Five homeless men died along the same Michigan trail in less than a year, and police say four were found with the same disturbing pattern of injuries

Fears of a serial killer are growing in Michigan after five homeless men died along the Lansing River Trail in less than a year. A 23-year-old man has been charged in connection with one of the deaths, while four of the men were reportedly found with similar injuries.

The first case involved Gino Chouinard, 54, who was found injured on October 14, 2025, as reported by UNILAD. He had facial injuries and later died in the hospital on October 27. The medical examiner was unable to determine his cause of death.

Almost nine months later, in July 2026, two more men died. Robert Smith, 57, was discovered with severe head trauma on July 13 and died four days later, with his death since ruled a homicide. Denis Dunnebacke, 70, was found unresponsive on July 9 and died in the hospital on July 16, with his death later classified as indeterminate.

Police are not treating the cases as one just yet

Weeks later, two more men died. Daniel Lusk, 22, was found fatally stabbed on the trail on August 20, while Louis Woodruff, 57, was found with injuries on August 30 and died two days later on September 1.

Police Chief Robert Backus said authorities are “looking at the idea” that the deaths may be related, adding 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?” he said at a press conference.

The chief also cautioned against assuming a single suspect. “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. Earlier this year, fears of a serial killer targeting homeless people surfaced in Los Angeles after a former NFL player was killed in an encampment.

In September 2026, a 23-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with Lusk’s death. However, he has not been charged in connection with the other four deaths. Authorities have not established a link between him and the other cases, nor have they confirmed that all five deaths are related.

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor has also 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. Schor also raised concerns about the national spotlight on the investigation, saying some of the coverage was “not accurate” to Lansing’s day-to-day reality.

Speaking to Fox 5 Las Vegas, Schor said some reports leave out important information. “This is a really detailed situation,” he explained. “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.”

“Without giving details or background, they’re putting out there that Lansing is dangerous, but it’s not,” he added. Schor confirmed that officers are being deployed on the trail and that the city is working to place people in shelters wherever possible. The deaths remain under investigation.