Daily Iowan

Issue date: 3/24/08 Section: Latest News

Media Credit: Whitney Wright/The Daily Iowan Police are looking into the deaths of five people at 629 Barrington Road. The police were responding to a cell phone call received at 6:31 a.m. today. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Beth Skogen/The Daily Iowan A minivan crashed into a highway sign support pillar in the median of Interstate 80 this morning. According to police, the vehicle may be a minivan reported missing from an Iowa City murder scene in which five people were killed. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Beth Skogen/The Daily Iowan A burned out minivan on Interstate 80, possibly a vehicle missing from an Iowa City murder scene. One immediately unidentifiable body was found in the wreckage. [Click to enlarge]

Police confirmed that a van found in a single-fatality crash on I-80 belongs to Steven Sueppel, whose family was found killed this morning in Iowa City.

Authorities reported finding four children and one woman, Sueppel's wife, Sheryl, at their 629 Barrington St. home this morning.

County dispatch received a call at 6:31 a.m. saying that authorities needed to respond immediately to the residence.

Three minutes later, authorities received a report of a single-fatality vehicle crash on I-80 near West Branch. That car, the Sueppels' tan Toyota Sienna, was charred and burned in the accident, according to a police report. Because of severe burns, police have not been able to identify the driver.

Police said they are looking for Sueppel, the former vice president of Hills Bank. Police haven't confirmed whether Sueppel is a suspect and are releasing little information at the moment. Federal and state investigators are also looking into the case.

Sueppel is currently under investigation for embezzlement, allegedly stealing $560,000 from 2000 to 2007. He allegedly admitted to stealing more than $219,000 and using most of it to buy cocaine, according to a search warrant.

Although initial reports referenced an "active shooter," Iowa City police Sgt. Troy Kelsay said it is likely a gun was not involved.

"I am unconvinced a firearm was involved," he said, adding that he responded to the scene.


( Video: Crash scene and crime scene )

Video in QuickTime format, click here for free player download

Though authorities have not linked Sueppel to the murders, both Hills Bank and Meardon, Sueppel, and Downer - the law firm where Sueppel's father and brother practice - were on lock down.

At 8:05 a.m., the UI community was alerted to a shooter in Iowa City via HawkAlert. UI officials later said students weren't in danger and should go to class.

Three of the killed children reportedly attended Longfellow Elementary School, 1130 Seymour Ave. The other girl, either 3 or 4 years old, was too young to attend, neighbors said. Iowa City Community School District officials didn't immediately return calls for comment.

Neighbor Robert Russell, who stood watching police outside of the Sueppel household Monday morning was stunned at the news.

"I didn't know him well," he said. "A handshake, a wave. He was really friendly, a nice guy. Everyone in this neighborhood is nice."

Later, UI spokesman Steven Parrott said when the incident has concluded, the administration will analyze whether it made the right decision in using the HawkAlert

"This is something we're going to need to work on as we go on," he said. "It's better to be safe than sorry, but we don't want to be the boy who cried wolf too many times. We don't regret what we did."

Currier officials, who asked not to be named, told students on Monday morning to avoid traveling on main roads. While the UI didn't officially lock down residence halls, some residence assistants did.

Sueppel had a trial date set for April 21 after he pleaded not guilty Feb. 20 to embezzlement and money-laundering charges, his Iowa City attorney, Leon Spies, said that day.

Sueppel had been released on a $250,000 signature bond, Spies said.

DI reporters Kurtis Hiatt, Brian Stewart, & Zhi Xiong contributed to this report.

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Where the shootings occurred:


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