DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – Alleged kidnapper and now accused murderer Rashad Trice is facing federal charges in the disappearance and death of two-year-old Wynter Smith.
The statutory mandatory minimum for a kidnapping resulting in death charge is life in prison, but could be eligible for the death penalty.
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The 26-year-old Trice already faces 16 charges in Ingham County, where the alleged kidnapping occurred, and in Macomb County, where police eventually captured Trice.
Police discovered Wynter’s body in an alley on Detroit’s east side on Wednesday night.
She’d been taken from her home in Lansing on Sunday night after police say Trice sexually assaulted Wynter’s mother and stabbed her before kidnapping the girl.
“The allegations in this case are heart-wrenching,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten, who announced the charges on Friday.
“Our top priority is to get justice for Wynter and her family,” said Lansing Police Department Chief Ellery Sosebee.
A vigil was held for Wynter on Thursday night; a second vigil is planned for 6:00 p.m. on Friday in Detroit.
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