Hi Park enthusiasts, I'm your host, Dilya D. Embra, and the case I'm going to tell you

about today is a recent one.

It's a crime that happened around this time last summer in Makokita Cave State Park in

Iowa.

If you paid attention to the news or scrolled through a social media feed last July, you

know that the murders of Tyler, Sarah, and Lulishmit dominated headlines across America and

overseas.

The brutal slaying of this young family inside their tent caused everyone to take pause and

mourn.

But the murders also made many people reconsider whether to ever go camping with their families

again, and if staying among strangers in the woods was really safe.

The horrific nature of what happened to the Schmitz also fueled the ongoing debate about

second amendment rights in America and what the future of carrying firearms would look

like in the state of Iowa.

The big thing you need to know about Makokita Cave State Park is that it's not some middle

of nowhere destination.

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, it's a very popular state park with

tons of trails, picnic areas, and campgrounds that attract thousands of visitors every year.

It's a go-to place for families who want to get a taste of the great outdoors but who don't

want to be completely off the grid.

The park is about an hour east of the city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is a short drive

away from the banks of the Mississippi River.

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