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'We're just hopeful folks can heal' | Visitors return to Maquoketa Caves

The Iowa state park reopened Thursday morning as the shooting investigation continues at the campground.

MAQUOKETA, Iowa — Visitors are once again enjoying the natural wonders of Maquoketa Caves State Park. 

The park reopened at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 28, just six days after the fatal shooting of the Schmidt family. Currently, visitors are allowed day access only, as the campgrounds remain indefinitely closed while the investigation into last Friday's shooting continues.

RELATED: Victims, suspect identified after Maquoketa Caves State Park triple-homicide

Farming couple Allen and Glenna Plath visited Maquoketa today as part of a tour to several Iowa parks. They already stopped by Hickory Grove, Lake McBride, and Wapsipinicon State Parks, and were planning on a two-day stay at the Maquoketa Caves campgrounds.

"Course on our way, we heard the terrible news and that things were canceled here," Mr. Plath said, "so we had to basically re-plan our whole schedule."

The couple is hopeful that people will soon come back to the state park and that the community can recover from the tragedy.

"It's such a beautiful place to come, and I'm sure there's a lot of nice people here," Mr. Plath said. "We're just hopeful folks can heal and carry on, like most people do after these things."

A temporary memorial site has been set up at the park's entrance sign near the visitor center.

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