In the summer of 2023, a heart-wrenching series of events unfolded, beginning in Lansing, Michigan, and concluding with a tragic discovery in Detroit. The incident involved a 27-year-old male named Rashad Maleek Trice and the devastating death of 2-year-old Wynter Cole-Smith. The situation began on July 2, 2023, when Trice, who had been in a previous relationship with the toddler's mother, assaulted her in her Lansing apartment. Following the assault, he kidnapped young Wynter and fled the scene in a stolen white Chevrolet Impala.
An extensive search was immediately launched, involving multiple law enforcement agencies, including local police from Lansing to Detroit, the Michigan State Police, and the FBI. The search for the missing toddler lasted for three agonizing days. Law enforcement officials attempted to stop the stolen vehicle in St. Clair Shores on July 3, apprehending Trice after he tried to flee. However, Wynter was not in the car with him. Investigators used cell phone data to trace the approximate path Trice had taken, which narrowed down the search areas. The search came to a grim end on July 5, 2023, when Wynter's body was discovered in an alley near the Coleman A. Young International Airport in Detroit.
Following his arrest, Rashad Trice faced a multitude of charges in both state and federal court. The charges were consolidated into a single prosecution to streamline the legal process. In the federal case, Trice pleaded guilty to kidnapping resulting in death. He also pleaded guilty in the state's case to first-degree murder and first-degree criminal sexual conduct. As a result of his guilty pleas, Rashad Trice received a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was sentenced in both federal and state courts, ensuring he would spend the remainder of his life incarcerated for his crimes.
