Garfield Township stabbing leads to Meijer evacuation, suspect faces homicide charges

A 57-year-old Traverse City man was hospitalized after a stabbing on Grand Traverse Commons property sent him walking to the Garfield Township Meijer for help, where employees called 911 just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, 2026. Investigators say the attack happened near Red Drive and Silver Lake Road, placing the violence within a busy part of Garfield Township that sits close to homes, stores and evening traffic.

The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office identified Michelle Lee McGrath, 39, as the suspect and later located her. She was charged in connection with the attack, including attempted murder, as the case moved into the Grand Traverse County court system. Authorities said the victim knew the person who attacked him, an important detail that shifts this from a random public assault to a case investigators say involved an acquaintance.

Deputies and emergency responders were dispatched after Meijer employees reported that a man needed medical assistance. By the time help arrived, the victim had multiple stab wounds to his chest, ribs and hand, and authorities said he had also been beaten in the face. One report said he had been stabbed at least seven times. The man was taken to the hospital for treatment, underscoring how quickly an encounter on Commons property turned into a life-threatening emergency in a place ordinary residents associate with shopping and routine errands.

The case now runs through Grand Traverse County’s 86th District Court, where the next hearing could help clarify the allegations against McGrath and the sequence of events that led from the stabbing site near Red Drive and Silver Lake Road to the Meijer entrance. For Garfield Township residents, the incident is a sharp reminder that violence can spill into everyday spaces with little warning, and that a store parking lot can become the scene of a major public-safety response in minutes.