Police in Michigan are releasing more information after three bodies were found on the street in a Grand Rapids neighborhood Monday, all within blocks of each other, according to reports.
Grand Rapids Police responded to the Burton Heights neighborhood after several people called 911 to report a man and a woman bloodied in the street in two separate areas just before noon.
One of the victims was found in the area of Melville Street SE and Horton Avenue SE, while the other was found near Melville Street Southeast and Francis Avenue Southeast.
Police said both victims had been fatally shot and left lying in the street. Both deaths were ruled homicides.
Family and police identified the woman as 20-year-old Anayia Rodriguez.
Police identified the male victim as 19-year-old Malik Eubanks. Loved ones of Rodriguez said Eubanks was her boyfriend.
“We lost three young people, those three young people have loved ones, at least one of them was a father,” said Winstrom.
He believes it’s possible Eubanks and Rodriguez were shot in a different location or in a car and dropped at the scene, as the 911 calls were for bodies in the street, not shots fired in the area.
“If, in fact, they were dumped, there’s a lot of consideration in that, it could be a kidnapping, a carjacking,” said Winstrom, “when you think of two bodies being dumped, you think of all the terrible criminal elements that are involved in this.”
“As a police officer, it gives you a lot more to think about,” he said.
Authorities said Eubanks’ two-year-old son was found wandering the streets alone about a mile away from the crime scene, unharmed but with blood on him. They said he is now with his mother.
Winstrom said that based on the blood, the toddler was likely there for one or both shootings.
“Physically, the child is doing well,” said Winstrom. “At that age, less than three years old, we’re not going to get that much information out of him. But I’m sure that he will likely live with the impacts of the trauma.”
Hours after police discovered the bodies of Rodriguez and Eubanks, another man was shot and killed in the 2000 block of Horton Avenue Southeast. Police said they can’t yet say with certainty if this shooting death is connected to theirs, though all were found in the same neighborhood.
The third victim was identified as 32-year-old Darryl Yarber. His death has also been ruled a homicide.
“Yesterday was an incredibly tragic day for this neighborhood and for our city as the lives of three young people were taken from us,” said Winstrom. “I know that many in this neighborhood and elsewhere are fearful following these shocking murders, but at this time, we believe these were very targeted incidents and there is no threat to the broader community. Residents have been very forthcoming with information, and I urge anyone who knows anything to come forward. We can all work together to bring justice for these three victims and their loved ones.”
Monday evening, a black Jeep was found about three miles from the crime scene, which police called a “vehicle of interest.” Authorities gathered evidence from the car and towed it away.
Winstrom wouldn’t confirm who the car belongs to or what was found inside the car, but says it’s possible it was involved in one or both of the earlier murders.
After a gruesome day just steps from their front doors, neighbors are asking for more peace of mind. Police previously installed trailer cameras in the neighborhood, but they were removed earlier this year. Residents hoped Monday the cameras that once watched over their streets would return.
Anyone with information on these deaths is asked to call the Grand Rapids Police Department at 616-456-3380 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.
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