Lansing Police investigating 57-year-old man’s death

Lansing Police said Monday that another man has been killed in the 300 block of E. Oakland Avenue.

Robert Smith, 57, was found in July on a bench with a head injury and he died several days later. The medical examiner’s office determined on Sept. 18 that the death was a homicide.

It is at least the second man who has been beaten to death in that area in the last year, with several other homicides also happening within blocks of the city’s Grand River, according to police records.

Robert William Smith, 57, was assaulted on July 13, 2026, and died days later. A report from CrimeStoppers indicated Smith was beaten in the 300 block of East Oakland Avenue.

A statement from the Lansing Police Department on Monday does not indicate whether police believe Smith was beaten. The statement says he was found “bleeding from the head” and that police are working to determine what happened.