Heartland State Shaken as Gunman Kills Camping Couple and Their Young Daughter
A 6-year-old girl was among three Iowa family members fatally shot while camping in a state park, apparently killed by a man from Nebraska who later turned the gun on himself, police said.
The family victims from Cedar Falls, Iowa — identified by the Iowa Department of Public Safety as Tyler Schmidt, 42; Sarah Schmidt, 42; and Lulu Schmidt, 6 — were found in their tent early Friday at the Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground in eastern Iowa, about 180 miles from Des Moines.
Investigators provided no motive for the attack.
Iowa Department of Public Safety Assistant Director Mitch Mortvedt said the victims were related, but he did not elaborate.
The discovery of the bodies sparked the evacuation of the park and campground, including a children’s summer camp.
The only person who wasn’t accounted for after the evacuation was 23-year-old Anthony Sherwin, Mortvedt said.
Sherwin was believed to be the gunman, according to authorities.
“He was known to be armed. That, of course, heightened our awareness,” Mortvedt said.
Iowa allows people with permits to carry firearms almost anywhere in the state. Officials did not say if Sherwin had a permit.
Sherwin’s body later was discovered in a wooded area of the park with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Mortvedt said Sherwin had no prior connection to the people who were killed.
The Des Moines Register reported that Sherwin came from La Vista, Nebraska.
La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten told the newspaper that Sherwin had lived in an apartment complex with his parents and that he had no history of criminal conduct.
Autopsies on Sherwin and the victims were scheduled to be performed over the weekend, Mortvedt said. He said more information likely would be released based on those findings.
The state park was closed on Friday.
“Our long-standing tradition of enjoying Iowa’s natural wonders was shaken today, but the legacy for the millions of families that recreate at Iowa State Parks will continue,” said Kayla Lyon, director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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