Who is Arlo Schmidt? 9-yr-old boy orphaned after parents and sister, 6, SHOT DEAD by crazed gunman during Iowa camping vacation
Warning: Graphic content
MAQUOKETA, IOWA: In heartbreaking news, a 9-year-old boy is the only survivor of a shooting at an Iowa camp after his parents and sister were killed by a 23-year-old gunman on Friday, July 22. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office and Iowa's Division of Criminal Investigation stated that they received "notification of a triple homicide at the Maquoketa Caves State Park campsite" at 6:23 am on July 22.
Tyler Schmidt, 42, Sarah Schmidt, 42, and Lulu Schmidt, 6, all of Cedar Falls, Iowa, were the victims, according to the police's identification late on Friday. According to Cedar Falls mayor Rob Green, the couple's son Arlo survived the incident. It remained unknown why the murders were committed. Officers later found the body of the suspected gunman, 23, nearby. He "(appeared) to have suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound," according to the statement given to NBC news.
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Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green posted on Facebook
Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green on Facebook posted that Sarah Schmidt was an employee at the Cedar Falls Public Library. He said, "I knew Sarah well, and she & her family were regular walkers here in the Sartori Park neighborhood. I was working with her this week on a public library tech presentation." Green, who described himself as "devastated" by the deaths, said that details were in the works about services and memorials.
The Cedar Falls Library will be closed Saturday "for the sake of the staff who loved and worked with Sarah," he wrote. "Please offer some extra grace to the Schmidts' many friends, neighbors, and coworkers as we try to process this horrible tragedy."
Who is Arlo Schmidt?
Arlo Schmidt is a 9-year-old boy who is known as sweet and resilient. He survived the attack at the Iowa campsite. Arlo went on a vacation with his mom, dad, and little sister (6 years old) at the Iowa campground where the disaster took place. He was devastated and has no clue why he is left alone.
Jana Morehouse, who identified herself as Sarah's sister, wrote on her Facebook page: "Today, my life has been shattered. My beautiful, smart, funny, curly-haired sister, her husband, and their 6-year-old daughter were victims of a random act of violence while camping as a family in Iowa. Their 9-year-old son was able to survive and has a lifetime of trauma ahead. He has two sides of the family that love him very much." Jana in her post also said: "Services, and a Gofundme for my nephew and his future, will be coming shortly. I'm posting now because their names are being named public, and I want people to know that Sarah, Tyler, and Lula meant everything to our family, and we don't know how we are going to continue."
"My nephew is strong and our focus in the next few days is on him," Jana Morehouse wrote in a separate Facebook post."
Online, close friends, coworkers, and Cedar Falls neighbors expressed their condolences
“I think it’s an absolute tragedy and I think it’s sad that there are things like this going on in the world,” said the lifelong Maquoketa resident.
Mindy Till, 36, who has lived in Maquoketa for three years and busses tables at the restaurant, said she was "shocked and surprised and sad" by the news.
"Like many of you just hearing the news, I'm devastated," Green wrote on Facebook. "I knew Sarah well, and she & her family were regular walkers here in the Sartori Park neighborhood."
The suspect's father refuses to believe the news
Joseph Sherwin, the father of shooting suspect Anthony Sherwin, told the Des Moines Register that he and his son were camping Friday at the Maquoketa Caves State Park.
"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. We appreciate you respecting our privacy at this time," Joseph Sherwin said. He did not answer follow-up questions from the Register.
Nebraska authorities said that public records show that Sherwin is from La Vista, Nebraska. La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten told the Register Sherwin had lived in an apartment complex with his parents and that he had no history of criminal conduct.
Arlo's aunt has set up a GofundMe page for her nephew following the murder.
"Arlo lost both of his parents, Sarah and Tyler Schmidt, and his 6-year-old sister, Lula, to a senseless act of violence during a family vacation at a state park in Iowa on July 22. Arlo is a strong boy, surrounded by family and friends who are supporting him as best we can. Some of you have asked how you might help, so we (Sarah and Tyler's siblings and me, Sarah’s cousin) created this fund to allow anyone who would like to help Arlo. We will use your generous donations to help Arlo now and to build some savings for his future education." At the time of writing this article, $94,094 had been raised out of the $100,000 goal.