$25k reward in Wynter Smith search • Husky from Traverse City reunited with owner • Ozone levels

WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - The FBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of Wynter Smith, a 2-year-old from Lansing who has been missing since Sunday evening.

The toddler was taken by her mom's ex-boyfriend after he stabbed her, before he fled to Southeast Michigan. He was eventually arrested after fleeing police and crashing. The missing 2-year-old was not with him.

"Wynter is one of our kids and we won't rest until we find her," said Police Chief Ellery Sosebee during a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

Sosebee said local and state police have since partnered with federal law enforcement in their search for the 2-year-old, which has included canvassing the nearby homes where she was taken, door knocks, drones, helicopters, dive teams, K-9 units, and interviews with associates of 26-year-old Rashad Trice.

Trice allegedly stabbed Smith's mother Sunday night multiple times. The victim managed to escape the assault and ran to a neighbor's house, before authorities were called. It unfolded around 11 p.m. on July 2. 

By the time authorities arrived, Trice had left in the victim's white Chevrolet Impala and Smith was nowhere to be found. 

In addition to their search efforts, police have also asked anyone who saw anything mysterious on Trice's suspected route from Lansing to Metro Detroit, which includes eastbound I-96 and eastbound I-94, to tell police. 

During a press conference in Lansing, Sosebee also encouraged anyone who has property along the route to do a sweep of the area.

"If you have any property or work on any property close to the route, please take some time to look around and call if you see anything out of place or unusual," said the Lansing police chief. "We will stay the course, we will continue to investigate this case to the fullest of our capabilities."

Since his arrest, Trice has been hospitalized at a Detroit-area hospital under guard by Lansing police. Sosebee only confirmed that officers were continuing to interview him and he was expected to be transported to Lansing.

More Coverage

• Search for Lansing 2-year-old includes route kidnapper drove
• Lansing Police warn people to be wary of disinformation amid missing 2-year-old case

He's charged with multiple crimes across several jurisdictions, those the police chief would not go into detail.

Smith's mom has since been released from the hospital and is recovering.

Read more here.

Lost husky from Traverse City found in Sterling Heights

Zoey the husky is now a happy dog - a far cry from how she looked 48 hours prior to her rescue in Sterling Heights. Body cam footage of the canine rescue caught the moments police responding to sounds of distress found a dog stuck in a pond.

Sergeant Aaron Susalla of the Sterling Heights Police Department said officers took a "calculated risk" when they went looking for the dog, who was near 15 Mile and Dodge Park. 

"You could tell this Husky, she was just very happy to see those officers," Susalla said. "She must have been able to sense their aura, that they were good."

After being taken to the city's police department and being scanned animal control, a curious result popped up. The owners were from Traverse City. It's not clear how Zoey made it so far from her home. 

Ozone Action Level in Michigan

High levels of ozone in the atmosphere have prompted an air quality alert in Michigan on Wednesday. The National Weather Service warned that cites and counties on the east side of Michigan will see elevated levels of the pollutant, which could make breathing for sensitive groups difficult.

The areas under the NWS's alert include Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Wayne, Lenawee, Monroe, and St. Clair counties, as well as Port Huron, Warren, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Adrian, and Monroe.The alert, declared by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is the latest in a string poor air quality days to hit the state this summer.

The previous week saw air quality limits at some of their worst ever thanks to smoke from wildfires in Canada drifting south and over Michigan. The Air Quality Index which grades the pollutants in the atmosphere scored Detroit at over 200 last week - safe levels are below 50.

The advisory comes with a recommendation that people and businesses avoid activities that lead to ozone formation, like refueling vehicles, using gas-powered lawn equipment, and charcoal lighter fluid. 

Hot dog eating contest in Clawson

Move over Joey Chestnut, there's a new hot dog eating champion and his name is Josh Arredondo. He may have kept his hot dog consumption to 10 dogs, but Arredondo showed heart and skill as he munched his way to first place in the annual Hot Dog Eating Competition in Clawson this Fourth of July.

Hosted by General Dogs, it came with all the glory and mess that a food competition should have. Arredondo won by a bite - but not before he and two others beat out several eaters in the first round of the competition.

"I did not think I was going to win. The competition was looking really strong," he said after taking his title. When things started, there were many strategies at play, such as: eat really fast, don't think about the pain, and pushing down the regret of those meat sweats.

The contest lasted only five minutes instead of the allotted 10 minutes at the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island. 

Block party safety in Metro Detroit

Two mass shootings this week - one in Baltimore that injured 30 and another in Philadelphia that killed five - were sobering reminders of the prevalence of gun violence in the U.S. They're both examples of the potential risk that firearms pose in areas with large crowds, which public safety advocates in Michigan hope to emphasize during gatherings this year. 

And with plenty of summer left in 2023, police hope the public will help them in that effort. 

"Let's leave the guns at home. I understand it. I get it. I work in the community and I understand the mindset where I have to feel safe but we are going to have a good time, we're going to celebrate," said Quincy Smith with Ceasefire in Detroit. 

"If you are partying at home make sure the weapons are put up, make sure they’re secure, so kids don’t have access to them." Next year, it will be illegal for someone to have a weapon at home and not safely locked away if children are in the home. But it's never too late to start practicing the safety measure now, Smith says.

Read more here.

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Daily Forecast

It'll be another hot one in Michigan with temperatures tipping toward 90 degrees in Detroit, along with chances for showers, and an air quality alert for elevated levels of ozone.

What else we're watching

1. A drunk motorcyclist was arrested with a loaded revolver on I-75 this week. The Warren man had crashed into a wall in Hazel Park, police said. 
2. The national clay target championship is this week in Mason. Some 466 high schools across the U.S. will travel to Michigan this week for the 2023 USA High School Clay Target League National Championship.
3. Wayne State University's research arm studying Detroit schools say the district is getting better at identifying students who are homeless, a new report says. However, officials are still undercounting the number of students experiencing homelessness.
4. The city of Detroit is considering a proposal that would ease zoning restrictions on child care centers, Axios reports. The city lacks child care in several parts of the city.
5. The Detroit Tigers put up a good fight in their 1-0 extra inning's loss to the Oakland Athletics Tuesday night. 

'Tacky' Subway sign referencing Titan submersible implosion riles customers up

A Georgia Subway restaurant is in hot water over a sign that appeared to make fun of the Titan submersible that imploded, killing five people on their way to view the Titanic at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

WTOC in Savannah first reported on the sign posted at the sandwich shop in Rincon. It read, "Our subs don’t implode."

"We have been in contact with the franchise about this matter and made it clear that this kind of comment has no place in our business," a statement from Subway to Fox News Digital said. "The sign has since been removed."

Social media users were quick to connect the sign to the tragic killing of five people aboard the OceanGate Titan sub.

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