‘I would take his place:’ grieving mother speaks after son’s death in Highway 218 crash

MT. PLEASANT — A two-vehicle crash north of Mt. Pleasant claimed the life of a 19-year-old Iowa National Guardsman Wednesday afternoon, as details of the tragedy spread quickly — and controversially — across social media before the family could be notified.

At approximately 12:53 p.m. on July 2, a red 2025 Honda Civic traveling southbound on Highway 218 crossed the median for unknown reasons and collided head-on with a northbound 2017 Freightliner semi at mile marker 49, according to an Iowa State Patrol crash report.

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The driver of the Civic, later publicly identified by his mother, Vickie Kautzky, was Marin Michael Rose of Fort Madison. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the semi, 49-year-old Zhengbze Piao of Diamond Bar, California, was not reported injured.

The crash shut down both lanes of Highway 218 for two hours. The northbound lane remained closed for an additional hour as authorities investigated the scene.

Though officials had not yet released the victim’s name pending notification, images and commentary about the crash appeared on Facebook within the hour. A post by Judy Miller in the Southeast Iowa NEWS and SCANNER CHATTER group described the scene as “horrid” and included mention of “people in the ditch covered with sheets.”

The post ignited heated discussion online, as many users criticized the decision to share unverified details and graphic descriptions before families were informed.

“Some things are better left unsaid until the proper time,” one commenter, Michael Frank Lloyd Williams, wrote. “Social media sucks sometimes.”

One of the people scrolling through those comments was Kautzky. She posted frantically beneath the thread.

“Oh gawd, my son was coming home [from] there and I can't get ahold, do you know what color car?????” Kautsky wrote.

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Minutes later, her fear grew.

“He’s not on my Life360 app and not answering,” she commented on the same thread.

Kautzky then went silent — until the following night.

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In a heartbreaking public Facebook post late Thursday, she confirmed what she and her family had come to fear: her son, Marin Rose, was the person killed in the crash.

“He was returning home after serving active duty in the Iowa National Guard, and to our best guess, fell asleep at the wheel and crossed the median, hitting a northbound semi head on,” she wrote.

Kautzky explained the purpose of the post was to lay rumors and second guessing to rest alongside words depicting her heartache.

“If I could take his place, I would,” the post continued. “I wish to not wake up if it meant he was here. We, as a family, are numb. We have cried and laughed and cried together some more.”

Kautzky shared not only his identity but also the sorrow her family feels after losing him. Her post painted a picture of a young man whose presence brought joy — and whose absence is now immeasurable.

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“He will never text me to Venmo ‘a few bucks till I get paid,’” Kautzky wrote. “He will never wrap his arms around me again for the best hug … And if you were lucky enough to get one of those, well, you’d know it was the best hug ever.”

Rose had recently returned from service with the Iowa National Guard’s 1133rd Transportation Company. A 2024 graduate of Fort Madison High School, he was a former football and basketball player, an avid weather enthusiast, and a student at Southeastern Community College.

“He was amazing,” Kautzky told The Southeast Iowa Union. “He would light up a room with his smile and you couldn't ever stay mad at him. Not that you'd have a reason to be, but he had the kindest heart.”

Rose’s funeral will be held Thursday, July 10, at King-Lynk Funeral Home in Fort Madison, with visitation from 3 to 6 p.m., followed by services and military honors.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com