LANSING, Mich. — The Lansing Police Department is investigating possible connections between the deaths of five homeless men along the Lansing River Trail over the past year, as one man faces a murder charge in one of the cases.
Edward Joseph Smith, 23, faces an open murder charge in the death of Daniel Lusk, 22, who was found with multiple stab wounds under the bridge at East Michigan Avenue and South Grand Avenue on Aug. 20. The Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office announced Smith was arraigned on Sept. 3 as a second habitual offender, and he is being held without bond.
In Michigan, an open murder charge allows prosecutors to pursue a murder conviction without specifying the degree of murder at the start.
The five deaths happened over about 10 months, all within a 1.5-mile section of the trail. The first victim, a 54-year-old man, was found with facial injuries in October 2025. Louis Woodruff, 57, was found with facial injuries in the 200 block of East Cesar Chavez Avenue on Aug. 30 and died Sept. 1; police are investigating his death as a homicide.
Mayor Andy Schor said the attacks targeted men who were unhoused and sleeping along the trail overnight, particularly from midnight to 6 a.m.
City officials said they do not believe the general public is at risk and are adding police patrols, camera surveillance and other security measures in the area.
