Lansing mayor pushes back on national coverage of river trail deaths

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor says national media coverage of five deaths along the Lansing River Trail over the past year does not accurately reflect the city's day-to-day reality. Schor told WILX that broad national reports often reduce the situation to a question of whether a serial killer is operating in Lansing, a framing he describes as overly simplified.

Lansing Police Chief Rob Backus said earlier this month that the department is investigating the possibility that the deaths are related, though officials have not officially connected them. Four men were found with head injuries, and a fifth was stabbed to death. One man is currently in custody in connection with the stabbing of 22-year-old Daniel Lusk.

Schor noted that the national attention has raised concerns about public safety perceptions, prompting the city to deploy more officers to the trail and expand shelter options. The police department continues to gather information, and medical examiners recently ruled the death of Dennis Dunnebacke, who was found under the Kalamazoo Street bridge in July, as indeterminate while investigating it as suspicious.

Read the full story at WILX.