LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – After days of searching near freeways and wooded areas around Lansing, Michigan, police say they have found the body of 2-year-old Wynter Cole-Smith, who had been missing since Sunday.
Cole-Smith was abducted Sunday night after her mother was stabbed and physically assaulted, police said earlier this week.
A suspect, 26-year-old Rashad Maleek Trice of Detroit, was arraigned Wednesday on multiple charges, including assault with intent to murder and aggravated domestic violence. Trice, the woman’s former boyfriend, has also been accused of kidnapping Cole-Smith.
Authorities say Trice stole the woman’s car, taking Cole-Smith with him, and drove from Lansing to metro Detroit. While Trice is in custody, police say the 2-year-old girl wasn’t in the car when he was arrested.
During a Wednesday night press conference, Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosebee confirmed Cole-Smith’s body was found near Coleman Young Airport in Detroit. Her death is now being considered a homicide.
Cole-Smith’s father, Almount Smith, spoke with Nexstar’s WLNS Wednesday, saying he was trying his best to stay strong day by day.
“She’s so cute, adorable, and she gets along with everybody,” he explained. “So sadly, she trusted him, so she may not have even given it a second thought.”
Smith, a college football player at the University of Tennessee at Martin, said he dropped everything the minute he learned the news.
“Her mom called me like 10 or 20 minutes after it happened. I was at school, and I didn’t know how to react. I was scared,” her father said.
Smith says he doesn’t know much about Trice, who was denied bond during a court hearing in Ingham County.
Authorities and volunteers continued to search for Wynter on Wednesday. State police have urged people with security or Ring cameras to check “for anything that seems out of the ordinary.”
The FBI offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to Wynter. It’s not clear what lead police to Cole-Smith’s body.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
