University of Michigan-Flint student is found shot dead after being abducted by her doctor ex-boyfriend in horrific murder-suicide

A University of Michigan-Flint student was shot and killed after being kidnapped and killed by her ex-boyfriend, who then turned the gun on himself.

Gina Bryant, 25, had been studying to be a nurse before she was killed last week by 26-year-old Justin Wendling, a resident of Ascension Genesys Hospital.

Two weeks before her death, Bryant left the relationship and apartment she shared with Wendling in Grand Blanc Township.

Her mother and sister told The Detroit News they helped her move after Bryant revealed to them that Wendling had been abusing her for months.

Bryant had only been dating Wendling since August 2022 – less than a year – before she was killed.

On October 12, Bryant, who worked as a medical assistant, went home for lunch.

Coworkers became concerned when she didn’t return after her break and they started receiving strange text messages on her phone, the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office said.

Her employer reported her missing.

Investigation revealed that Wendling was waiting at Bryant’s home for her return.

The next day, Bryant’s lifeless body was discovered next to the fuel pumps at the Flying J Travel Stop along Intestate 80 and Civic Road.

She was left there for hours after being shot in the head, LaSalle police said.

Surveillance video and witnesses confirmed Wendling killed Bryant around midnight on Oct. 13, police said.

Police were sent to the area after Wendling allegedly called his parents and told them he had taken Bryant to Illinois and killed her.

“They alerted law enforcement to the location of the suspect and victim in LaSalle,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The suspect also stated that he had killed the victim and that he was going to commit suicide.”

Neither Bryant nor Wendling ever had any connection to the area where the shooting occurred, nearly 350 miles southwest of their apartment.

LaSalle police issued a nationwide warning bulletin after learning Wendling had fled, but he was dead within hours.

Just before midnight on October 14, police in Bettendorf, Iowa found the doctor alive in his car. As they got closer, a shot rang out.

Ascension Genesys Hospital is “fully cooperating with law enforcement,” a spokesperson said.

Emotional and spiritual services are offered to hospital staff and caregivers.

Those who knew Bryant posted tributes online in the days after her death.

“There are truly no words to fully express the pain these types of losses cause our community,” Cynthia McCurren, dean of the UM-Flint School of Nursing, said in a statement.

She described Bryant as “an extraordinary young woman with much ahead.”

Bryant attended International Academy, which was ranked as the third best high school in Michigan by U.S. News & World Report.

She spent her senior year at Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights, where she graduated with honors in 2016.

The 25-year-old also volunteered with the Friendship Circle, a non-profit organization that provides support to people with special needs.

“I’m struggling to find words,” a friend wrote on Facebook.

“Geanie, I’m so sorry your life was taken too soon. Sorry doesn’t begin to measure what I’m feeling right now. I’m not going to lie, I still think the world is fooling us and you’re going to walk in at any moment.”

She said her family reminisced about their favorite memories of Bryant, who “felt like family.”

“We can all agree that you were so light and influenced so many people in your life,” the friend wrote.

“I still don’t think these words reflect how much you mean to me.”