Watch CBS News

Authorities say Iowa mom pulled son, 8, into path of train in murder-suicide

BELLE PLAINE, Iowa — Authorities have concluded that a woman pulled her son onto tracks at a railroad crossing in eastern Iowa, into the path of a train that killed them both.

The Iowa Public Safety Department said Tuesday in a news release that the deaths of 36-year-old Teresa Gerleman and her 8-year-old son, Henry Fields, were the results of a homicide followed by a suicide. 

The department says a security video recorded early on May 4 shows Gerleman and her son waiting near the tracks and crossing them. It shows her returning to the center of the crossing and, at the last moment, pulling the boy to her.

They lived in Belle Plaine.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.