Latest news with #BedfordHighSchool
Metro
21-07-2025
- Metro
Bowling coach sent disturbing texts to teen before shooting her and himself dead
A 33-year-old bowling coach sent disturbing text messages to a teenage girl he groomed before shooting her dead and turning the gun on himself. Ryne Leist had been sending inappropriate texts to Gwendolyn Smith, 17, before killing her in her stepfather's home in a small Michigan town, claimed her father, Levi Smith. 'I've seen enough of the emails he sent my daughter before he killed her to know it's not speculation,' Levi wrote in a Facebook discussion group for Bedford Township. 'He deserves to rot in a special hell.' The grieving dad did not elaborate on the texts. Leist, who was a volunteer coach for the Bedford High School bowling club that Gwendolyn was a member of, is believed to have shot her several times. Gwendolyn's stepdad got home around 6pm on June 14 to find her and Leist wounded and dead. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office found that Gwendolyn died by and that Leist died by suicide. Beside the Leist's cryptic texts that Levi mentioned on Facebook, others have come forward with stories of alleged red flags they saw from him. Kara Thornton, who said she knew Leist when he was 20 years old and she was 15, said they never dated because she didn't want to, but that he still got her name tattooed on his arm. She claimed that he tried to sleep with her and her friends and would take them to remote places and bring alcohol. 'A few years back he was trying to be a 'photographer' to take nudes of women,' said Thornton. 'It's hard looking back and realizing how f***ed it all was; haven't thought about him in years.' Meanwhile, tributes have poured out for Gwendolyn. A GoFundMe page to remember Gwendolyn and support her family stated that she was a 'standout athlete' on the bowling team, a 'gifted student' academically and a passionate artist studying music. 'Gwen was an extraordinary young woman whose presence left an indelible mark on our school community,' states the fundraiser. 'Most of all, Gwen will be remembered for her kindness, her bright spirit, and the joy she brought to those around her.' The GoFundMe page had raised more than $21,000 as of Monday. More Trending 'This tragic and unnecessary loss cannot be explained,' the page states. 'It has shaken our entire Bedford community, and our hearts and prayers go out to Gwen's family and the many friends whose lives she touched so deeply.' Bedford Township is about 55 miles southwest of Detroit. The murder-suicide happened more than four years after 2012 Olympics team USA coach John Geddert fatally shot himself in Lansing, Michigan, after being charged with child sex assault and human trafficking Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Gang lures celebrity barber to London with honey trap to steal £500,000 in crypto MORE: Man guilty of murdering couple before dumping remains near Clifton Suspension Bridge MORE: Passenger plane forced to swerve in mid-air to avoid crashing into B-52 bomber
CBS News
24-06-2025
- CBS News
Lawsuit alleges Michigan school district covered up sexual abuse between former teacher, student
A new lawsuit has surfaced involving Bedford Public Schools in Monroe County, Michigan, accusing the district of covering up sexual misconduct by a former teacher with a student in 2022. It details disturbing incidents of sexual abuse between Christopher Wilhelm, a former teacher and football coach at Bedford High School, and a then-17-year-old female student. CBS Detroit The complaint alleges the abuse took place from May 2022 until December 2022 during school hours, on school property and off school grounds. Wilhelm is accused of grooming the student, sending inappropriate text messages and videos and having sex with the student multiple times in his classroom, including at his home in Toledo, Ohio, where she was his alleged babysitter. "He did grooming techniques. Initially, it began in the beginning of the summer. They had some text messages and emails. They used Snapchat and Instagram, and it moved into how predators do this. They try to gain the confidence and then they introduce their subject to discussions about playfulness about sex, and they move them right along that continuum," said plaintiff attorney Terry Cochran. Wilhelm is currently behind bars, charged with third and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct related to this case. This lawsuit accuses Bedford Public Schools of violating the student's civil rights. It alleges the school district had the opportunity to report the misconduct and launch an investigation, but allegedly did not. "Her homeroom teacher brought it to the attention of the assistant principal and the principal that there was conduct going on here that wasn't correct. And the assistant principal and principal really didn't do much of an investigation," Cochran said. CBS Detroit The suit also claims the district failed to train staff on identifying and reporting concerns of red flag behaviors between a teacher and student, which created a hostile environment for this teenager. "The signs were there. The red flags were there, and the administration, the principal and the assistant principal failed to act. This is about civil rights. Her rights to be free to attend a public education without fear of sexual harassment," said Cochran. CBS News Detroit reached out to Bedford Public Schools for comment. We received the following statement from Superintendent Carl Shultz: "The safety and well-being of our students is—and always will be—our highest priority. We take any allegation involving the harm of a student with the utmost seriousness and are committed to creating a safe, supportive, and respectful environment in every school building. While we understand there may be questions regarding the recently filed lawsuit, the district cannot comment on pending legal matters. We remain focused on supporting our students, staff, and school community during this time." The lawsuit is seeking at least $25,000 in damages. Attorneys are also encouraging any victims to come forward as they feel this isn't the first case of sexual misconduct Wilhelm was involved. Read the full lawsuit below
Daily Mail
22-06-2025
- Daily Mail
High school coach kills student inside her home before shooting himself in devastating murder-suicide
A Michigan teenager was gunned down inside her home by her former high school bowling coach, who then turned the gun on himself in a murder-suicide, police said. Bedford High School graduate Gwendolyn Smith, 17, was allegedly shot multiple times by Ryne Leist, 38, a former volunteer coach with the school's bowling club. The incident took place inside her stepfather's home in Bedford Township on June 14, Monroe County Sheriff's Office said. Smith's stepfather Matthew Kennerson discovered the scene after he returned home around 6pm. Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough confirmed Leist died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Smith's death was ruled a homicide. Authorities have not said how Leist, who was married and a father-of-one, entered the home, nor have they detailed any possible motive. 'At this time, the point of entry and access remains under investigation,' Goodnough said during a press conference. The sheriff also declined to elaborate on the nature of the relationship between the teen and her former coach but said: 'Gwendolyn did not consider the relation between the two of them to be romantic'. Leist, who had recently resigned from his job at a local bowling alley, had previously worked with the school's bowling club, but was not an official employee of Bedford Public Schools. He had passed all required background checks to volunteer with youth sports in Michigan, Superintendent Carl Shultz told WTOL. In a heartbreaking tribute on Facebook, Shultz said Smith was as 'an extraordinary young woman whose presence left an indelible mark on our school community'. He wrote: 'It is with a heavy heart that I share the tragic and heartbreaking news of the loss of one of our own - Gwendolyn Smith, a 2025 graduate of Bedford School. Gwen will be remembered for her kindness, her bright spirit, and the joy she brought to those around her.' The teen's stepmother, Heather Smith, expressed the family's devastation in an emotional Facebook post. She said: 'We aren't supposed to outlive our children. Everyone loved Gwen. She was kind, talented and the best kid an evil stepmother could ask for. My middle daughter, my baby, was murdered.' Kennerson had proudly celebrated his stepdaughter's graduation just two weeks earlier, sharing a smiling photo of her in cap and gown. 'Really proud stepdad!' he wrote at the time. Two weeks later, he added a heartbreaking update: 'Love you forever… I'm so sorry I couldn't save you…' Shultz has since launched a GoFundMe to support the family, which has raised over $18,000. He told reporters: 'I was compelled to really help them out and make sure they had the resources necessary to be able to take care of what they needed to due to this horrible tragedy,' he told reporters. 'I'm always a parent first, I'm an educator second. But as a parent, I don't know how you get up the next day. They're extremely strong and they're doing everything they can to hold everything together, but I was just trying to help out as much as I could. 'This tragic and unnecessary loss cannot be explained,' Shultz said. 'It has shaken our entire Bedford community, and our hearts and prayers go out to Gwen's family and the many friends whose lives she touched so deeply.'
New York Post
21-06-2025
- New York Post
Bowling coach had been messaging 17-year-old victim before murder-suicide, her father said
A Michigan bowling coach who fatally shot a 17-year-old girl in her home had been sending the teen inappropriate messages before the killing, her father claimed. The tiny community of Bedford Township, Michigan, about an hour south of Detroit, has been reeling since news emerged that Ryne Leist shot and killed one of his young charges, 17-year-old Gwendolyn Smith, before authorities say he killed himself. As community discussion of the June 14 tragedy unfolded on Facebook, allegations of creepy behavior from Leist emerged before one resident urged others to not to jump to conclusions. Advertisement That's when Smith's father Levi jumped in. 'I've seen enough of the emails he sent my daughter before he killed her to know it's not speculation,' Levi Smith cryptically posted in a Facebook discussion group for Bedford Township. 4 Gwendolyn Smith had just graduated high school two weeks before. Matthew Kennerson/Facebook Advertisement 'He deserves to rot in a special hell,' Smith said of Leist, 33. Leist volunteered as the coach of the bowling club at Bedford High School, where Gwendolyn Smith was on the team. He is believed to have shot the girl multiple times in her stepfather's home, authorities said. Smith's stepfather returned home at around 6 p.m. to discover the mortally wounded teen and her alleged killer. Gwendolyn Smith, described as a 'kind,' 'talented' and 'extraordinary young woman,' had just graduated high school two weeks before. Advertisement 4 Levi Smith said he'd seen the emails Leist sent his daughter. Facebook/Heather Smith Former friends and classmates of the Leist meanwhile, told a different tale about the coach. 'I do remember him being a loner,' said Monica Mckenzie. 'Somehow he slipped through the cracks.' Kara Thornton said she knew Leist when she was 15 and he was 20. Advertisement 'He got my name tattooed on his arm. We never dated, I never wanted to,' said Thornton, who now lives in Hawaii. 4 Thornton said Leist got her name tatooed on his arm even though they never dated. 'He would try sleeping with me and my friends, he'd meet us at parks and then drive us to the middle of nowhere, giving us alcohol…he was always so gross, always trying to date underage girls,' she claimed. 'A few years back he was trying to be a 'photographer' to take nudes of women,' she added. 'It's hard looking back and realizing how f—d it all was, haven't thought about him in years.' 4 Leist was a volunteer bowling coach with the Bedford High School. WTOL 11 It's unclear if Leist broke into the victim's stepfather's home or was let in, said authorities, who didn't specify the nature of the relationship between the two. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office did clarify that 'Gwendolyn did not consider the relation between the two of them to be romantic.' Advertisement Smith's death was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner's office, and Leist died of suicide. Leist volunteered as a coach with the school's bowling club, a gig he'd obtained through his employment at the local bowling alley. He had recently resigned from that position. Levi Smith could not be reached for comment.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Yahoo
Death of Bedford High grad under investigation
BEDFORD TOWNSHIP, MI — Bedford Public Schools Superintendent Carl Shultz set up a GoFundMe page for the family of Gwendolyn Smith, a Bedford High School 2025 graduate who died Saturday, June 14. "Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough is reporting a death investigation in Bedford Monroe County Sheriff's Office Detective Bureau is currently on scene investigating a death investigation in the 1600 block of W Sterns Road. There is no threat to the community. More information will be released at a later time," the sheriff's office said in a Sunday, June 15 news release. Goodnough said Monday, June 16, the case remains under investigation. He said an autopsy needs to be completed before a cause and manner of death can be released. "Gwen was an extraordinary young woman whose presence left an indelible mark on our school community," Shultz said in a Sunday announcement to the Bedford school community. As of Monday, June 16, $11,600 have been raised to support the family. Stay informed and connected: Sign up for our alerts to receive the latest updates on important news "This tragic and unnecessary loss cannot be explained. It has shaken our entire Bedford community, and our hearts and prayers go out to Gwen's family and the many friends whose lives she touched so deeply," Shultz said in the announcement. Donations can be made online. — Contact reporter Connor Veenstra at CVeenstra@ This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe County Sheriff investigating death of Bedford High grad Gwendolyn Smith
