BUCHANAN COUNTY - State investigators say Seth Kehoe, 2, died from sharp force injuries to the neck. His death is now a homicide case, but no one is under arrest nor are charges pending yet.
This bizarre case started Sunday night when Gene Kehoe of Coralville told police his wife and family had disappeared during a drive to visit family in Sumner.
Authorities found the family's van near Littleton after Michelle Kehoe went to a nearby rural home for help. Kehoe and her 7-year-old son suffered serious injuries that required surgery.
Autopsy results came back on Tuesday, but a lot of questions remain. For one, what is a sharp force injury and was there a weapon used? And are charges coming soon?
People living in the area near Littleton have watched investigators come and go from the crime scene for a day and a half. But even those living practically next door to the place the van was found are just speculating about what happened there.
"I'm not going to say or speculate but I mean the community's been told not to worry about any threat or anything," said Jim Kerkov, nearby resident.
Some neighbors are puzzled why Michelle Kehoe and her two children ended up in this remote location.
Some say they've heard her family may have once owned property in this area.
Duane Fox put a video on his electronic blog showing a buggy ride through the area now closed off by investigators.
That's as close as he can get to unraveling this mystery for the moment.
"Just like the rest of us, you're waiting to see what law enforcement says. An explanation of what happened and why? Got to sit here and wait, that's about all we can do," said Duane Fox, nearby resident.
Buchanan County sheriff Bill Wolfgram did give us some updated information moments ago.
Michelle Kehoe and her son Sean are recovering from surgery but he didn't have an exact condition. Nor could he tell us when to expect any new developments in the case, including charges.
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| Michelle Kehoe, Sean Kehoe, Seth Kehoe, and Eugene Kehoe. Christmas card Cory Rath received from the family shortly after the day of the rescue. (Cory Rath) |
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| The marker indicates where police barricades are set up. Click for interactive map. |
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| Police have set up a barricade at 177th Street and River Rd Blvd. |
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| Authorities told TV9 they were last seen at the Kwikstar in Jesup on Sunday at 12:30 p.m., on the surveillance camera. |
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| Big 10 University Towing pulls a car out of the Iowa River while Gene Kehoe, the car's owner, records them with a video camera in Iowa City on Wednesday, December 19, 2007. Kehoe's wife Michelle was traveling south on Dubuque Street with their two sons. When she became distracted by them the car went into the river. Four men rescued the family from the water. (Lindsay J. Carmack/The Gazette) |
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| Gazette file photo from January 2007 of Michelle Kehoe and son Sean, who was 5 at the time, during an event at the UI Museum of Art. (photo by Laura Schmitt, The Gazette) |
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