Nine-year-old Arlo Schmidt survived the shooting that killed his mother and father, Sarah and Tyler Schmidt, as well as his six-year-old sister Lola.
The family was killed while camping in a public park in Iowa, United States, he writes Washington Post.
– physically healthy
The Iowa Department of Public Safety said the bodies were found in their tent early Friday.
Whether Arlo was in the tent or at the camp at all is uncertain.
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The family neighbor posted on Facebook the same day the nine-year-old survived and was fine.
The mother’s brother, Adam Morehouse, confirmed that Arlo attended the family’s camping trip, but has no further information about where the boy was at the time of the shooting.
– He is with his family and he is fine, but I did not communicate with him myself. To my knowledge, he was not physically hurt, Morehouse stated.
The suspected perpetrator was found dead in a wooded area with self-inflicted injuries later that day.
Fundraising started
The motive behind the attack is unknown.
Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division, told The Associated Press that the investigation so far has not clarified any previous interactions between the Schmidt family and the suspect.
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In the wake of the tragedy, Arlo’s mother’s cousin created a Gofundme page to raise money for the boy and his future education.
– Arlo is a strong boy, surrounded by family and friends who support him as best we can, as stated on the page.
By Sunday afternoon, the page had received more than $106,000, which is the equivalent of more than 1 million Norwegian kroner.
As a result of the incident, the entire camp site, including the children’s summer camp, was evacuated.
There is no information that anyone else was injured in the attack.