Police say the killings grew from a domestic dispute in Muscatine.
MUSCATINE, Iowa — A surviving son stood before mourners Tuesday night and named the pain left by a shooting that killed six relatives in Muscatine, where police say the gunman also died after officers found him.
The victims were identified as Lisa McFarland, 51; Dakota Whitlow, 32; Austin Harris, 29; Ryle McFarland, 20; Mark McFarland, 16; and Ryan McFarland Jr., 13. Police said Ryan Willis McFarland, 52, killed them Monday at multiple locations before shooting himself while officers were speaking with him on a city trail.
The case began when officers were called to a Park Avenue home around midday Monday. Police found four victims there. Two other men were later found dead in separate parts of Muscatine, one inside a home and one inside a business. Muscatine Police Chief Tony Kies called the shootings an “act of evil” and said investigators were still working to process evidence and interview witnesses.
At the vigil, Johnathan McFarland said he was grieving his mother, sister and brothers. He also spoke about his father, whom police named as the suspect. “This might hurt some people for me to say,” he said before telling the crowd that he would always love and miss his dad. The words captured the grief and conflict facing a family left with few answers.
Whitlow’s fiancee, Audrey Perdue, told mourners that Whitlow had talent, promise and a future they had planned together. She said her heart was broken for him and for others left to mourn the deaths. The gathering drew community members to a football field as flowers and tributes marked the loss of a mother and five younger relatives.
The shooting reached beyond one household. School officials said two victims were students and two were employees of the Muscatine Community School District. The district made support available as students, teachers and staff returned to buildings touched by the deaths. Muscatine, about 50 miles southeast of Cedar Rapids, is a river city where the killings quickly became a shared public grief.
Police have not released a full motive. Kies said McFarland had a criminal history, but officials did not give details at the first news conference. Investigators are reviewing each site, tracing the order of the shootings and looking for information from people who saw or heard anything before officers arrived.
As of Wednesday, police said the case remained active. The next step is a fuller investigative timeline explaining where the shootings began, how the suspect moved through the city and what evidence police found.
Author note: Last updated June 3, 2026.