Zeuthen

AMES — A Marshalltown man has been charged with first degree murder in connection with the death of a child at an Ames residence in November of 2024.

According to a criminal complaint, the Ames Police Department responded to a call for a child not breathing on Nov. 4, 2024, and 24-year-old Tyler Lee Zeuthen of Marshalltown was identified as the sole caregiver for the child at the time of the medical emergency. Paramedics arrived at the scene and attempted lifesaving measures, and the child was transported to Mary Greeley Medical Center before later being pronounced deceased.

“Officers and Mary Greeley Medical Center staff noted various bruises on the child’s body. An autopsy of the child indicated the child sustained fatal internal injuries determined by a physician to be caused by acute abdominal blunt force trauma,” the report reads.

A warrant for Zeuthen’s arrest on charges of first degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death was issued on Oct. 1, 2025, and he was arrested on Oct. 24. He is currently being held in the Story County Jail on a $2 million bond, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 4 at 1 p.m.