On the evening of October 16, 2016, in a community just outside of Decorah, Iowa, the life of 41-year-old Sarah Szabo, a Caucasian female, was tragically cut short. At approximately 6:36 p.m., the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office began receiving multiple 911 calls reporting the sound of gunshots in the vicinity of Dogwood Road. When deputies arrived at the scene, they discovered two deceased individuals with gunshot wounds.
The investigation that followed, a collaborative effort
between the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, pieced together the events of that evening. The investigation involved autopsies, the execution of multiple search warrants, and extensive interviews. The authorities determined that Sarah Szabo died from multiple gunshot wounds, and her death was ruled a homicide. The second deceased individual was identified as 55-year-old Craig Freilinger.
The evidence gathered during the investigation led authorities to a grim conclusion: the incident was a murder-suicide. It was determined that Freilinger shot and killed Szabo before turning the gun on himself, dying from a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound. Reports indicate that Szabo and Freilinger had been in a relationship that had recently ended. With the perpetrator deceased, the investigation into Szabo's death was concluded, leaving a community to mourn her loss.
