The search for missing people Iowa The truck driver met a tragic end Wednesday, as loved ones revealed David Schultz's body was found lying in a field, his cowboy boots still on and his keys in his pocket —details that police used to identify him.
Schultz, 53, disappeared without a trace on November 21 in Sac City, Iowa, where his truck was abandoned, loaded with pigs he planned to deliver to a farm 10 miles away. Police said his keys and phone were left in the rig, and his jacket was found in a nearby ditch.
A months-long search ensued, with his wife, Sarah Schultz, pleading with authorities for answers about her husband's whereabouts. She told Sioux City Magazine now she feels equal parts relief and sadness — happy that her family has some answers, but saddened by the outcome.
“I'm glad we know where he is,” she told him magazine. “There are still many questions. You know, everything is so meaningless.”
David Schultz and his twin sons in this undated photo.
GoFundMe
Iowa authorities said they do not expect any foul play in Schultz's death.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said Thursday it positively identified Schultz using dental records. It remains unclear how he ended up in the rural field near Sac City, more than a mile from where his truck was abandoned on a highway flanked by cornfields.
Schultz is the father of 10-year-old twin boys, his family revealed in a report. GoFundMe the fundraiser had raised $19,000 as of Thursday night. The Lake View Police Department said he was last heard from the morning of his disappearance.
Although foul play was not expected, Sarah Schultz said she did not believe that was the case. She questioned why her husband walked a mile and a half in the Midwestern cold during Thanksgiving week to where he was found dead Wednesday.
“I can't think of any reason why he would walk a mile and a half out into the middle of a field and then lie down, take off his coat, and close the truck door all day,” she told the manager. magazine. “Things don't add up, don't line up. I suspect foul play.”
Sarah Schultz said her husband was found lying on his back, wearing boots and jeans.
Jake Rowley of the United Cajun Navy told magazine that it had scoured more than 100,000 acres in search of Schultz. However, they did not search the area where he was eventually found because police told them they had thoroughly searched a two-mile radius near the abandoned truck.
Sarah Schultz has been regularly posting updates—and begging for answers—to her Facebook for months. In December, she maintained that Schultz was not suicidal.
“This is not something David would do,” she posted. “He will never leave. Family is his life.”
