The Iowa City police are searching a white man in his 40s in connection with the killing of four children and a woman. They were found dead on Monday morning inside a house located on Iowa City's east side.

Police found out about the murder that had taken place after dispatchers received an anonymous call at about 6:31 a.m. The person who called was very brief and only said that police needs to get to the address immediately. The caller then hung up according to the statement released by the police department.

When they arrived at the specified address, police officers found the house was unlocked and then discovered the five bodies inside.

"Lots of family needs to be contacted," Iowa City Police Sgt. Troy Kelsay told The Gazette of Cedar Rapids.

Police cordoned off the area near the two-story house and are still looking for the resident of the house. He was identified as Steven Sueppel, former vice president and controller for the Hills Bank & Trust bank.

According to court records, Sueppel was indicted on federal charges Feb. 12 for embezzlement and money laundering in connection with almost $560,000 missing from the bank where he was working. The 42-year-old pleaded not guilty.

The family’s van was missing and, according to the police report, it might have been involved in a crash on Interstate 80 about nine miles from the murder scene. Investigators couldn’t identify the driver yet because the vehicle caught fire because of the crash, the department said in a statement.

Police didn’t give details regarding the way the five people were killed, but according to media reports they had been shot.

Several warnings had been issued across the city. The University of Iowa was warned through text and telephone that there is an active shooter in town, while public schools were shut down as a precaution.