Thursday 4 August 2022 10:16 PM Parents and daughter killed at Iowa state park were shot, stabbed and strangled ... trends now
A man who was camping at an Iowa park with his parents before ruthlessly murdering two parents and their daughter is found to have shot, stabbed and strangled his victims on the morning of July 22 according to autopsies.
Anthony Sherwin, 23, of LaVista, Nebraska, murdered married couple Tyler and Sarah Schmidt, both 42, and their daughter Lula, aged 6 at Maquoketa Caves State Park but the couple's young son, 9-year-old Arlo, escaped the grisly incident unharmed.
Autopsies revealed Tyler was killed by a gunshot wound and 'multiple sharp force injuries,' while his wife Sarah was solely killed by sharp force injuries. Their daughter Lula died from a gunshot wound and strangulation.
Sherwin's mother Cecilia said that she was awoken by gunshots and a young boy - the Schmidt's 9-year-old son Arlo - who told her that a man clad in black just killed his family.
Married couple Tyler and Sarah Schmidt, both 42, and their daughter Lula, aged 6 were shot, stabbed and strangled by Anthony Sherwin, 23, while camping at Maquoketa Caves State Park
Sherwin was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a wooded area of the park. Police confirmed they believe Sherwin was the killer
Pictured: An undated photo of Tyler playing with his daughter Lula. Family members were distraught at knowing they would not see the child grow up
A relative of the Schmidt family reads a statement from the Schmidt family during the Celebration of Life event for Tyler, Sarah, and Lula Schmidt held in Cedar Falls, Iowa
The shooter's mother said that her son was wearing green, not black, and refused to believe he is behind the horrific triple-murder suicide. It is unclear if he used the family weapon to kill his victims and himself.
Cecilia told the Omaha World-Herald: 'We think (Anthony) might have sensed trouble and grabbed the gun for safety. We refuse to believe the news. We are deeply saddened as he had so much to live for and gave us no indication that anything was wrong.'
It is unclear if Arlo was in the same place as his sister and parents when they were murdered, and further information about how he was spared has not emerged.
Sherwin was found dead later from a self-inflicted gunshot wound just
