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Body of a missing western IA man is found, according to his family

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April 24th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

UPDATED 7:22-p.m., w/a statement from the Iowa Department of Public Safety: SAC COUNTY, Iowa – Shortly before 2:00 p.m. on April 24, 2024, the Sac County Sheriff’s Office received a call from an individual who reported he discovered a body in his field.  The body was found near the intersection where the semi of missing person David Schultz was located in November 2023. The body is being transported to the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner for a forensic autopsy.

SAC CITY, Iowa (KTIV) – After months of searching, a family member says the body of missing David Schultz has been found. David’s wife, Sarah Schultz, told KTIV in Sioux City, that his body was found in Sac County on Wednesday, April 24. She said her husband was found in a farmer’s field and the Sac County Sheriff’s Office identified him by the boots he was wearing.

The remains were reportedly found 1.5 miles west of where Schultz’ truck was located back when he went missing in November 2023. According to Sarah Schultz, the body is being sent to Iowa State Medical Examiner for official identification.

David Schultz

Fifty-three-year-old David Schultz was a trucker from Wall Lake, Iowa, who was reported missing on Nov. 21, 2023. After his disappearance, law enforcement put together a timeline for his disappearance:

  • David left his home in Wall Lake around 7 p.m. on Nov. 20.
  • He was scheduled to pick up a load of pigs from a hog confinement near Eagle Grove and take them to Sac City.
  • Witnesses confirmed David picked up the livestock and left around 10:50 that night.
    • He was driving his semi-tractor-trailer.
  • Shortly after – investigators say he can be seen on surveillance video at a truck stop east of Fort Dodge.
  • David leaves the stop in his semi and heads west.
  • Cell phone data shows his phone traveled to a rural intersection north of Sac City.
  • Authorities found David’s truck at that intersection the following day – with his cellphone and wallet still inside.
  • David’s wife, Sarah, reported him missing on Nov. 21 after learning he never made it to the drop-off location.

Volunteers and law enforcement spent weeks looking for David, with over 100,000 acres being searched.