan’s capital city feature similar characteristics, Police Chief Robert Backus said at a press conference last Friday.

Lansing police believe the victims were homeless and lying down, potentially sleeping, when they were ‘injured’ during early morning hours, according to Backus.

Backus acknowledged that the cases were causing police to receive questions over a ‘serial killer’ in Lansing.

‘They are all active investigations and we are looking at the idea or the possibility that these may be related cases,’ Backus said.

‘We look for information, we look for trends, we look for patterns and we have developed some,’ he continued.

The police chief said all the victims were white men whose ages ranged from 22 to 70.

However, he acknowledged that law enforcement was lacking surveillance footage and that ‘more cameras would help us in this scenario.’

Backus explained that his comments were based on how the victims were found, as well as their surroundings.

Still, he acknowledged that police were still facing ‘challenges’ in determining where and when the ‘crimes’ were happening on the river trail.

The first victim discovered by police on October 14, 2025, was Gino Chouinard, 54.

Lansing police received a call for an injured subject around 7.35am and found Chouinard with injuries to his face in the 300 block of East Oakland Avenue, according to Backus.

Chouinard was taken to a local hospital that same day but pronounced dead on October 27.

The medical examiner’s office found an undetermined cause of death at the time.

However, Backus said new information could lead to ‘appropriate changes if necessary.’

Police said the next case came on July 9 of this year, 268 days after Chouinard was found.

Lansing police officers found Denis Dunnebacke, 70, under the Kalamazoo Street Bridge around 1.30pm.

Dunnebacke was unresponsive but breathing, though he was also covered in vomit and sported ‘apparent facial injuries.’

Backus said conversations with medical staff at a local hospital provided ‘some conflicting information.’

That was because the staff noted that Dunnebacke’s injuries could be of a medical nature, rather than criminal. Police had investigated what happened to him as a serious assault.

Dunnebacke was eventually pronounced dead on July 16. The medical examiner’s office has not issued a finding in his case while they conduct their own investigation, police said.

A family member said that he suffered severe brain injuries and spinal fractures, the Lansing State Journal reported.

Robert Smith, 57, was found unresponsive and bleeding from the head on July 13, again in the 300 block of East Oakland.

‘We recognized immediately from the location and some of the common factors that this was very similar to Mr. Chouinard’s death,’ Backus said.

Smith was declared dead at a local hospital on July 17. The medical examiner’s office determined his death to be a homicide on September 17, Backus said.

On August 20, police found Daniel Lusk, 22, stabbed to death under the Michigan Avenue bridge on the trail around 3.54am.

Edward Smith, 23, has been arrested and charged with open murder in relation to Lusk’s death.

Backus acknowledged the arrest during his press conference saying that police had been asked, ‘Is this a suspect for all the incidents?’

He said that was a ‘very challenging question to answer’ and that he had to be ‘very cautious.’

However, Backus insisted that police could not ‘move forward in an investigation’ thinking that all the suspects were the ‘same.’

The discoveries continued on August 30 when Louis Woodruff, 57, was found with ‘apparent facial injuries’ around 3.24am in the 200 block of East César Chavez Avenue under the bridge.

Woodruff was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and died two days later.

The incident is being investigated as a homicide, as police continue looking into the deaths.

Lansing police have set up a tip line specifically for River Trail assaults and more officers have been placed in the area.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Lansing police for further comment.

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