Authorities still searching for missing two-year-old girl despite suspect arrest

03 July 2023 , 14:08

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Wynter was last seen on Sunday, July 2, around 11:30pm on the south side of Lansing, Michigan (Image: Facebook/Rashad Trice)

An Amber Alert was issued after a suspected kidnapping of a two-year-old girl in Michigan, and although authorities managed to arrest the suspect in the case, the child was not with him, prompting a state-wide search where authorities are pleading with the public for help.

Wynter is described as a 2-year-old black female. She has braided, shoulder-length hair and was last seen wearing a white t-shirt with rainbows.

Her description is being broadcast by the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Wynter was last seen on Sunday, July 2, around 11:30pm on the south side of Lansing, according to the Lansing Police Department.

Rashad Maleek Trice was arrested today for the alleged kidnapping of Wynter Cole Smith, who is still missing (Facebook/Rashad Trice)

The update said, "Rashad Trice has been arrested in St. Clair Shores and is in police custody." Trice is a 26-year-old male that was the main suspect in this case. When he was detained, police realized the little girl was not with him.

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If you have any information on where Wynter could be, you are asked to contact the Lansing Police Department at 517-483-4600. Police said, “This is a very urgent situation.”

There were 337,195 reports of missing persons in 2021, according to the National Crime Information Center with over 90,000 reports remaining active at the end of the year.

Children under 18 accounted for 32 per cent of active missing persons records in 2021.

Yelena Mandenberg