Mother and 4 Kids Killed in Iowa Home

A mother and her four children were found dead in their Iowa City home yesterday by police who received an anonymous tip, reports the Daily Iowan. Minutes later, cops responded to a nearby highway crash involving a car belonging to the father of the family, Stephen Sueppel. The dead driver remains unidentified due to severe burns.

Sueppel was under investigation for allegedly embezzling $560,000 from the bank where he worked as vice president, and admitted to stealing more than $219,000 to buy cocaine. "He was really friendly, a nice guy," recalled a neighbor. Three of the dead children attended elementary school, and the fourth was believed to be 3 years old. (More Iowa stories.)