Authorities found the body of missing two-year-old Wynter Cole Smith in Detroit, Michigan, on Wednesday after she was taken from her Lansing home on Sunday.
Her body was found on the city’s east side near Knodell and Erwin streets in an alleyway near a home, according to Fox 2.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children said Thursday that the outcome of the case was “devastating” and voiced appreciation for the law enforcement agencies involved:
We are heartbroken to learn the very sad news about 2-year-old Wynter Cole-Smith. Late yesterday, investigators announced that her body was found in Detroit, nearly 100 miles away from her home in Lansing, Michigan.
— National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (@MissingKids) July 6, 2023
For the last few days, we all held out hope that Wynter would… pic.twitter.com/NDqy9InMa5
Following the discovery, FBI Acting Special Agent Devin Kowalski told reporters they located the child that evening, adding, “This is not the outcome that we were hoping for.”
“And our hearts go out to Wynter’s family. Based on information developed through this investigation, our teams were searching multiple areas across the state over and over again, and specifically in the area adjacent to where we are standing,” he added.
Watch: @FBIDetroit, DPD, and @LansingPolice give an update on the Wynter Cole-Smith case on the city’s east side. pic.twitter.com/m9uvNUTGZ0
— Detroit Police News (@detroitpolice) July 6, 2023
The little girl had been missing since early Monday when officials issued an Amber Alert.
Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosebee explained the case is now a homicide investigation and promised the family will receive justice.
The suspect in the case is identified as 26-year-old Rashad Trice.
🚨 MISSING CHILD 🚨
— Detroit Police News (@detroitpolice) July 3, 2023
The Detroit Police Department is searching for 2-year-old Wynter Cole Smith, who has braided shoulder-length hair and was wearing a white t-shirt with rainbows. pic.twitter.com/sjBRDbF7sY
Per the Detroit News, the alleged kidnapper was arraigned Wednesday and faces charges of beating and sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend before allegedly kidnapping the toddler, who is the victim’s child.
The outlet continued:
Ingham County authorities charged Trice with first-degree criminal sexual conduct, home invasion, aggravated domestic violence and other crimes. Trice, who is being held without bond, is scheduled for a probable cause conference at 8:30 a.m. July 13 and a preliminary examination at 8:30 a.m. July 20 before 54-A District Court Judge Kristen Simmons.
…
Trice was charged as a violent habitual fourth offender. According to Michigan Department of Corrections records, he is on probation from an August 2021 incident in which he pleaded guilty to five felonies, including assaulting/resisting a police officer and felonious assault. He’s scheduled to remain on probation for those crimes until January, state records show.
Before her body was found, Smith’s father told Click on Detroit he was in disbelief that his child was gone.
The report also noted he traveled from Tennessee, where he plays football at UT Martin, to help search for the little girl:
When speaking of the suspect, he said, “We never really talked. It was just me letting him know: don’t play with my family, don’t play with my daughter.”
Meanwhile, a neighbor said once she heard the news on Sunday, she had been helping look for the child.
“I’m tearful-eyed, and I can’t even stop crying because I feel for the mom and what she have to go through,” she told reporters:
“I don’t know how the baby died. Like, did he stab her? What happened? What does she have to do with anything? I don’t understand. This is heartbreaking,” the woman added.
