Police, politicians and the public expressed strong reactions late Wednesday and Thursday to the news that 2-year-old Wynter Cole Smith’s body had been found in a Detroit neighborhood.
“No good news,” her father, Almount Smith, of Lansing, told the Detroit Free Press Wednesday night, adding: “She was found.”
Wynter’s family released a statement Thursday afternoon, expressing their grief, and announcing a vigil for 6 p.m. Friday outside First Church of the Redeemed, 9360 Van Dyke Ave. in Detroit.
“We are heartbroken over the loss of our beautiful daughter, granddaughter, cousin, niece and big sister, Wynter Cole Smith. Wynter’s brief but bright life was taken from her unnecessarily; and we will grieve her death forever,” family members said in the statement.
Wynter was kidnapped late Sunday night after her mother was sexually assaulted and stabbed by an ex-boyfriend. The girl’s 1-year-old brother was not harmed. The suspect took the mother’s car and fled with Wynter before being arrested in St. Clair Shores following a police chase. Rashad Trice was arrested and currently faces eight felony counts in connection with the attack and kidnapping.
Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosebee told reporters Wednesday night that FBI agents found Wynter’s body on Detroit’s east side near the Coleman A. Young International Airport. He said law enforcement will work to bring justice in the homicide case to Wynter’s family.
“This is not the outcome we were hoping for,” FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Devin Kowalski told the public Wednesday night. “Our hearts go out to Wynter’s family.”
The agency is taking over the homicide investigation.
Tributes to the Lansing girl have poured out through emails, text messages and social media as news about Wynter quickly spread.
Jasmine Ellis, CEO of the Dock Ellis Foundation, said in a Thursday text message to the State Journal that the organization is saddened to hear about Wynter’s death. Ellis was coordinating a search and rescue with the family to find Wynter.
The Dock Ellis Foundation focuses on assisting with minority missing persons cases across the country.
“We are wishing the family and the State of Michigan courage and peace during this time of mourning,” Jasmine Ellis wrote. “We know that there is nothing we can say that will take away the pain and devastation that our communities feel right now, but please know that you are not grieving alone.”
The foundation will continue assisting the family as needed, she said.
Natalie Wilson, co-founder of Black and Missing Foundation, echoed those sentiments in an email Thursday morning.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all who knew and loved Wynter as well as the entire community, near and far, that is mourning her tragic death,” she wrote.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tweeted Thursday morning, sharing a photo of Wynter and the group’s heartbreak for the result of the investigation. Organization members had hoped for positive news about the 2-year-old.
“This outcome is devastating, and our thoughts are with Wynter’s family,” the Center’s post said.
U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Lansing, tweeted Thursday morning, saying the case came to a devastating end and that Wynter “deserved so much better.”
“We are devastated by the tragic news that Wynter Cole Smith was found deceased today,” Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane said in an email Wednesday night. “Our hearts are with Wynter’s family as they begin to process and grieve the unnecessary loss of a beautiful 2-year-old child.”
Sosebee asked that anyone with information about the case contact Lansing Police or the FBI Detroit Field Office.
“Please continue to forward any new information, any digital evidence, any witnesses, witness statements or any other pertinent information to the Lansing Police Department or the FBI,” he said.