IOWA (WHO-TV) – An autopsy released Thursday revealed the causes of death for three family members who were killed at an eastern Iowa state park last month, as well as for the man believed to have killed them.
The bodies of the Cedar Falls, Iowa family were found at the Maquoketa Caves State Park on July 22; their deaths have been ruled homicides.
A photo of Tyler and Sarah Schmidt sits on the podium during the Celebration of Life event for Tyler, Sarah, and Lula Schmidt held at Overman Park on Tuesday, Aug. 2 2022 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Schmidt’s were shot and killed at Maquoketa Caves State Park on July 22. (Chris Zoeller/The Courier via AP)FILE – In this undated file photo provided by the Schmidt and Morehead families, Tyler Schmidt and his wife Sarah pose with their son Arlo, bottom left, and daughter Lula during a family outing. Autopsy results published Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022, say three family members killed during a shooting last month at an eastern Iowa state park were shot, stabbed and/or strangled. The couple’s 9-year-old son survived. (Courtesy of the Schmidt and Morehead families)Friends, family and neighbors gather during the Celebration of Life vigil for Tyler, Sarah, and Lula Schmidt held at Overman Park on Tuesday, Aug. 2 2022 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Schmidt’s were shot and killed at Maquoketa Caves State Park on July 22. (Chris Zoeller/The Courier via AP)An Iowa State Patrolman walks past a Maquoketa Caves State Park sign as police investigate a shooting that left several people dead, Friday, July 22, 2022, in Maquoketa, Iowa. The campground was evacuated in the wake of the shooting. (Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP)Emergency personnel block an entrance to the Maquoketa Caves State Park as police investigate a shooting, Friday, July 22, 2022, in Maquoketa, Iowa. Police responded to reports of the shooting at the park’s campground before 6:30 a.m., Mike Krapfl, special agent in charge of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said in a statement. ( (Dave Kettering/Telegraph Herald via AP)An entrance to the Maquoketa Caves State Park is blocked as police investigate a deadly shooting on Friday, July 22, 2022, in Maquoketa, Iowa. Police responded to reports of the shooting at the the Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground before 6:30 a.m., Mike Krapfl, special agent in charge of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said in a statement. (Nikos Frazier/Quad City Times via AP)Authorities enter a mobile command center at the entrance to Maquoketa Caves State Park, Friday, July 22, 2022, in Maquoketa, Iowa. Police responded to reports of the shooting at the park’s campground before 6:30 a.m., Mike Krapfl, special agent in charge of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said in a statement. (Dave Kettering/Telegraph Herald via AP)
Tyler Schmidt, 42, was killed by a gunshot wound and “multiple sharp force injuries,” according to an Iowa Dept. of Public Safety news release. Sarah Schmidt, 42, died of multiple sharp force injuries, and 6-year-old Lula Schmidt died from a gunshot wound and strangulation.
Investigators previously said a fourth family member, 9-year-old Arlo Schmidt, survived the attack without physical injury. As of Thursday, it wasn’t clear whether or not he was in the tent when the deadly attack happened.
In this photo provided by the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Anthony Orlando Sherwin is shown. (Iowa Department of Public Safety via AP)
The cause of death for 23-year-old Anthony Sherwin, of LaVista, Nebraska, who the department said killed the Schmidts, was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators found Sherwin’s body in a wooded area outside of the campground.
The DCI is continuing its investigation into the deaths, but said in the release, “However, the known facts and circumstances, and all evidence collected to this point, substantiate Sherwin was the perpetrator of the homicides and acted alone.”
