American Father Kills Wife and 4 Adopted Children from Korea

American Father Kills Wife and 4 Adopted Children from Korea

A white male in his 40s, indicted for embezzling from the bank that he worked for, killed himself, his wife, and their four adopted Korean children in Iowa City, Iowa.

According to the local media and city police, his wife, Sheryl Sueppel (42), Ethan (10), Seth (7), Mira (5), and Eleanor (3) were found dead in their house.

After receiving a call from a man alleged to be Steven Sueppel (42), police went to the house and found the bodies and two bats, which are suspected of been used to beat the children.

Five minutes after the call, the body of a white male was found in vehicle 14 km away from the crime scene. The vehicle had caught on fire after it hit a median strip on a highway.

At a press conference on Mar. 25, the police announced that after first killing his wife, Sueppel tried to kill himself and his adopted children with carbon monoxide in the garage. When that failed, he beat his children to death and then committed suicide.

Authorities also said that Sheryl was found in the inner room, two children on the second floor, the third in a basement bedroom, and the fourth in a basement playroom.

Steven Sueppel left a six-page note in the kitchen. He repeatedly wrote, “I am sorry,” and left a voice message on his brother’s mobile phone, saying, “My family will be in heaven.”

According to the FBI, Sueppel was indicted in February for embezzlement of 560,000 dollars. He worked as a vice-president at Hills Bank & Trust.

He admitted to the charges and was released on bail of 250,000 dollars. His trial was scheduled for Apr. 21 and he could have been sentenced up to 30 years imprisonment.

The Sueppels went to church every week with their children and attended Easter Mass on Mar. 23. Mira, who was their third-adopted child, would have celebrated her sixth birthday the next day.

The wife is known to have quit her teaching job to focus on raising her children. Neighbors said only several months had passed since the adoption process for one of the children had been completed.

A person who attends the same church said, “The couple expressed special affection for their adopted children by showing off the pictures of their children even before they were adopted. They really seemed to love them with their whole heart.”