By Emma James For Dailymail.Com
Published: 15:37 BST, 27 July 2022 | Updated: 17:14 BST, 27 July 2022
A boy who watched his entire family be slaughtered by a complete stranger on a camping trip will have a 'lifetime of trauma' – as the suspected gunman's mother has defended her son.
Sarah and Tyler Schmidt, both 42, and their daughter Lula, 6, were shot dead as they slept inside their tent at around 6.30am on July 22 in Maquoketa Caves State Park in Maquoketa, Iowa.
Arlo Schmidt, 9, is the sole survivor of the horror incident, with his aunt Jana Morehouse saying that he has a 'lifetime of trauma' ahead of him.
Police believe Anthony Sherwin, 23, from La Vista, in Nebraska, shot himself after the murders but admitted that they may never know the motive behind the slayings.
Little Arlo ran for help after his parents and little sister were shot dead, bumping into Sherwin's mother, Cecelia Sherwin, who was also at the camp site and told her that a man dressed in black had killed his family.
Officers believe that the family had no prior contact with Sherwin before the killings, with Cecelia claiming that the family were legally travelling with a gun which was locked in a secure container.
Sherwin's mother has refused to accept that her son is responsible for the triple-killings, claiming that she believed he was killed by the same person who shot Arlo's family.
Sarah, Tyler and Lula Schmidt were all killed as they sleep in a tent on a family camping trip in Iowa on July 22. Arlo, 9, was the only member of the family to survive the tragedy and will have a 'lifetime of trauma' ahead of him
Little Arlo reportedly ran for help after his parents and little sister were shot dead as they slept, telling the suspected shooters mother, Cecelia Sherwin, that a man dressed in black had killed his family
Little Arlo, pictured with his sister Lula, was the only survivor of the horror incident on July 22. He said a gunman, dressed in black, had shot and killed his whole family after he managed to escape
Family members of the Schmidt's say that they are prepared to accept that some questions will go unanswered. That includes why the suspect would carry out such an attack
Friends and family have paid tribute top the ’beautiful’ family, with Little Details Photography sharing several sweet snaps of the ‘kindest and most loving people.’
His Aunt Jana said that her nephew was staying 'strong', with a fundraising page for Arlo raising more than $236,000 dollars in four days, which will be put into a trust fund for him.
It is unclear if Arlo was in the same place as his sister and parents when they were murdered, and further information about how he was spared has not emerged.
Posting online Jana said: '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.
'Sarah, Tyler, and Lula were not political pawns. They were a family, on vacation, and had everything ahead of them.
'I cannot fathom that she will no longer be on the other side of the phone. I cannot fathom that I don't get to see Lula grow up.
'I want people to know that Sarah, and Tyler, and Lula meant everything to our family, and we don't know how we are going to continue.'
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said that Sherwin had no contact with the family before he shot them dead.
Parents Sarah and Tyler Schmidt, both 42, and their daughter Lula, 6, were shot and killed on Friday morning. Police say that Sherwin did not know the family, and that they may never know the motive for the shooting
Anthony Sherwin, 23, of Nebraska, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police believe Sherwin shot the Schmidts at a Maquoketa Caves State Park campground before turning the weapon on himself
The family said that Lula, Sarah and Tyler were all 'victims of a random act of violence while camping as a family', and have left Arlo with 'two sides of a family which love him very much'
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said that Sherwin had no contact with the family before he shot them dead. Sarah's brother confirmed that the family did not know the attacker at al
The couple were neighbor's of Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green, who urged the community to support their son Arlo. A fundraising page for him has raised more than $236,000 dollars in four days, which will be put into a trust fund
A trust fund has been set up for Arlo, the sole survivor of the tragic incident on July 22, with hundreds of thousands of people coming out in support for him
The campgrounds were cleared following the shooting as police searched for Sherwin, whose body was found just west of the campground
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Iowa DCI Assistant Director Mitch Mortvedt added that 'sometimes motives aren't revealed or discovered' saying that they had no information that would lead them to a motive in this case.
Police did not say whether or not Sherwin had a permit to carry a gun and did not disclose any information about the firearm used in the shootings.
Adam Morehouse, the brother of Sarah Schmidt, says the family did not know the attacker at all, telling WHBF-TV: 'We didn't know the suspect. The suspect didn't know us. We don't know of any interaction that occurred.
'It was simply this individual woke up this morning and decided to pick a tent and walk into that tent where my sister and her family were sleeping and never got a chance to wake up.'
The family says they're prepared to accept that some questions will go unanswered. That includes why the suspect would carry out such an attack.
Sherwin had been visiting the campsite with his parents and was the only person unaccounted for after the killings prompted the park to be evacuated.
His mother Cecilia told the Omaha World-Herald that Arlo had described the killer as wearing black, but claimed that her son had been wearing green.
She said: 'He gave us no warning that he was planning anything of this sort. Anthony was not capable of this sort of violence.
Police did not say whether or not Sherwin had a permit to carry a gun and did not disclose any information about the firearm used in the shootings
Officials are unsure if Sherwin had any connection to the victims as no evidence has been discovered so far that the 23-year-old ever interacted with the family
Sherwin had been visiting the campsite with his parents and was the only person unaccounted for after the killings prompted the park to be evacuated
A tribute to the three family members was painted on a glass front in Cedar Falls, Iowa, to ma
Cecelia Sherwin, Anthony's mother, claims that she alerted police to her son's disappearance because she thought he had been murdered by the person who attacked the family
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It is unclear if Arlo was in the same place as his sister and parents when they were murdered, and further information about how he was spared has not emerged
'He was a good son, exceptional student and aspiring businessman. We cooperated fully with the police and investigative team from the get-go.
'We told them our son was missing and thought he was murdered. Instead the story developed into him being the suspect and that was not our intention.
'I didn't think we had any tears left but we still find ourselves breaking down and care deeply for the little boy and the loss of his family.
'We think Anthony might have sensed trouble and grabbed the gun for safety. 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.'
U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, said in a statement: 'This was a horrifying and senseless act of violence. As we wait to learn more, I join all Iowans in praying for those who lost their lives and our community.
'My team will continue to be in contact with local officials and I am grateful for our law enforcement officers who are working to keep us safe.'
At least Arlo Schmidt knows that Anthony Sherwin w...
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