NORTHWOOD, IOWA – On September 22, 2013, at about 11:30 pm, a Deputy with the Worth County Sheriff’s Department was notified of a possible domestic assault in progress at 208 4th Street North in Northwood, Iowa, by a neighbor who heard a female screaming for help. Deputy Isaac Short responded to the residence where he heard a female yelling and screaming. Deputy Short entered the residence and discovered a male subject, later identified as Michael Zubrod, age 44, severely beating a female victim, later identified as Rhonda Schukei, age 48, with a scissors and hammer and verbally threatening to kill her.
Worth County Deputies Shayne Hoch and John Smith arrived on scene and, along with Deputy Short, attempted to subdue Zubrod utilizing Tasers, which had little to no effect on Zubrod as he continued to try to attack Schukei. All three deputies wrestled Zubrod to the floor and were able to handcuff him in front of his body while Zubrod was kicking at officers. Officers were eventually able to handcuff Zubrod behind his back and applied leg shackles. While Zubrod was handcuffed and lying on the floor, he became unresponsive. Paramedics who had arrived on scene at this time and were tending to Schukei were unable to revive Zubrod.
Rhonda Schukei remains in serious condition at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, at this time with stab wounds and blunt force injuries.
An autopsy has been conducted on Michael Zubrod at the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office. The full autopsy report will not be available until the completion of toxicology tests.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation continues to investigate this incident. Upon the completion of that investigation, the results of that report will be forwarded to the Worth County Attorney’s Office for review.
