Police: 'I'm not certain that a firearm was ever involved'

Police: 'I'm not certain that a firearm was ever involved'

IOWA CITY Police were searching for a man after finding the body of his wife and four children in a home on Iowa City's east side on Monday morning, authorities said.

Dispatchers got a call at 6:31 a.m. saying officers needed to respond to 629 Barrington Road immediately, then the caller hung up. Officers arrived to the unlocked house, then entered and found the five bodies inside, according to a news release from the Iowa City Police Department.

Authorities said they were not able to locate the adult male resident, Steven Sueppel, and that the family's van was missing.

Court records show that Sueppel was indicted by a grand jury last month on charges of stealing about $560,000 from the bank where he worked.

"Given the nature of the call, and the fact that Steven Sueppel was recently charged with embezzlement ... there was some concern for the safety of the occupants," Sgt. Troy Kelsay told The Associated Press, when asked why they entered the house.

Police didn't specify how the family was killed. Initial alerts said there had been a shooting at the home, but Kelsay said that further investigation shows the deaths could be the result of some other trauma.

"I'm not certain that a firearm was ever involved. Nobody reported hearing any shots fired," he said.

Police noted that about nine miles from the home, there was a single, fatal vehicle crash on Interstate 80, possibly involving the family's van. The vehicle caught fire and officers were having a difficult time identifying it and the person inside, according to the news release.

The scene at the home was wrapped in crime tape, and an ambulance was in the home's driveway.

Kelsay said that the slayings do not appear to be a random crime, and the investigation was focusing on Steven Sueppel.

"It's certainly a tragedy, whoever is responsible for it," he said. "... This does not appear to be a random crime. It appears that possibly it is the work of Steven Sueppel."

Students and faculty at the University of Iowa received text and telephone messages early Monday warning that there was an active shooter in the Iowa City area. The message said police were looking for a white man in his 40s, driving a 1998 tan Toyota Sienna minivan with Iowa license plate number 501 BLO.

Iowa City schools were under lockdown as a precautionary measure, but the district resumed normal operation later Monday morning.

According to court records, Sueppel was charged with one count of embezzlement of bank funds and six counts of money laundering while serving as the vice president and controller of Hills Bank and Trust in Johnson County.

Authorities said the alleged thefts occurred between July 2000 and September 2007.

Sueppel, 42, pleaded not guilty to the charges in U.S. District Court and was released on a $250,000 personal bond. The government was also seeking the forfeiture of the money he was accused of stealing.

His trial was scheduled for April 21.

Sueppel's attorney in that case, Leon Spies, said he had heard of the deaths.

"I had great affection for Steve and his family. This is an unimaginable professional and personal tragedy for a lot of people," he said.

Associated Press writers Amy Lorentzen, Melanie S. Welte and David Pitt in Des Moines contributed to this report.