IA IA - David Schultz, 53, Wall Lake, 21 November 2023 #2

[katydid23]

But then why not deliver the pigs, drive off and dump the truck somewhere remote? Surely that would have been a better option to go under the radar.
In fact, his boss was alerted early only due to the missed delivery. If he didn't miss the delivery, no one would have noticed until much later probably (IIRC SS said it wasn't completely out of character for him to not return for the whole day).
Not sure what to think at this point.

Maybe he didn't want people to be sure of what happened to him. If he finished the load, parked down the street and took his phone and wallet, everyone might think he dipped out voluntarily.

 

[katydid23]

Thermal imaging wouldn't be able to detect a heat signature through a building. Would be able to see heat in the grass or brush.

There was an escaped prisoner caught a few months ago using thermal imaging that was hiding in the woods. I think that was in New York or somewhere close.. Huge manhunt for the guy that lasted a week or longer.

But it wouldn't work if he was already long deceased. I wonder how long it would take for the body not to register on the heat detector?

 

[Joe Friday]

Great point.
When David stopped at home to wash up and get bigger pocket pants, was he driving his rig?

I doubt David drove his truck to the house. Sarah said he parked the truck at his mechanics shop. She also said he likely spent time there and talked to this guy when he left that evening.

A few other reasons I don't think David would have drove the truck to his house (ever).

No driveway at their house for a large semi truck and trailer to be parked.
Would need to park in the street which would have blocked neighbors driveways.
Trees on city streets make it hard to drive large trucks down small city streets and park on side of street near the curb.
Hog trailers stink, would piss off their neighbors if parked outside their house. Not to mention what drips and drains out.
Only a few blocks from mechanics shop to their house.
Much easier to park at the large parking lot at the shop and drive personal vehicle back and forth from house to shop.


JMO

 

[charminglane]

I doubt David drove his truck to the house. Sarah said he parked the truck at his mechanics shop. She also said he likely spent time there and talked to this guy when he left that evening.

A few other reasons I don't think David would have drove the truck to his house (ever).

No driveway at their house for a large semi truck and trailer to be parked.
Would need to park in the street which would have blocked neighbors driveways.
Trees on city streets make it hard to drive large trucks down small city streets and park on side of street near the curb.
Hog trailers stink, would piss off their neighbors if parked outside their house. Not to mention what drips and drains out.
Only a few blocks from mechanics shop to their house.
Much easier to park at the large parking lot at the shop and drive personal vehicle back and forth from house to shop.


JMO

Very good points.
Thanks, Joe.

 

[Joe Friday]

But it wouldn't work if he was already long deceased. I wonder how long it would take for the body not to register on the heat detector?

Jersey posted an article which goes into the use of thermal imaging and how long it takes for a body to cool down and some other very interesting things. Check it out. I liked the post below.

If David is deceased in the area I doubt there may have been some insect activity in which larva would heat the body to the point it would be seen using thermal imagining, but it has been exceptionally warm for this time of year with temps reaching into the 50's during the days and maybe flies would have laid eggs.

JMO

IA - IA - David Schultz, 53, Wall Lake, 21 November 2023 #2

If David has walked away to start a new life, everything you say is absolutely true. But I still have a horrible feeling he may have finally taken as much as he could, and now be lying in one of the fields somewhere. I'm not (yet) convinced he got into another vehicle. I agree. I'm still...

www.websleuths.com

 

[mst]

RSBM
The only point I question is: why not deliver the pigs first? They are live animals after all.
Somewhere up thread his family was quoted as saying David was a workaholic, which made me think 'conscientious', although that's not necessarily the case. But if he were conscientious, he wouldn't leave livestock for potentially hours in a deserted truck on a little-used road imho.

MOO

Actually I wonder how pre-planned. Planned where he was getting picked up at a certain time and he was running behind and didn't have time or he would miss his ride?

 

[Ladyotm]

DBM

 

[mst]

I doubt David drove his truck to the house. Sarah said he parked the truck at his mechanics shop. She also said he likely spent time there and talked to this guy when he left that evening.

A few other reasons I don't think David would have drove the truck to his house (ever).

No driveway at their house for a large semi truck and trailer to be parked.
Would need to park in the street which would have blocked neighbors driveways.
Trees on city streets make it hard to drive large trucks down small city streets and park on side of street near the curb.
Hog trailers stink, would piss off their neighbors if parked outside their house. Not to mention what drips and drains out.
Only a few blocks from mechanics shop to their house.
Much easier to park at the large parking lot at the shop and drive personal vehicle back and forth from house to shop.


JMO

Close enough to walk?

 

[B4igo2it]

If there are any locals here--
Are there any abandoned farms in about a 25 mile radius?

we know there is the one where Mark Riesberg was located

 

[OldCop]

Probably to check the load and quick check tires and lights.
In hauling cattle and horses, most drivers will load, rearrange gear used and in cab preparing to hit the road. Then drive away a few miles to an open spot; preferably lighted, but vacant and room to walk all way round.
Stop, get out and walk slowly around the rig, peering thru the backlighted slats for any lying down already. You see only legs, all is up. They have in this short distance somewhat accustomed themselves to the shifting movements. Do not have to use a flashlight to inspect. As you walk around, you see any clearance lights not burning and can "kick the tires"
with foot or tap with a hammer. Vacant and open is to be reasonably safe from any mugging and if animal is down, you can shock with your hotshot in privacy. So many people take a stick stuck horizontally in as you beating the animal.
I have hauled a lot of cattle, WI to Miami, FL. This is cattle.
Hogs were usually large top hogs (230 to 250 lbs) and E. St Louis to packers on south. Sensible number loaded will have adequate room to shuffle together and no problem of down and trampled.
I never hauled these little pigs;or short distances, but feel the comparison is reasonable.

Thanks for that info, @OldAce. So if you weren’t gassing up or going into the convenience store, can you give us an estimate of the time it would take to do this quick check?

 

[Zazaruni]

Looking up Diesel Repair shops in Wall Lake I did find the shop I believe David used. On the Google page there is a picture of David's blue wrecked truck parked in front of the shop. Also according to the shops Google page, the shop is open 24 hours a day.

Wouldn't think there would be that much business in that small of town off the beaten path to be open 24 hours a day, but maybe.

View attachment 471508

That means they are available, like on call, 24 hrs a day. Truckers run 24 hrs a day and can need assistance at any time. Someone is not sitting there with the lights on for 24 hours.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

But it wouldn't work if he was already long deceased. I wonder how long it would take for the body not to register on the heat detector?

From the perspective of how the thermal cameras work, body temperature might not even matter. The cameras are only measuring surface temperatures, they can't pick up heat through walls or even thick clothing. When you look at thermal images of a fugitive, for example, you're seeing the heat signature of their clothing, not of their body--unless they're naked, but I think it's very unlikely David was unclothed.

If David died in a field and was wearing thick flannel and denim, it's possible the surface of his clothing would have cooled quite quickly, and blocked the residual heat of his body from being visible on the thermal cameras. Once the surface temperature of an object is the same as the surrounding ground, thermal cameras won't show any contrast.

Thermal imaging is a really useful tool, but IMO it's far far better for finding live people than dead ones. When LE used the thermal cameras on the day the truck was found, they were presumably hoping to find David still alive.

 

[seasideForest]

Are there trees near DS's truck? Like a little stand of trees? I ask because there has been a case or two where a missing person was not found for a long time because seemingly none of the searchers looked up to where the person had sadly hung themself in a tree.

There was a case a few years ago in the UK (Wales, I think) with a youngish man, maybe even just a teenager. That case was here on Websleuths but I can't find it atm.

Edited to add: Found it now, it was Frankie Morris. The case was ruled "suicide by hanging" but the idea that searchers hadn't looked upwards enough was a posit by a mbr here rather than mentioned in the inquiry. So I'll just put a large MOO here.

I hope this isn't the case with DS! But it's possible.

MOO JMO

 

[Joe Friday]

Close enough to walk?

I suppose if someone was a walker they could or would walk it. According to Google Maps it's a 9 minute walk. 0.4 miles.

I don't think David would have walked it thought. JMO

308 E 3rd St to 410 Center St

www.google.com

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

Are there trees near DS's truck? Like a little stand of trees? I ask because there has been a case or two where a missing person was not found for a long time because seemingly none of the searchers looked up to where the person had sadly hung themself in a tree.

There was a case a few years ago in the UK (Wales, I think) with a youngish man, maybe even just a teenager. That case was here on Websleuths but I can't find it atm.

Edited to add: Found it now, it was Frankie Morris. The case was ruled "suicide by hanging" but the idea that searchers hadn't looked upwards enough was a posit by a mbr here rather than mentioned in the inquiry. So I'll just put a large MOO here.

I hope this isn't the case with DS! But it's possible.

MOO JMO

Not a huge number of trees, but if you look around on Google Maps there are quite a few small groups of trees in the surrounding area:

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[iusedtofloat]

The thing that bothers me about the friend that almost ran into his truck at 5:30, then again at 7:30 on his way back, is that he said he knew DS, and that whatever was the problem, he thought he had it handled. But if he knows DS and knows his work ethic/ character, wouldn’t he also question why he would park his truck like that? SS has said that many times in interviews that anyone that knows DS, knows he wouldn’t leave his truck like that. It’s still pitch black at 5:30 am and just getting light at 7:30. I am from rural Iowa myself, and would find that odd. But that’s just me I guess. We have reported cows out before. Not to get anyone in trouble, but out of concern for motorists safety and the cows. Plus the farmer may not even know they are out. And this is MOO, not insinuating anything. Just strange to me that his truck sat there for nearly 14 hours without being reported. And then again maybe it was reported and nothing was done about it.

Agree and i think this friend should be looked into, my opinion!!

 

[adot0902]

At this point, I feel pretty confident that David left on his own accord. Anything else requires a complicated and very unlikely scenario. I'm going all-in on the theory that he planned his disappearance.

It doesn't make sense that he was abducted and/or harmed in any way. No signs of a struggle, no damage to the truck, wallet and money untouched. No indication at all that anything bad happened. Hard to imagine he was hijacked in any form either - hijacking a big rig is a lot different than carjacking a car, there would be some indication of that.

A medical situation doesn't make sense either, that would require believing that instead of just pulling over and calling for help he instead chose to turn the wrong direction and go down a mostly deserted highway. Then get out, toss some of his stuff in the ditch, then something happened that he disappeared. None of that makes sense.

The only explanation that makes sense is that he planned his disappearance. And that would require only that he made it look like that's not what happened. Yes, he left his wallet and $2k behind - but we have no idea what he didn't leave behind. If he's been planning this for awhile he could have easily skimmed a few hundred or more every week from his operating cash.

Lacking anything that indicates otherwise, it appears he turned North at that intersection deliberately. And I believe that was pre-planned. He needed a place to leave his truck and disappear without being seen, turning south at that point wouldn't work.

And I believe he probably had an accomplice and a vehicle waiting. Confirmation of final plan happened when he was pulled over at Marker 126. He was only there for 16 minutes (and I believe that place closes at 11pm). He wasn't there for fuel - if he needed fuel, that stop would have lasted more than 16 minutes. He was seen scrolling through his phone, but I question whether "his phone" was the only phone he had. Quite possible he had a burner.

Why did it take him 22 minutes to just a few miles north? Perhaps he was waiting for confirmation that his ride was where they were supposed to be. Waiting to ensure that everything was in place and he hadn't been seen or followed.

It's interesting that his belongings found at the scene weren't far from the truck. I don't suspect he'd want to wander too far off to toss that stuff, not with a car waiting for him.

I have no idea why he would want to disappear or what his plans may be afterwards. I have no idea if his family or LE suspects as much. Stuff like this never makes sense, but it happens.

I'm unfortunately right there with you and when you plug in some other things that are bothering all of us it kind of makes perfect sense.
Why would you kiss your wife's kid and her grandchild but not your own, well one goodbye might be emotional and how do you explain crying over giving your kid a kiss when you do it every day.
Getting in the habit of carrying large amounts of cash to the point it is normal, we don't know how much was spent and how much could have been saved.
"Deep Pockets" may be a reason, or wrangles look amazing on all men and he wanted his wranglers because they looked better.
Pulling over at Mile Marker 126 when it was closed kind of seals the deal for me.

I always want this, so I subconsciously always try to make leaving on their own accord fit the story because it means they are alive. This time I think it's a pretty high chance.

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

Thermal imaging wouldn't be able to detect a heat signature through a building. Would be able to see heat in the grass or brush.

There was an escaped prisoner caught a few months ago using thermal imaging that was hiding in the woods. I think that was in New York or somewhere close.. Huge manhunt for the guy that lasted a week or longer.

Right, that was escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante who caused a huge stir in Chester County, PA. Then there was the case of the Boston bomber where the imaging led them to find him (also alive) hiding in someone's boat in their yard. I imagine the boat may have been fiberglass or some thin material.

 

[Interested_But_Confused]

There are a lot of bodies of water in the vicinity of where the truck was found. I know it has been said nearby rivers were running quite dry, but I wonder about other water bodies, such as Pleasant Lake which is about six miles away.

I'd be curious to know if, or how thoroughly, surrounding water has been searched.

David Schultz to Pleasant Lake

www.google.com

 

[iusedtofloat]

“Sarah said her husband parks the truck and trailer at his friend's mechanic shop in Wall Lake. So, after leaving home, she said he stopped there and probably spent some time talking to his friend, who was fixing up a yellow semi David had just bought. She said her husband planned to sell his red truck.”

Missing Iowa truck driver fuels speculation -- but not answers

Last month, the 53-year-old Wall Lake truck driver and father of 10-year-old twin boys disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

www.thegazette.com

This I always found a little curious. Why would SS say “David probably probably spent some time talking to his friend” when she knew he was running late? That doesn’t sound like a conscientious person to me. He arrived at the pickup location late and was the last driver to load that evening.
Was SS trying to account for some missing time/cover David for some reason? Running late/in a hurry doesn’t gel with spending time chatting with a friend to me.

So he didn't have time to hug and kiss his 10 yr old son goodbye, but stopped and talked to his friend and scrolled his phone at a truck stop for 16 mins? ...