On a tragic winter morning, two days after Christmas in 2014, the life of 12-year-old Liesel Casto was cut short in a hunting accident near her home in rural Traer, Iowa. The young, White female was preparing to go hunting with others on Saturday, December 27, when the incident occurred.
Liesel was a seventh-grade student at GMG in Garwin, where she was remembered as a very special girl who was missed by her classmates and teachers. An active member of the Tama County Young Guns 4-H Club, she had a passion for horses and enjoyed showing them at the Tama County Fair, earning the Junior Showmanship Award in 2014. She also played the flute in the school band and participated in a state archery shoot.
The circumstances of her death were heartbreakingly accidental. At around 7:40 a.m., authorities from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Tama County Sheriff's Department responded to a report of a hunting accident. The investigation determined that Liesel was fatally struck by a bullet from a muzzleloader rifle. Further reports indicated that her teenage brother had stumbled while carrying the muzzleloader, causing it to discharge. The shot went through the open doors of their truck and hit Liesel.
Her death was the first hunting fatality reported in Iowa during the 2014 season. The incident was widely viewed as a tragic and freak accident within the community, where hunting is a common way of life. No criminal charges were filed in connection with her death. She is survived by her parents and a brother.
