5 Men DEAD – Police Investigating Serial Killer

Police car with flashing red lights on a city street at night — Photo: lucky_pics / Shutterstock

Five men died along a single Michigan trail in eleven months, and police say the cases may connect.

Story Snapshot

Lansing police are probing links among five deaths along the River Trail.
Victims were unhoused White men, ages 22 to 70, found with severe injuries.
Three cases are homicides; two remain unresolved by examiners or detectives.
A Michigan State professor urged people to avoid the trail for now.

Police Outline Active Probe And Acknowledge Possible Links

Lansing Police Chief Robert Backus said detectives are investigating whether five deaths along the River Trail are related. He described all five as active cases and confirmed the department is examining links across them. He said the idea of a single offender is on the table but not proven. He added that three victims were homicide cases, while others await full findings. His update set clear stakes and focused the city’s attention on the trail corridor.

Authorities described the five victims as unhoused White men between ages 22 and 70. Police said the injuries likely occurred overnight or in the early morning hours. The bodies were found along the same trail system during roughly eleven months. That pattern sharpened public concern, even as detectives stressed the need to build evidence. These specifics match what patrol officers, detectives, and medical staff reported or observed in each response.

Public Warnings And Reassurances Create A Tense Balance

Karen Holt, an associate professor of criminal justice at Michigan State University, urged people to avoid the River Trail for now. She said caution should guide choices while police work the cases. Her advice drew wide attention because it spoke to a simple choice: pick a different route. It stood alongside official messages from City Hall that aimed to keep fear in check while investigations continued.

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor said the general public had not been targeted. He emphasized that the attacks involved unhoused men sleeping outside along the trail. He urged residents to stay calm and carry on with normal life. That message sought to avoid a shutdown of daily routines while still respecting the police work. It also underscored differing risk for people bedding down outdoors versus daytime trail users.

What Classifications Say, And What They Do Not

Police and medical examiners have identified three of the five deaths as homicides. Two cases remain undetermined or under further review, which leaves room for different causes. That mix matters. It justifies a major case push, yet it does not alone prove one attacker. Detectives must link cases by method, evidence, or offender. The label “serial” rests on that link, not on geography, timing, or shared victim status.

"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

One death already produced an arrest. Police arrested a suspect in the fatal stabbing of Daniel Lusk, 22, under the East Michigan Avenue bridge. That development complicates the view that one person caused all five deaths. It does not rule out links in other cases, but it shows at least one distinct chain of events. Prosecutors and courts will sort facts on that stabbing while detectives compare evidence across scenes.

How To Think About Risk, Evidence, And Next Steps

The safest course for residents is simple and local. Avoid the River Trail at night, travel in pairs, stick to lit routes, and report suspicious activity right away. Support outreach teams who check on people sleeping outdoors. Those steps reflect common sense and align with police aims to protect life while they build cases. They also respect property rights and personal freedom, not fear-based shutdowns of public spaces.

Detectives will seek pattern evidence that can stand in court. They will compare wound types, time windows, trace materials, camera hits, and digital data. They will look for the same hands on different scenes. If the same offender emerges, police will say so. Until then, the facts point to concentrated risk among men sleeping outside along this trail, during overnight hours. That is where patrols, cameras, and lighting deserve priority.

The Bottom Line

Five deaths on one trail merit focused police action and careful public behavior. The police chief says links are possible and three cases are homicides. The mayor says ordinary trail users were not targeted. A Michigan State professor says pick a different path. All three can be true at once. Let detectives chase the proof, and let residents use prudence. That balance protects both safety and liberty while the investigation runs its course.