MASON CITY — A Northern Iowa man was jailed Saturday after Mason City police say a welfare check led officers to a deceased woman and a homicide investigation.
According to Mason City police, officers were dispatched at about 10:38 a.m. on June 6, 2026, to 628 3rd Street NE for a welfare check on a female. When officers arrived, the woman was found unresponsive. Medics later determined she was deceased.
Police said further investigation showed the woman did not die from natural causes.
Less than an hour later, at about 11:14 a.m., officers conducted a traffic stop in the 400 block of 7th Street SW. The driver, identified as 75-year-old Steven Stotts (pictured at top), who lives at 628 3rd Street NE, was detained as a person of interest.
Stotts was later charged with first-degree murder and taken to the Cerro Gordo County Jail, where he was held.
Police said there is no ongoing threat to the public in Mason City.
The investigation remains active. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Mason City Police Department at 641-421-3636.
Mason City police were assisted by the Mason City Fire Department, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Iowa DCI Crime Laboratory and the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Stotts is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
“More information will be released next week, including deceased person’s name,” said Chief of Police Mike McKelvey.”
In an update released on June 9, MasonCity police said:
On June 6, 2026, at about 1038 hours, Mason City Police were dispatched to 628 3rd St NE for a welfare check on a female. Upon arrival, the female, Julie Ann Helfrich, age 58, was found unresponsive, and medics determined she was deceased. At about 1114 hours, officers performed a traffic stop in the 400 block of 7th St SW. Officers detained the driver Steven Stotts, age 75, who lives at 628 3rd St NE, as a person of interest. Stotts was later charged with 1st Degree Murder and taken to the Cerro Gordo County Jail where he is being held on $750,000 cash only bond. This is an ongoing investigation.”