A Michigan man has pled guilty to the kidnapping and murder of a precious 2-year-old child.
Rashad Trice, 27, was charged in July 2023 with Kidnapping, Resulting in the Death and Kidnapping of a 2-year-old Wynter Cole-Smith.
Sentencing is scheduled at 3 p.m. on July 19. Trice faces a mandatory life sentence.
“What happened is heart-wrenching, but today marks an important step forward as we seek justice for Wynter Cole-Smith’s family and the people of Michigan,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “I’m incredibly grateful to FBI Michigan, the Lansing Police Department, and the more than two dozen other local, state, and federal partners who came running to help.”
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As part of his plea agreement, Trice admitted that he kidnapped two-year-old Wynter Cole-Smith from her home in Lansing, Michigan, on July 2, 2023, after a dispute with her mother.
Trice took Wynter and drove to an alley in Detroit, where he killed her and left her body.
Investigators discovered her remains three days later.
According to the initial complaint, on July 2, 2023, a woman reported to the Lansing Police Department that Trice had attacked her and ultimately fled her apartment to escape him.
When police responded to her apartment, Trice and the woman’s daughter, Cole-Smith, were no longer present. A white Chevrolet Impala had also allegedly been stolen.
On July 3, police attempted to stop the white Chevrolet Impala in St. Clair Shores and the driver attempted to flee.
Police apprehended the driver, Trice, but Cole-Smith was not in the car.
Cell site information showed the approximate path Trice’s phone had recently taken, prompting law enforcement to conduct searches for Cole-Smith in specific areas.
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On July 5, 2023, law enforcement found Cole-Smith’s body in Detroit.
“Thank you to U.S. Attorney Mark Totten and his office for bringing this case across the finish line,” said Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosebee. “My hope is this will give Wynter’s family, friends, and all of the law enforcement partners who were and are still affected by this tragedy a sense of closure.”
“Our primary objective during this investigation and judicial proceedings was to ensure justice for Wynter Cole-Smith and her family,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “We stand in solidarity with our law enforcement partners to hold Rashad Trice accountable for his actions and bring closure to the family so they may begin to heal.”
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