A Michigan man is facing federal charges for allegedly kidnapping his former girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter and subsequently strangling the toddler. The body of the child, Wynter Cole-Smith, was discovered days later in Detroit. Rashad Trice, 26, of Detroit, has been charged with kidnapping a minor and kidnapping resulting in death. The incident is believed to have stemmed from a violent altercation over money between Trice and his ex-girlfriend. Trice now faces both state and federal charges in connection with the tragic incident.
Rashad Trice, a 26-year-old man from Detroit, has been charged with kidnapping a minor and kidnapping resulting in death. The charges were announced on Friday. Trice is accused of kidnapping his former girlfriend’s 2-year-old daughter and allegedly strangling her. The incident is believed to have occurred following a violent altercation over money between Trice and his ex-girlfriend at her apartment in Lansing on July 2nd.
According to the federal complaint, during the altercation, Trice’s ex-girlfriend stabbed him in self-defense. In response, Trice allegedly stabbed her multiple times and sexually assaulted her. The ex-girlfriend managed to escape to her mother’s apartment in the same complex, leaving behind her 1-year-old son and the 2-year-old girl who was not Trice’s daughter. She reported the attack to the Lansing police, who responded to her apartment and found the 1-year-old but not Trice or Wynter Cole-Smith.
Police discovered that Trice had taken his ex-girlfriend’s white Chevrolet Impala and issued an Amber Alert for Wynter on July 3rd, describing the car. Trice was later spotted in the St. Claire Shores area of Michigan, where an officer recognized the Impala from the Amber Alert. The suspect attempted to flee from the police but crashed the car. He then allegedly tried to disarm an officer before being arrested.
After a dayslong search, Wynter’s body was found in a Detroit alley on July 5. The complaint stated that her body showed markings consistent with strangulation using a pink cellphone charging cord found in Trice’s car. While the cause of death is believed to be strangulation, a final report from the medical examiner is still pending.
The charge of kidnapping resulting in death carries a mandatory life sentence if Trice is convicted and is also death penalty eligible. Trice has been denied bond following his arrest. Prior to Wynter’s body being found, Trice was arraigned on multiple state charges, including assault with intent to murder, criminal sexual conduct, home invasion, and unlawful imprisonment. He is scheduled to appear in court on July 13th for a pre-trial probable cause conference.