A tragic incident unfolded in Michigan when a nursing student was abducted and subsequently murdered by her former boyfriend, who was a doctor. The assailant, identified as Dr. Justin Wendling, 26, from Holly, Michigan, shot Gina Nicole Bryant, 25, at a gas station in La Salle, Illinois, on October 13. After committing the heinous act, Wendling contacted his parents before ending his own life in Iowa, according to the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office.
Bryant, a student at the University of Michigan-Flint, was reported missing on October 12 when her colleagues became worried after she failed to return from her lunch break. They also started receiving strange messages from her phone. The Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation, which revealed that Wendling was waiting for Bryant when she came home for lunch. Surveillance footage from a neighbor’s house showed him leading her to his car.
The following day, Wendling reportedly called his parents, confessing to the murder of his ex-girlfriend and his intention to commit suicide. His parents alerted the authorities, providing them with Wendling’s location in LaSalle, his hometown. Surveillance footage and eyewitness accounts from a truck stop in LaSalle confirmed that Wendling had shot and killed Bryant around midnight on October 13. He then fled to Bettendorf, Iowa, where he shot himself as local officers approached his vehicle.
Bryant had been living with Wendling in Grand Blanc Township since they started dating nearly a year ago. However, in late September, Bryant’s mother and sister moved her out of the apartment after she revealed that Wendling had been abusing her for months. Bryant’s sister, Angelica Gintner, described her as a beautiful, down-to-earth, and giving woman who could brighten up a day with her smile.
Wendling was a medical resident at Ascension Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc Township. The hospital, while declining to comment on the incident, confirmed the death of one of their residents and assured full cooperation with law enforcement. They also offered emotional and spiritual support services to their staff and providers during this difficult time.
Bryant was a cum laude graduate from Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights in 2016 and attended Grand Valley State University, graduating in 2020. At the time of her death, she was enrolled in UM-Flint’s accelerated bachelor of science nursing program. The dean of the nursing school, Cynthia McCurren, expressed her heartbreak over Bryant’s death, describing her as an extraordinary young woman with a promising future.
Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham noted an increase in domestic violence cases in his statement, urging anyone in an unsafe situation to reach out for help.