MACOMB TOWNSHIP (WWJ) - A Macomb County man admitted to fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend -- who was reported missing last week -- and fled the state before killing himself in a confrontation with police.
“Unfortunately, the MCSO is seeing an uptick of Domestic Violence cases," Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said in a somber update to the case on Wednesday (Oct. 18) morning. "These incidents are tragic not only to the victims & survivors, but to family members as well."
According to Wickersham, 25-year-old Gina Bryant of Macomb Township went missing last week after she left work for her lunchbreak. Bryant was a University of Michigan - Flint student in school for nursing.
Coworkers became increasingly worried when she did not return and they began receiving odd text messages from her phone.
Deputies said they suspected Bryant was with her ex-boyfriend, Justin Wendling, a 26-year-old male from Holly and medical resident at Ascension Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc Township.
Family members told The Detroit News that Bryant had moved out of the joint apartment she shared with Wendling in late September and told them he had been abusing her for months.
"MCSO investigation revealed that the suspect had been waiting at the
victim’s home when she returned for lunch. A neighbor’s surveillance video showed the suspect leading the victim to his vehicle at approximately 1:42 p.m. on Oct. 12," the sheriff's office reported.
The following day, Wendling allegedly called Bryant's parents and law enforcement was alerted that both the suspect and the victim were out of state in LaSalle, Ill.
During the phone call, Wendling admitted to killing Bryant and stated that he intended to take his own life.
The sheriff's office tragically confirmed Bryant was shot and killed by Wendling around midnight Friday (Oct. 13) as corroborated by surveillance video and a witness.
LaSalle police said her body was found near the fuel pumps at the Flying J Travel Stop on Interstate I-80. She had been shot in the head.
Wendling then fled from Illinois, traveling to Iowa before local law enforcement tracked him down. When confronted by police in Bettendorf, Wickersham said the suspect shot and killed himself.
The incident is one of two shocking cases of domestic violence in the Metro Detroit area after a Genesee County man became the main suspect in a missing persons case on Wednesday.
Sheriff Chris Swanson said 57-year-old Steven Higgins of Flushing shot himself when deputies caught up with him days after he and his wife, 60-year old Kelly McWhirter, went missing.
Law enforcement confronted Higgins at a Montrose home around 4 a.m. Wednesday morning when Higgins shot himself.
Swanson said McWhirter was not with him.
During their investigation, deputies found blood and digging tools in Higgins' truck.
"It doesn't look promising, but the tragic next conclusion to this story is there's significant evidence in the vehicle -- it's a high probability that Kelly McWhirter now is a victim and we do not have her location," Swanson said. "We're hopeful that she's still safe, but I can't say that that's going to be the whole outcome. So I know it's heavy in the morning, but that's where we're at right now. We've been working it all night."
Wickersham encouraged anyone experiencing a dangerous situation to reach out to law enforcement or police.
If you or someone you know needs assistance, please contact:
• National Domestic Violence Hotline – 1-800-799-7233
• Michigan Domestic Violence Hotline – 1-866-864-2338 or text 1-877-861-0222
• Turning Point Macomb (24-Hour Hotline)– 586-463-6990