Authorities identified a Cedar Falls, Iowa, couple and their 6-year-old daughter who were fatally shot while camping at an Iowa state park in an attack by a Nebraska man who later killed himself.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety identified the victims as Tyler Schmidt, 42; his 42-year-old wife, Sarah Schmidt; and their 6-year-old daughter, Lula Schmidt. Their bodies were found in their tent Friday at the Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground.
Authorities said the suspected gunman, Anthony Sherwin, was found dead in a wooded area of the park with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Department of Public Safety's division of criminal investigation, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the motive for the attack was still unknown.
Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green posted Friday on Facebook that the couple's 9-year-old son, Arlo, "survived the attack and is safe."
It was not immediately clear Saturday if the boy was with his family at the time of the attack. Authorities would not immediately confirm the information in Green's post or make any comment about the boy.
Sarah Schmidt worked at the Cedar Falls Public Library, which was closed Saturday after news of her death.
"I'm devastated," Green wrote on Facebook. "I knew Sarah well, and she & her family were regular walkers here in the Sartori Park neighborhood."
He said he would share upcoming details about services and memorials.
By Saturday afternoon, more than $40,000 had flowed into a GoFundMe page created for Arlo. According to the page that states it's organized by cousin Beth Shapiro, the fund will help Arlo now and fund his future education.
The killings prompted the evacuation of the park and campground. After the evacuations, Sherwin was the only person unaccounted for, Mortvedt said.
During the course of the investigation, he said authorities learned Sherwin was armed and "that of course heightened our awareness."
Iowa allows people with permits to carry firearms virtually anywhere in the state. Officials did not say if Sherwin had a permit and provided no information about the firearm that he used.
The Des Moines Register reported that Sherwin, 23, came from La Vista, Neb. La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten told the newspaper that Sherwin had no history of criminal conduct.
Autopsies on Sherwin and the victims were scheduled to be performed over the weekend, Mortvedt said, and more information would likely be released based on those findings.
The state park and campground were closed until further notice.
Campers with reservations through Thursday were given refunds, the Department of Natural Resources said in an email to the AP. All of the campers who were at the park but not associated with the shooting have been able to retrieve their belongings, the agency said.
Information for this article was contributed by Ryan J. Foley of The Associated Press.