Jakob Mash, a 20-year-old White man from Perry, Iowa, was found dead from a single gunshot wound to the head near the intersection of K Avenue and 258th Street in rural Adel on December 22, 2020, around 1:30 a.m. Deputies from the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office discovered him after a shooting report, and the death was investigated as a homicide with involvement from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and local agencies.

Investigators focused on a family member as the perpetrator. Prosecutors say Jakob’s uncle, 37-year-old Mark Daniel Mash of rural Adel, believed Jakob was stealing from his property and fired into the vehicle Jakob was in, producing the fatal wound. On the day of the shooting Mark Mash was taken into custody on unrelated charges; he was later charged with first-degree murder and control of a firearm by a domestic abuser. During the investigation Mark Mash made several phone calls after the incident, including to his father and to a police non-emergency line.

Reports state a jury later found Mark Mash guilty and he received a life without parole sentence that was upheld on appeal. If anyone knew Jakob or observed the area around K Avenue and 258th Street that night, please share information that could clarify what happened.