LANSING, Mich. – The grandfather of Wynter Cole Smith has a message for the person who killed the 2-year-old girl and left her body in an alley in Detroit.
Officials believe Wynter was kidnapped by Rashad Maleek Trice, 26, of Detroit, around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, July 2, after he stabbed and sexually assaulted Wynter’s 22-year-old mother at her home in Lansing.
Trice was arrested around 5 a.m. Monday, but Wynter was nowhere to be found. Authorities and residents across Southeast Michigan searched for days, and Wynter’s body was ultimately found Wednesday night by Detroit police.
Trice has been charged in connection with the attack on Wynter’s mother, but not in connection with the girl’s disappearance or death.
On Thursday, Almount Smith, Wynter’s grandfather, spoke with Local 4 photographer Sunny Shields and said there’s something he would like her killer to know.
“You took my grandchild’s future and dreams away from her,” Smith said. “She will never attend school and will never experience adulthood. She was a precious angel -- not only to me and her parents, but to everyone.”
Smith also sent the above photos of himself with Wynter.
A vigil for Wynter is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at Knodell Street and Erwin Avenue in Detroit, which is near First Church of the Redeemed on Van Dyke Avenue. The family said members of the public are welcome.
Click here to read the family’s full statement.
For a full timeline of Wynter’s disappearance, Trice’s arrest, and the discovery of her body, click here.