On March 12, 2025, at about 2:01 a.m., 16-year-old Cary Duke Titus Griffin of Fort Madison, Iowa, was found at a residence at 505 10th St. suffering from a single gunshot wound to his upper torso. He was taken to Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center but was pronounced dead. An autopsy was scheduled at the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner to determine the official cause of death.

Griffin was a sophomore at Fort Madison High School and remembered for his interest in basketball, video games, skating, and playing guitar. A multi-agency investigation involving the Fort Madison Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Lee County Attorney’s Office is underway. Authorities have said there is no ongoing threat to the community, and investigators were awaiting Iowa Crime Lab analyses as of early June 2025. No arrests have been announced and no suspects publicly identified.

Anyone who knew Cary or has information about the March 12 shooting is asked to come forward with tips.