In Muscatine, Iowa, community members came together on a football field Tuesday evening to pay tribute to a mother and five siblings who died in a case of domestic violence. As the sun set, Muscatine Police Chief Tony Kies identified the victims as Lisa McFarland, 51; Dakota Whitlow, 32; Austin Harris, 29; Ryle McFarland, 20; Mark McFarland, 16; and Ryan McFarland Jr., 13.
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During the vigil, Johnathan McFarland spoke, expressing his sorrow for the loss of his family members, including his father, whom police say committed the murders before taking his own life when confronted by officers. Johnathan shared, “This might hurt some people for me to say. No matter what is being told to me, I will always love and miss my dad.”
Audrey Perdue, fiancee of Dakota Whitlow, also addressed the attendees, highlighting Whitlow’s talents as a metalworker and the potential unfulfilled by all the victims. She said, “My heart is broken as I grieve for the loss of my fiance and the life we had planned together. My heart breaks for everyone left behind to grieve these immeasurable losses.”
Police reported finding four victims at a Muscatine home. The town, with a population of about 24,000, is located around 50 miles southeast of Cedar Rapids. Officers later located Johnathan’s father on a city trail, where he ended his life while speaking with police, according to Chief Kies.
Two other male relatives of McFarland were found shot dead in separate locations within the city. One was discovered in his home, while the other was found in a business. Authorities confirmed McFarland had a criminal record, but details remain undisclosed.
The tragic event marked the sixth family mass killing in the U.S. this year, according to James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University who oversees a database of mass killings with The Associated Press and USA Today. Another incident was recorded near Buffalo, NY, shortly afterward. Mass killings are defined as incidents where four or more people are killed within 24 hours, excluding the perpetrator. So far, there have been 13 such incidents this year.