On a Wednesday afternoon, July 29, 2026, the life of Justin Emmick, a 49-year-old man from rural Sioux City, Iowa, came to a tragic and violent end on his own property. Emergency services in Plymouth County received a 911 call around 3:10 p.m. reporting a shooting at an acreage located in a rural area near Akron. The caller, 35-year-old Ashley M. Ruhland, directed the first responding deputy to a remote, wooded area of the rugged, 30-acre property, accessible only by an all-terrain vehicle. There, they found Emmick, who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Despite life-saving measures, he was pronounced deceased at the scene. Ruhland, who had been temporarily living at the residence with Emmick, initially told dispatchers that she had shot him in self-defense.
As the investigation unfolded, a different narrative began to emerge, casting doubt on the claim of self-defense. Authorities learned that Ruhland and Emmick had been target shooting together just before the incident. However, the evidence collected at the scene was inconsistent with Ruhland's account. Investigators noted that Emmick had been shot twice, once in the back and once in the head, and that Ruhland had no apparent injuries that would suggest a struggle. It was also revealed that Ruhland was the protected party in an active protection order against Emmick at the time of the shooting. According to court documents, Ruhland had told relatives she wanted a gun for protection and Emmick had agreed to teach her how to shoot it.
Following the initial investigation by the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Ashley M. Ruhland, the original 911 caller, was identified as the person responsible for Emmick's death. She was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder. Court filings alleged she made several statements to law enforcement, including, "It was either him or me," and "I didn't want him to suffer." Ruhland was booked into the Plymouth County Jail and held without bond, with an initial court appearance scheduled for August 10, 2026. The case against Ruhland hinges on the evidence suggesting Emmick was shot from behind, contradicting her self-defense claim. While a protective order was in place, her presence on his property for a target shooting session complicated the narrative, leaving the community to mourn the loss of a man described by his family as a devoted father and a generous, caring person with a hopeful spirit.
