Wife, 4 children found slain in home

? A woman and her four children were found dead in their home Monday morning, and police later found a sixth body in a burning, wrecked van owned by the woman’s husband – a former bank executive who had been charged with embezzlement.

Iowa City police said they were all but certain that the body in the van was that of the husband, Steven Sueppel. A lockdown for city schools and an alert for the University of Iowa were lifted after the body was found.

Police Sgt. Troy Kelsay wouldn’t release the names of the victims, but he confirmed they were Sueppel’s wife and children, ages 3, 5, 7 and 10. Police said they were found in the unlocked house Monday morning after someone called dispatchers, said officers needed to respond to the home immediately and hung up.

The family’s van crashed and caught fire on Interstate 80 about nine miles from the home. No other vehicles were involved.

“It’s not possible to do an ID short of an autopsy. The fire was that intense,” Kelsay said.