The case of missing Iowa trucker David Schultz has officially been closed following the discovery of his body in a Sac County farm field in April 2024. Schultz, 53, was first reported missing on November 21, 2023, after failing to deliver a load of piglets to a buying station in Sac City. His semi-truck was later found abandoned along a rural highway with his phone, wallet, and the animals still inside. His jacket was discovered on the roadside nearby, prompting an extensive search effort that ultimately covered more than 100,000 acres. Despite the scale of the operation, the specific field where his body was eventually located was never searched.
On April 24, 2024, a farmer found Schultz’s body roughly a half-mile from where his truck had been parked. The remains had been concealed by shin-high cornstalk stubble, making them difficult to spot from the road or air. According to the State Medical Examiner, Schultz died from hypothermia in the setting of acute methamphetamine intoxication, and the manner of death was ruled accidental. Investigators concluded that Schultz had been driving nearly 30 hours with little or no rest, and that the combination of extreme fatigue and drug intoxication likely triggered a medical emergency. Authorities believe this led him to walk away from his truck and collapse in the nearby field, where he succumbed to the cold.
Law enforcement found no signs of trauma or foul play, and the condition of the body indicated he had been in the field since shortly after his disappearance. Based on the autopsy and toxicology findings, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Sac County Attorney’s Office formally closed the case and stated there is no threat to the public. However, Schultz’s wife and representatives from the United Cajun Navy search group have expressed doubts about the official conclusions, questioning how the body could have been missed despite months of organized searches. At this time, authorities say there are no plans to reopen the investigation.
