A Michigan man faces federal charges after allegedly strangling his ex-girlfriend's two-year-old daughter with a cellphone cord and abandoning her body in a Detroit alley. The federal complaint, filed Friday, charges 26-year-old Rashad Trice with kidnapping a minor and kidnapping resulting in death, adding to existing state charges that include attempted murder and fleeing police. FBI Special Agent Christopher Rodolico stated in the complaint that there is probable cause to believe the child, Wynter Cole Smith, was murdered by Trice.

If convicted of kidnapping resulting in death, Trice faces a mandatory life sentence in federal prison and could potentially receive the death penalty. A conviction for kidnapping a minor carries a sentence of 20 years to life. Sharon Turek, Trice's federal public defender, declined to comment.

The tragic events began on July 2nd with a dispute between Trice and his 22-year-old ex-girlfriend at her Lansing apartment. According to the complaint, the ex-girlfriend, whose name has not been released, claims she stabbed Trice in self-defense. She alleges Trice then stabbed her multiple times and sexually assaulted her. Following the attack, Trice fled the scene. The woman went to her mother's apartment in the same complex, leaving her one-year-old son and two-year-old daughter, Wynter, behind. When police arrived, Wynter was missing.

An Amber Alert was issued for Wynter after investigators discovered Trice had stolen a vehicle. Police located the vehicle early the next morning in St. Clair Shores, a Detroit suburb. Trice, the driver, attempted to escape, crashing into a police car and trying to disarm an officer before being apprehended. Wynter was not in the vehicle.

Initially, Trice told investigators he last saw Wynter at her mother's apartment. However, cellphone data revealed Trice's journey from Lansing to Detroit. This led authorities to a Detroit alley on Wednesday, where they tragically discovered Wynter's body and a pink cellphone cord believed to be the murder weapon. Fragments of a similar pink cellphone cord were also found in the stolen vehicle. Trice later confessed to arguing with Wynter’s mother about money, admitting to the stabbings and expressing awareness of the Amber Alert. He referred to himself as "a monster" and expressed suicidal thoughts.

U.S. Attorney Mark Totten expressed his condolences to Wynter’s family, acknowledging the heartbreaking nature of the allegations. Trice's detention hearing in Grand Rapids federal court is scheduled for Tuesday.