A nine-year-old boy, Arlo Schmidt, was the lone survivor of a camp massacre at the Maquoketa Caves State Park at Cedar Falls in Iowa. The gruesome incident resulted in the death of his parents, Sarah and Tyler Schmidt, both 42, and his sister Lula, 6.
According to authorities, the 23-year-old Anthony Sherwin of Nebraska shot and killed the three family members, fled the park, and later killed himself.
The suspect's mom, Cecelia Sherwin, recalled that she heard two gunshots that morning. After a few minutes, the mom said Arlo rushed to their camp to tell her that a man clad in black had just killed his family.
Cecelia, however, refused to believe that her son killed the family as Anthony was wearing green, not black. She also said her son might have sensed trouble and grabbed the family's gun for safety. An investigation is still ongoing to determine if Anthony used the family weapon to kill the victims and himself.
Officials are also unaware if Anthony had any connection to the victims, which Cecelia did not clarify.
Random attack of violence
According to Omaha World-Herald, the park personnel called the police at 6:23 a.m. Friday for a reported shooting at the park campground. The officers discovered the bodies and determined that one camper, Anthony, was missing. After a search, they found Anthony's body with self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
According to Mitch Mortvedt from the Iowa Department of Public Safety and Ceder Falls, Mayor Rob Green, a neighbor of the Schmidts, said the attack may well have been a "random act of violence," and the motive for the attack was still unknown.
It is still unclear if Arlo was in the same place with his parents and sister when they were murdered. Mortvedt said autopsies on Anthony and the Schmidts would be done over the weekend.
There was no information yet if the suspect had the permit to carry a gun or what firearm was used in the shootings. Police can still not disclose what led to the killings and if the Schmidts and Anthony had an earlier interaction.
Anthony and their family are from La Vista, Nebraska, and were camping in the park with a legally-held gun safely stored when the killings happened. According to La Vista police, Anthon lived with his parents in a neat apartment with no known criminal record.
GoFund Me Page to support Arlo
Jana Morehouse, Sarah's sister, expressed her grief at losing her sibling, his brother-in-law, and her niece. She added that her nine-year-old nephew survived but has a "lifetime of trauma ahead."
The family created a GoFundMe page to help support Arlo and set up an education fund for his future.
Green also expressed his grief over the family's death and urged citizens to support Arlo. He knew Sarah as a neighbor and an employee at the Cedar Falls library.
As of 5:10 p.m. on Sunday, the fund drive received more than $146,000 donated from over 2,900 people, surpassing the target goal of $100,000. There was also a Meal Train fundraising page that collected $850 for the food budget of the lone family survivor, KCRG says.
