IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The trucker found shot to death inside his semi at a rest stop early Wednesday has been identified as 60-year-old Ernest D. Kummer of Monroe, Iowa.
Authorities say Kummer was shot and killed by 43-year-old Mariana Lesnic at the westbound Interstate 80 rest area near Victor.
Kummer was an employee of Fridley, Minnesota-based Copeland Trucking, where he had worked since 2010. A company official said it wouldn’t comment on the “horrific event” at the request of Kummer’s family.
Iowa County Sheriff Rob Rotter said Thursday his office and the Division of Criminal Investigation are continuing to search for answers in the case, including a possible motive.
Lesnic has been charged with first-degree murder and is being held at the Iowa County jail in Marengo on a $1 million cash-only bond.