River Deaths Spark Serial Killer Fears

Police tape and lights at crime scene. — Photo: Shutterstock

Five bodies found along one Michigan river trail in under a year have pushed Lansing police to ask a question no city wants to face: Is a killer stalking the same stretch of path again and again?

Quick Take

Lansing police are investigating whether five deaths along the River Trail are connected to one offender.
Three of the five deaths have been ruled homicides; two remain unresolved.
Michigan State University criminology professor Karen Holt publicly advised students to avoid the trail.
Lansing’s mayor says the general public has not been targeted, even as the investigation continues.

Five Deaths, One Trail, Eleven Months

Lansing Police Chief Robert Backus confirmed his department is actively investigating five deaths along the River Trail, a popular path near Michigan State University. All five victims were unhoused White men between the ages of 22 and 70. Backus said investigators are examining whether the cases are linked, stating plainly, “We are looking at the idea or the possibility that these may be related cases.”

What Police Have Confirmed So Far

Three of the five deaths have already been classified as homicides, according to Backus. The other two remain under investigation, with medical examiner findings not yet finalized. Reporting indicates the injuries in these cases tended to happen overnight or in the early morning hours, a pattern investigators are treating as significant. That timing detail matters because it narrows who was likely at risk and when.

One case already has a named suspect. Police arrested 23-year-old Edward Joseph Smith after 22-year-old Daniel Lusk was fatally stabbed under the East Michigan Avenue bridge. Investigators have not said whether Smith’s case connects to the other four deaths. That gap matters. If one death has an identified attacker while others remain open, it complicates any theory that a single offender is responsible for all five.

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor tried to calm broader public fears while the investigation moves forward. He said the attacks appear concentrated on unhoused men sleeping along the trail overnight, not on the general public using the path during the day. Schor’s statement draws a sharp line: the danger described so far looks targeted, not random, and that distinction shapes how residents should think about their own safety.

A Professor’s Blunt Advice

Karen Holt, an associate professor of criminal justice at Michigan State University, weighed in publicly while the investigation was still open. She told Fox News Digital, “I definitely think we need to be cautious, but also need to be rational.” Her advice on the trail itself was direct: “Don’t walk the trail would be my advice. Maybe walk a different trail.”

Holt’s comments carry weight because of her academic standing, but the available reporting does not show she had access to nonpublic case files or police evidence. Her warning reflects a criminologist’s risk assessment based on public reporting, not an insider account of the investigation. That doesn’t make the advice wrong. It simply means readers should understand it as informed caution, not a confirmed verdict on what happened.

Why “Serial Killer” Is a Loaded Label

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines serial murder as the unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender in separate events. That definition hinges on proving one person committed multiple killings, not just that victims share similar circumstances. Five deaths near one trail, even with three ruled homicides, do not automatically meet that bar until investigators establish a direct link between cases.

Research also shows unhoused people are sometimes unfairly cast as dangerous during these news cycles, when in these Lansing cases they are the ones who died. That context doesn’t change the facts on the ground, but it’s worth remembering as coverage spreads. The real story here is five families grieving, a police department working an active case, and a community waiting for answers investigators haven’t finished gathering yet.

Lansing’s situation lands in a familiar spot for American crime reporting: real deaths, real investigative urgency, and a label that may or may not ultimately fit. Parents of Michigan State students, trail regulars, and Lansing residents all have a stake in watching what Chief Backus’s team determines next. Until forensic links are confirmed, a criminologist’s caution and a mayor’s reassurance can both be true.

"If we have a community where people can be attacked in this way, then I don't necessarily know that we can call it a safe community."

That's a Michigan State University criminology professor reacting to the possibility that a serial killer is targeting homeless men along the… pic.twitter.com/DuzyHDUEG7

— Fox True Crime (@FoxTrueCrime) October 14, 2026

What happens next depends on lab results, medical examiner findings, and whatever connects or separates these five cases. Lansing police have not closed the door on any explanation. Residents deserve a clear answer, and so do the families who have already lost someone on that trail.