IA - Tyler, Sarah, and Lula Schmidt Killed at Maquoketa Caves State Park Campsite, 2022 *killer dead*

[RickshawFan]

ETA: Also, AOS was a student until Feb of this year... did online classes end in Feb?

Snipped for focus.

Maybe he was just taking a "continuing ed" funsie class? A month or so? I have a feeling he wasn't a "regular" student. There's no record of him anywhere going to school or university?

 

[RickshawFan]

I have been thinking that AOS's computer system and business was mainly a delusion on his part, but just now I wondered if he had a setup going for bitcoin mining. Does anyone know what kind of software Schmidt was engineering?

Someone mentioned bitcoin mining upthread. I was thinking of something evil, dark webbish, like manufacturing/distributing the kind of stuff Josh Duggar is imprisoned for. And his target might have been a child?

 

[RickshawFan]

Is she saying that she and her husband encouraged their son to bring his gun on the trip?? Sheesh.

Didn't we read they have a bunch of guns and brought several on the trip?

 

[PacoElFlaco]

Someone mentioned bitcoin mining upthread. I was thinking of something evil, dark webbish, like manufacturing/distributing the kind of stuff Josh Duggar is imprisoned for. And his target might have been a child?

Looking like a very believable theory now that we know A. Sherwin murdered the little girl up close and personal with his bare hands, B. he left "physical evidence in the tent" and C. the authorities are withholding further info in respect of the victims' family. They do that when something unspeakable happens.

 

[PacoElFlaco]

Snipped for focus.

Maybe he was just taking a "continuing ed" funsie class? A month or so? I have a feeling he wasn't a "regular" student. There's no record of him anywhere going to school or university?

I have a hunch he was home-schooled for most of his life. About his online class, all I know is that his dad was a professor at the college offering the course.

 

[vls12345]

Didn't we read they have a bunch of guns and brought several on the trip?

I only ever saw a quote saying "guns".

If they brought the one that was locked up plus the ghost gun, that meets the definition of "guns".

MOO.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

The answer to this must lie in undiagnosed mental illness. Surely there is no sane motive for something like this.

My guess is paranoid schizophrenia. It usually strikes in the early 20s. Sufferers can seem relatively normal on the surface, but inside are seething with fears and hatreds, usually focused on a totally innocent subject.

Given the Sherwins' statements about Anthony's computer business (which I think are delusions Anthony fed to his parents) and his making of the ghost gun for "security" coupled with the malfunction of his computer system while they were at the campsite, Sherwin may have seen or overheard the young Schmidt boy, Arlo, (also a computer enthusiast) talking about computers or using his own laptop and then Sherwin became deluded that the Schmidts had somehow sabotaged his computer system. He probably decided to attack them at dawn "in retribution". Maybe Arlo was at the restroom or managed to escape during the struggle.

Sometimes criminality is just criminality. I'd like to request that we not assume mental illness when there has been no evidence of it. People with schizophrenia are more likely the victims, not the perpetrators in violent crime. I fear that jumping to conclusions about cold-blooded murderers being schizophrenic continues to stigmatize mental illness. If it's true, then let's talk about it. But if it's not, then we've amplified the stigmatization for no reason at all.

 

[RickshawFan]

I have a hunch he was home-schooled for most of his life. About his online class, all I know is that his dad was a professor at the college offering the course.

Minor: since it is a community college, he technically wouldn't be a professor. Community colleges usually have a whole menu of courses-for-fun. You can also take a regular class for funsies: I've taken many. I guess I'm saying that I don't think we can assume AOS was a student in the sense of degree-seeking, and mom calling him a "student" might be overstating casual learning.

 

[RickshawFan]

Is she saying that she and her husband encouraged their son to bring his gun on the trip?? Sheesh.

There is a lot of conflicting information on the guns. The Yahoo article quotes AOS' mom as saying, in the matter of a few sentences, that AOS had an obsession with guns, had guns, they would allow him to build a gun, and they thought it was a great idea to bring one on this trip.

I'm not able to find the source (maybe Des Moines Register, now behind a paywall?): didn't mom say they owned many guns?

Autopsies reveal Maquoketa state park victims died of gunshots, stab wounds, strangulation

The alleged shooter, Anthony Sherwin, 23, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the medical examiner. Authorities say he acted alone.

news.yahoo.com

 

[RickshawFan]

She said that after the family was infected with COVID-19 in April, "we began having health issues. We also had neurological problems we were hoping and praying would work themselves out." She did not share more about those issues.

Snipped for focus....

I find this a very strange thing to say: "we had neurological problems". Who's we? Does she actually mean AOS? That his behavior got weird after COVID? Does it mean she and her husband? Does it mean all 3? Does she really mean neurological problems or is she using the wrong word?
You don't usually have a collective with neurological problems IME: it's an individual thing.

 

[RickshawFan]

I only ever saw a quote saying "guns".

If they brought the one that was locked up plus the ghost gun, that meets the definition of "guns".

MOO.

The ghost gun was in the box.
I've gotta find this..... IIRC it was in an email from mom to the Des Moines Register, and is now behind a paywall.

 

[WingsOverTX]

The ghost gun was in the box.
I've gotta find this..... IIRC it was in an email from mom to the Des Moines Register, and is now behind a paywall.

That's my understanding. They brought one gun to the park that CS said was in a secure container. So that has to be the ghost gun. They may own other weapons but I'm not sure it matters if those weapons were not involved in these crimes.
MOO

 

[vls12345]

This article has more info than I have seen in some, including that it was a 9mm gun and that the 9 year old had initially been in the tent but managed to escape....

Investigators reveal information around the attack and weapons used in Maquoketa Cave Park triple homicide

MAQUOKETA, Iowa (KWWL)- Additional information surrounding the attack and weapons used to kill a Cedar Falls family at Maquoketa Cave State Park has been released by the Iowa DCI.

www.kwwl.com

And @RickshawFan , the article includes:

"This was not the only weapon the Sherwins were traveling with.

"There were other weapons with the Sherwin family," Mortvedt said. "Whether they were registered or who they were registered to, that I don't know. "

 

[airportwoman]

I'd like to know what that "secure container" was. I'm guessing it was about as secure as a Ziploc bag.

 

[vls12345]

I'd like to know what that "secure container" was. I'm guessing it was about as secure as a Ziploc bag.

Even if it was secure, I feel like AS would have had full access to it anyway based on things his mother has said. The parents didn't see a problem with him building a ghost gun, they didn't see any issues with him (that they admit) and he was a legal adult. So I am guessing he had as much access as his parents did. The "secure" part was probably meant to keep others out.

MOO.

 

[kccorona]

That's my understanding. They brought one gun to the park that CS said was in a secure container. So that has to be the ghost gun. They may own other weapons but I'm not sure it matters if those weapons were not involved in these crimes.
MOO

BBM-
“With no sign as to why, before six in the morning, Sherwin took one of the multiple firearms his family was traveling with and went to the Schmidt's campsite. There, he entered the family's tent and began the attack.” Source

Also, the above quote is interesting in that it sort of establishes a timeline.. and if it’s accurate, it certainly makes it feel like AS went directly to the Schmidt’s tent with the intent to harm. So terrible.

 

[kccorona]

All of the below quotes are from same article- Investigators reveal information around the attack and weapons used in Maquoketa Cave Park triple homicide

“What weapon Sherwin used to create the stab wounds on the Schmidt's is one piece of information that's being withheld. Mortvedt confirmed it was the same weapon for all the stabbing wounds but he would not go into any more detail.”

What would be the reason they would withhold this information? Any ideas?

“Police say their investigation found no indication of a violent or criminal record. However out of respect to the family, the DCI says with Sherwin dead there's a limit to what details they will reveal. … The investigation is still ongoing, but the DCI says there will likely be little more revealed to the public.”

I wonder how much more AS’s mother will talk to reporters. Seems she’s already doing quite a bit of corresponding and sharing with the media. The same article also confirmed there will be no prosecution of anyone, or rather no criminal action taken in this case. I think it had been discussed earlier here whether or not AS’s parents held any liability for what happened. I do suppose there could be some civil action at some point but I have no clue if there’s a proper case for that here, just thinking out loud.

 

[OneLove]

Snipped for focus....

I find this a very strange thing to say: "we had neurological problems". Who's we?

Snipped for brevity.

You don't usually have a collective with neurological problems IME: it's an individual thing.

Yeah, if this mom is referring to her son as "we", she most likely was overly enmeshed in his life. His problems may even have been tied to her enmeshment. She may even have intentionally sabotaged his independence & is now in deep shock & denial.

The mom I know that I mentioned in an earlier post is way too enmeshed in her 27 year-old son's life & he is so dependent on her now that he can't function in life outside of their home. At 14, she would not let him spread his own peanut butter on a sandwich because "only she could do it the way he likes". He's still that incapacitated yet she claims he's brilliant (because he's "so good" at gaming online). She *needs* him to be totally dependent on her I think. Didn't Adam Lanza's mom also? And if the 27 year old I know ever quit making overt homicidal threats along the way, we have no idea whether he just keeps that contained (so far) to his online community these days, whatever that might be. There are so many gullible parents who just believe whatever their kids say about their online activities.

Eta: It is possible, though, that AS suffered with depression or any number of "neurological" issues that just weren't adequately addressed by medical professionals for whatever reason. For many people prone to depression, the isolation of the last few years have been devastating, especially at AS's age where most are becoming independent self-supporting adults & having fun with others in the same approximate age group.

 

[WingsOverTX]

BBM-
“With no sign as to why, before six in the morning, Sherwin took one of the multiple firearms his family was traveling with and went to the Schmidt's campsite. There, he entered the family's tent and began the attack.” Source

Also, the above quote is interesting in that it sort of establishes a timeline.. and if it’s accurate, it certainly makes it feel like AS went directly to the Schmidt’s tent with the intent to harm. So terrible.

Thanks for clarifying. Sorry I brought misinformation into the thread. I need to keep up better.

Parents are beginning to sound even stranger - multiple weapons? For what purpose if not hunting?

Yes, an absolutely horrifying crime!

 

[realanastasia]

All of the below quotes are from same article- Investigators reveal information around the attack and weapons used in Maquoketa Cave Park triple homicide

“The Schmidt's nine year old son Arlo was also in the tent when Sherwin entered. Police say at this time, they aren't revealing exact details they say he was able to escape unharmed.”

Good lord, poor Arlo wasn’t in the bathroom or out of the tent when the attack began—he actually managed to get out of the tent.