Police in Lansing, Michigan, are investigating whether five deaths involving homeless men found along a roughly one-mile stretch of the city’s River Trail could be connected, including the possibility of a serial killer. Lansing Police Chief Rob Backus said all five investigations remain active, and authorities are working to determine whether the cases share a common link.

At a briefing last week, Backus acknowledged the growing concern surrounding the deaths but emphasized that investigators have not established that a single person is responsible for the cases.

“One question that we are being asked is, ‘Do we have a serial killer in Lansing?’” Backus said. “We are investigating all of these cases, and we are looking at the possibility that these may be related cases.”

The five victims were white men ranging in age from 22 to 70. Investigators believe the injuries may have occurred overnight, particularly during the early morning hours, when the men may have been lying down or sleeping.

Four of the cases involved apparent blunt-force injuries to the face, and police have not identified a weapon in those incidents. The fifth victim died from stab wounds, and a suspect has been charged in that case. Authorities have not established that the stabbing is connected to the other deaths.

The first victim, 54-year-old Gino Chouinard, was found with facial injuries in the 300 block of East Oakland Avenue on October 14, 2025. He was taken to a hospital but died on October 27. The medical examiner listed his cause of death as undetermined.

On July 9, police found 70-year-old Denis Dunnebacke unresponsive beneath the Kalamazoo Street Bridge. He was still breathing but had apparent facial injuries and was covered in vomit. Dunnebacke died at a hospital on July 16.

Backus said hospital personnel initially suggested that Dunnebacke’s condition could have resulted from a medical issue rather than a criminal assault. Police investigated the incident as a suspected serious assault, but the circumstances surrounding his death remained unresolved at the time of the briefing.

Four days after Dunnebacke was found, officers discovered 57-year-old Robert Smith unresponsive and bleeding from the head in the 300 block of East Oakland Avenue. Smith died on July 17, and the medical examiner classified his death as a homicide on September 17.

Police recognized similarities between Smith’s case and Chouinard’s death, including the location and circumstances in which the men were found. Those similarities became part of the department’s broader investigation into whether multiple incidents along the trail might be related.

Another victim, 22-year-old Daniel Lusk, was found stabbed to death beneath the Michigan Avenue Bridge on August 20. Authorities subsequently charged 23-year-old Edward Smith with open murder in connection with Lusk’s death.

Backus cautioned against assuming that the suspect in the stabbing was responsible for the other deaths, emphasizing that investigators must follow the available evidence rather than focus prematurely on one theory.

A fifth victim, 57-year-old Louis Woodruff, was found with apparent facial injuries beneath a bridge in the 200 block of East Cesar Chavez Avenue on August 30. He died at a hospital on September 1, and the medical examiner classified his death as a homicide.

Investigators face several obstacles, including limited surveillance footage and a lack of witnesses during the overnight hours when the injuries are believed to have occurred. Those gaps have made it more difficult to reconstruct the events surrounding the deaths and determine whether the cases are connected.

Police have deployed camera trailers along the River Trail and increased patrols by bicycle, golf cart and on foot. The department has also assigned social workers to contact homeless people in the area and help them access housing resources.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about the deaths to contact the dedicated Lansing Police tip line at 517-483-6023.

Although investigators are examining the possibility of a connection between the cases, police have not confirmed the existence of a serial killer. Officials say the investigations remain ongoing as they work to establish how the men died and whether the evidence points to a common perpetrator.