Prelim autopsy done on David Schultz, ‘no signs of trauma’

Schultz’s brown Wrangler boots with blue on the soles were how the 53-year-old’s body was identified, after it was found lying face up in a field roughly 1 1/2 miles from where his semi-tractor trailer loaded with hogs was discovered abandoned over five months ago.

“He always wore them in the summer and the winter, it didn’t matter. He didn’t wear work boots, just always cowboy boots and jeans,” Sarah Schultz said of her husband, as she stood outside the white, single-story Sac City Motel on Thursday morning, her shoulder-length, wavy, light-brown hair blowing in the wind. “He didn’t like it when truck drivers would wear sweatpants and flip-flops. To him, that’s just appalling. It’s disgusting. He does not respect that. He feels like he’s representing the trucking community.” 

Schultz said she has felt relief and sorrow, since she learned her husband’s body had been discovered by a farmer in his freshly tilled field. The unidentified man found the body shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday in the vicinity of the intersection of Union Avenue and 190th Street in rural Sac County, northeast of Sac City, according to the Iowa Division of Criminal investigation (DCI). 

“I’m glad we know where he is,” Schultz said. “There’s still a lot of questions. You know, things just don’t make sense.”

Late Thursday afternoon, the DCI announced in a statement that the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner conducted a forensic autopsy on the body and positively identified it as that of Schultz through dental records. 

“Schultz was located in a farm field in the 1900 block of Union Ave. in Sac County. Preliminary autopsy results show no signs of trauma or serious injury. Further autopsy test results are pending. Authorities do not suspect foul play in the death of Schultz,” the statement said. 

Schultz, a married father of 10-year-old twin boys, vanished before Thanksgiving. He was last heard from in the early morning hours of Nov. 21, according to the Lake View Police Department. His red Peterbilt semi with white stripes was found that afternoon parked in the middle of the northbound lane of County Road N-14 (Union Avenue), not far from where it intersects with D-15 (190th Street). The trailer he rents was loaded with pigs, but Schultz was nowhere to be found on that stretch of paved roadway, which is flanked by cornfields.

“I can’t think of any reason why he would have walked a mile and a half out into the middle of a field and laid down, and taken his coat off, and shut his truck down for the day,” Schultz said of her husband. “Things don’t add up, don’t line up. I suspect foul play.”

From what she understands, Schultz said her husband’s body was found on its back, clad in a T-shirt, which was pulled up. She said law enforcement didn’t show her a photo of the cowboy boots, but she said they were the same brand her husband always wore.

“He had underwear on, and I think his jeans were down. His cowboy boots were on, I think,” she said. “I know they identified him by the boots, because the last time he went and bought boots, he bought two pairs of the exact same ones. I gave the sheriff one of the newer boots to have for comparison.”

Jake Rowley of the United Cajun Navy said Schultz’s body was found in the original two-mile radius that he had been told law enforcement searched. He said the United Cajun Navy, a nonprofit search and rescue organization which scoured more than 100,000 acres in and around Sac County looking for Schultz, didn’t search that particular area. Schultz added that she recalled a thermal imaging drone from the Iowa Department of Transportation flying over.

“That original area was just marked green out of the gate, because, from my understanding, it had been searched by professionals,” said Rowley, who asserted that raises “baffling questions” about whether Schultz’s body was there the entire time.

The DCI could not be reached by The Journal Thursday morning and the Sac County Sheriff’s office referred The Journal to the DCI.

Neither Schultz nor Rowley has viewed the body. Schultz has trouble grasping how her husband’s body wasn’t just bones, given the length of time that has passed since his disappearance and the relatively mild winter Northwest Iowa experienced. She said she “had a feeling” her husband would be found when the farmers would be readying their fields.

“I can’t believe it wasn’t just bones by now, knowing there’s animals, vultures, coyotes. And, what they made it sound, nothing was missing. It wasn’t just bones, so I don’t understand,” she said.

Schultz regularly posted updates on her Facebook page about her husband’s case. She previously called his disappearance “suspicious” and said, “This is not something David would do. He would never leave. His family is his life.” During a Dec. 14 interview with The Journal, Schultz expressed frustration with local law enforcement and said she felt the case was more than “small-town police” can handle.

When asked how she currently feels about how the investigation into her husband’s disappearance was handled, Schultz said, “I don’t really want to talk about that.”

Schultz, who works as a safety coordinator for EVAPCO in Lake View, said she learned her husband’s body had been found from her boss. She said he “tricked” her into going for a car ride. Since it was such a nice day out, she got into his truck. As he drove, they talked about “work stuff.” 

“I didn’t understand it all until we got to about my house, and he grabbed my hand and said, ‘I know you’ve been through a lot this year. The sheriff called and he wants to meet at your house to talk to you.’ So I knew,” Schultz said, her voice quaking and her eyes filling with tears.