LANSING, Mich. — Wynter Cole-Smith, 2, will be remembered for years to come. Her sudden death had a major impact on the community.
“I couldn’t stop crying last night, as mother’s perspective I still can’t believe it’s true,” said Mackenzie Winton. As the investigation unfolded over the previous couple of days, dozens and dozens of people in the community rallied to help. “She probably didn’t even know what was going on in the situation,” Winton said. “She probably thought she was going back to her mom and her dad and to be left like that, I have no words.”
We talked to Winton hours before Wynter’s body was found. She was planning a search party and now she’s organizing a candlelight vigil for Wynter on Saturday.
But the community support doesn’t stop there. There’s a Facebook page called Justice for Wynter Smith that has over 4,000 members.
“I feel like a lot of people got in the group to follow along with the story,” Winton said.
Understandably, Wynter’s family did not want to get on camera after hearing the news. But they did release a statement saying they were heartbroken and that their grief will last forever. While giving the family space, the community wants them to know just how much of an impact little Wynter made.
“She’s an angel now,” Winton said.
