As dozens of police officers searched Lansing-area freeways Wednesday for clues to the whereabouts of 2-year-old Wynter Cole Smith, her alleged kidnapper was recovering from multiple injuries in a Macomb County hospital while law enforcement officials said they expect him to face criminal charges in two counties.
Wynter was reported missing from her Lansing apartment at about 11:30 p.m. ET Sunday, after police say her mother was sexually assaulted and stabbed by her ex-boyfriend, 26-year-old Rashad Trice. The alleged victim managed to stab Trice in the lower abdomen during the attack, Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosebee said.
Wynter's one-year-old brother was in the apartment during the assault, although police say Trice left the boy behind and took Wynter with him, stealing his ex-girlfriend's white 2013 Chevrolet Impala and driving toward Metro Detroit. An Amber Alert was issued, and police throughout Michigan were told to be on the lookout for the vehicle.
