Iowa DCI: Death of Wall Lake trucker David Schultz “not murder”

Further statements from officials expected on the final autopsy of the truck driver found dead

SIOUX CITY — After reviewing final autopsy results, state investigators have concluded that the death of Wall Lake trucker David Schultz – who was missing for five months until his body was found this spring – was not a homicide.

Schultz, a 53-year-old married father of twin sons, was found dead in a field in rural Sac County on April 24, not far from where his abandoned tractor-trailer was discovered more than five months earlier.

Preliminary autopsy results released the following day showed “no signs of trauma or serious injury” and authorities said they suspected no foul play. State officials had been waiting for the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner to complete the forensic autopsy. Final results have not been released publicly and may never be, according to Darrell Simmons, lead special agent for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

“Normally, we would release this kind of information if it was a homicide. That’s not the case. It’s not a homicide,” Simmons said. “So I don’t know if we would probably release any more because there really is no threat or concern to the community.”

When asked to comment on the circumstances of Schultz’s death, Sac County Sheriff Ken McClure referred inquiries to Sac County Attorney Ben Smith. Smith said Tuesday his office will issue a news release once the DCI agent who has been assisting local law enforcement with the investigation returns from vacation.

“We plan to comment in the coming days,” Smith said.

Jake Rowley, a leader of the volunteer search effort for Schultz and a spokesman for the family, told the Journal in early May that the family would seek a second autopsy opinion, saying, “I am not comfortable with the results of the first autopsy.”

In a text message Tuesday, Rowley said he had not seen the state’s final report.

According to the DCI, Schultz was found near 190th Street and Union Avenue in Sac County, near where his abandoned semi-trailer was discovered on the afternoon of November 21, 2023. The body was found by “an individual who stated he discovered a body in their field,” the DCI’s initial press release said.

Schultz was last heard from in the early morning hours of November 21. His Peterbilt tractor-trailer was parked in the middle of the northbound lane of County Road N-14 (Union Avenue), not far from the intersection with D-15 (190th Street). The trailer he had rented was loaded with hogs, but Schultz was nowhere to be found on that stretch of paved road lined with cornfields.

The truck was reportedly parked, the lights were off, and the keys were in the ignition. Officers found Schultz’s wallet and cell phone inside. A towel, cell phone charger, and pocket knife were found with his coat across the street, according to Sheriff McClure.

Mason Dockter in Sioux City contributed to this report.