© 2024 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Lansing families long for answers to 65 cold cases

Monica Blackwell photo
Kevin Lavery
/
WKAR
Monica Blackwell's son, Dominique Ardister, was murdered in May 2012. His case remains unsolved.

There have been some 65 unsolved murders in the city of Lansing since the mid-1960’s. Current State’s Kevin Lavery reports on one Lansing woman’s struggle to find peace four years after her son’s murder.

A Lansing mother is marking a sad anniversary today. Four years ago, Dominique Ardister was gunned down in the driveway of his south Lansing home. His murder remains unsolved.

Ardister’s mother, Monica Blackwell, wants answers. She has her suspicions about who was responsible for her son’s death on May 25, 2012, but with little information to go on, the Dominique Ardister case has grown cold.

More than 60 homicides have gone unsolved in Lansing since the mid-1960’s. The reasons are complex and difficult to pinpoint, but what’s clear is that each act of violence that ends a life carries a lifetime of pain for the victim’s loved ones left behind.

Current State’s Kevin Lavery has the story.

Kevin Lavery served as a general assignment reporter and occasional local host for Morning Edition and All Things Considered before retiring in 2023.
Related Content
Journalism at this station is made possible by donors who value local reporting. Donate today to keep stories like this one coming. It is thanks to your generosity that we can keep this content free and accessible for everyone. Thanks!