Iowa History Daily: On July 22, 2022, three members of the Schmidt family were murdered in Maquoketa Caves State Park. The assailant, identified as 23-year-old Anthony Orlando Sherwin, later committed suicide by gunshot.
The attack started just before 6:23 a.m. in the campground at Maquoketa Caves. The father Tyler, 42, shot multiple times and stabbed, while the mother Sarah, 42, was also stabbed. The couple's daughter, six-year-old Lula, died from a gunshot wound and strangulation. The couple's nine-year-old son Arlo was the sole survivor of the attack.
Authorities received a phone call reporting a triple homicide at about 6:23 a.m. After arriving at the scene and discovering the victims, investigation ensued. After evacuating the campgrounds, police learned Anthony Orlando Sherwin, 23, of La Vista, Nebraska, represented the only registered camper unaccounted for. At the time, they did not know if Sherwin was the perpetrator or another victim, but did know he was armed.
At 11:00 a.m., police discovered Sherwin's body. Dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities found Sherwin west of the campground and shortly thereafter identified him as a suspect in the case. The motive for the shooting is still unknown. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
