Gina Nicole Bryant, a 25-year-old nursing student at the University of Michigan-Flint, was fatally shot by her ex-boyfriend, Justin S. Wendling, in a tragic incident that unfolded on October 12, 2023. Bryant, who was from Macomb, Michigan, had recently ended her 11-month abusive relationship with Wendling, a 26-year-old doctor and resident at Ascension Genesys Hospital in Flint, Michigan. Two weeks prior to the incident, Bryant had moved out of the apartment she shared with Wendling in Grand Blanc Township, with the help of her mother and sister, after revealing the months of abuse she had suffered.
On October 12, Bryant returned home for lunch and did not return to work, prompting her coworkers to become concerned. They began receiving odd text messages from her phone, leading to a missing persons report being filed by her employer. An investigation revealed that Wendling had been waiting at Bryant's home when she returned for lunch. Video surveillance showed Wendling leading Bryant to his car.
The next day, October 13, Bryant's body was discovered at the Flying J Travel Stop along Interstate 80 and Civic Road in LaSalle, Illinois, approximately 350 miles southwest of Grand Blanc Township. She had been shot in the head. Wendling had called his parents and informed them that he had taken Bryant to Illinois and killed her, and that he intended to kill himself as well.
Following the discovery of Bryant's body, LaSalle police issued a nationwide alert bulletin for Wendling. He was later found in his vehicle in Bettendorf, Iowa, just before midnight on October 13. As law enforcement approached, Wendling fatally shot himself in the head.
Bryant was remembered by her friends and family for her compassionate and giving nature. Her sister, Angelica Gintner, described her as "very beautiful, down-to-earth, giving woman" who could brighten up a day with just her smile. Bryant was also known for her selflessness and her involvement in volunteering at a nonprofit for families with special needs children.
The incident highlighted the tragic consequences of domestic violence, with Bryant's case serving as a poignant example of the dangers and complexities involved in such situations. The University of Michigan-Flint School of Nursing Dean, Cynthia McCurren, expressed the community's anguish over the loss, describing Bryant as "an extraordinary young woman with much ahead of her".
