In the quiet, rural landscape of Webster County, Iowa, a tragic event unfolded on the evening of January 28, 2024, claiming the life of Phyllis Versteeg, a 63-year-old White female from Fort Dodge. The incident, which also resulted in the death of her daughter, has been characterized by law enforcement as a double murder-suicide.
That Sunday evening, at approximately 7:40 p.m., the Webster County Sheriff's Office received a distressing call from a juvenile reporting that two people had
been shot at a residence located at 2101 140th St. The caller also stated that the suspect had fled the scene on foot. Deputies arrived within minutes to find a grim scene in the garage of the home. Phyllis Versteeg and her 39-year-old daughter, Molly R. Barlow, were discovered with gunshot wounds. Despite immediate life-saving efforts by the deputies and paramedics who arrived shortly after, both women were pronounced dead at the scene.
As law enforcement secured the area, a search for the suspect commenced. It was not long before they located a deceased male, later identified as 41-year-old Duran M. Barlow, the son-in-law of Phyllis Versteeg and husband of Molly Barlow. He was found with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Webster County Sheriff's Office has indicated that there is no ongoing threat to the public in relation to this incident.
The investigation into the deaths of Phyllis Versteeg and Molly Barlow is being handled as an apparent murder-suicide. Duran M. Barlow is considered the primary suspect in the deaths of his wife and mother-in-law. The events of that evening have left a profound impact on the Fort Dodge community, leaving behind the three orphaned daughters of Molly and Duran Barlow. The community has since rallied around the family, offering support and establishing funds to aid the children in the wake of this tragedy.
