BELLE PLAINE, IOWA – An Iowa mom killed herself by standing in the path of a train and pulled her son under with her, police say.
The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations has concluded their investigation into the death of a woman and her son at a railroad line. On May 4, 2018, at approximately 4:57 AM, the Belle Plaine Police Department responded to the 9th Street railroad crossing reference a train/pedestrian accident, where a woman and a boy were found deceased.
Based on evidence collected at the Belle Plaine residence of the deceased woman, interviews of Union Pacific Railroad employees, video footage from the Union Pacific engine and a multitude of a sundry interviews, the conclusion is 36-year-old Teresa Catherine Gerleman committed suicide and pulled her eight-year-old son into the path of the train, thus killing him as well. Evidence at the impact site indicates Gerleman waited near the railroad tracks for a Union Pacific train to approach. Gerleman and her son Henry can be seen on video crossing the tracks and as the train draws near, Gerleman returns to the center of the tracks and at the last moment pulls Henry into the path of the train.
Media Contact:
S.A.C. Richard Rahn
563-370-5109-Cell
Previous Press Release – 05/07/2018
Update: Subjects Identified
The subjects involved in the Belle Plaine train/pedestrian accident have been identified as; Teresa Catherine GERLEMAN (age 36) and her son, Henry FIELDS (age 8) both of Belle Plaine, Iowa. The Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner has scheduled the autopsies for the aforementioned on Thursday, May 10, 2018. No additional information will be released pending the autopsy results.
