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

[seestr8]

Would you say most rigs are still manual transmission and require changing gears and are not automatic?

That depends on how new of a rig DS was able to afford. I have not been in a semi truck for about 15 years though, and please note that I’m not an expert on transmissions.

 

[Inthedetails]

I grew up in Western Iowa, and I spent lots of time in the summers with my grandfather who drove a truck hauling grain and livestock. My father worked on a hog confinement for few years and during the summers I frequently tagged along with him. There are a few topics that I have seen here that stand out to me.

But first, here is a little bit of background about hog confinements. This may not all be correct for each operation, but this is how the ones I've experienced work:

- Farrowing Barns -- This is where the piglets are still with their mother. They are not weaned yet and they piglets are still very small.

- Starter Barns -- The first barn they are moved to after they are weaned from their mothers. They are roughly 15lbs and moving them is still fairly easy.

- Finishing Barns -- Depending on the size of the operation there may be another barn between the starter and finishing barns, but this is where the hogs go to get up to weight before they are sent to the processing plant. Moving them at this stage is most difficult because they weigh 250+ pounds, they are physically strong, and most of them are cranky from living in a pen with a bunch of slobs. There are always some sweethearts in the building that are friendly and get moved to a pen to get spoiled, but that's not relevant here XD.

Topics of concern:

1. He may not have needed coveralls. His coveralls and boots missing from the truck may or may not be a big deal. I haven't seen if the barn he was picking up from was a Farrowing barn or a Starter barn. The farrowing barns don't really require coveralls since the piglets are still so small. At this point, the boots are to keep poop off and to keep from getting bit. Farrowing and Starter barns are not nearly as dangerous as Finishing barns, but I wouldn't say that moving hogs from Starter > Finishing barns is not overly dangerous. Most confinements have a hose just outside the door so boots can be sprayed off. He may have chosen to not wear coveralls, and he may have just sprayed off his boots and hopped into the cab of the truck because he was in a hurry. Not uncommon. With that being said, if he did wear coveralls and boots then that is concerning because from what I know they have not been recovered. I wouldn't be surprised either way.

2. Someone should have been waiting. When moving livestock there is typically a lot of communication between the driver and whoever is receiving the load. I remember many late nights in the summer waiting for a driver to show up to pick up or drop off a load. Someone should have been waiting for him to arrive at their facility with the piglets. I don't know of any operations that would just allow the driver to unload the hogs without any assistance from staff. There is a bit of work involved with this process, unless the facility had some type of overnight holding pen, which I have never seen. However, that does not mean they don't exist.

3. Driving a semi-truck is not easy. A semi for hauling livestock is not something just anybody can hop in and operate. I can slowly move one down the road if needed, but progressing through the gears takes a bit of practice. If someone did move his truck they most likely have experience driving a rig.

4. Lagoons. Most large confinement operations have holding ponds, or lagoons, that hold the waste produced by the hogs in the buildings. In the spring, the lagoons are pumped out and tilled into the surrounding fields for fertilizer. In my experience, there is almost always a collection of dead animals that wandered to close to the edge and slid down into the lagoon. The lagoons are lined with tarps that are slippery and make it nearly impossible to climb out. I would imagine that searching those lagoons at this time of year would be nearly impossible due to the amount of waste and the thickness of the half frozen poop slurry. The farmer won't want to pump the lagoons dry at this time of year, lest they waste a lot of money and fertilizer for the upcoming spring.

5. Drugs. I know that DS does not have a reputation for drug use, and I hate making assumptions, but Meth is very prevalent here in the trucking industry. I would say the vast majority of truck drivers DO NOT use, but it would not surprise anyone around here to find out that a truck driver was using. It can be out of the body and undetected by testing within a couple days which makes it the safest option if subject to random DOT testing. If he was working all hours of the night after a full day of working, that seems a little methy to me. My old man used for most of my childhood. Doing drugs doesn't mean that anything bad should happen to the user, but that crowd of people can be extremely unpredictable and desperate.

I am just as flabbergasted as everyone else here; but if I were an investigator with no leads I would focus on his coveralls/boots, find the people at the barns that can drive a big rig, search the lagoons, and try to verify no history of meth use.

This is all JMO.

Super insights! Thanks for sharing part of that world with us - useful info.

jmo

 

[mst]

I

This case leaves me scratching my head. I'm truly perplexed on what could've happened to this man. Without alot of information to go on or an official timeline from LE, idk what else can really be said but theorizing. The only scenarios that make sense in my mind:
1) He was taken due to a debt owed. What that debt is, who knows. His wife had said David wasn't involved in drugs but alot of people hide drug use from family and friends. I'm pretty certain this wasn't a robbery, his wallet was still in the truck. I also do not think this was an abduction/kidnap for ransom.

2) He walked away. I don't think this is what happened. Just spitballing.

3) I hate suggesting this but anything is possible...murder for hire. I think this theory and the walk away theory is the least likely thing that happened.

I have one more to add, cartels need truck drivers for both human and drug trafficking

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

I

I have one more to add, cartels need truck drivers for both human and drug trafficking

I am curious about that, as I read something about that elsewhere and wondered if there is truth to it. Do they really kidnap truckers and force them into driving? As opposed to just training their own willing members to drive?

 

[mst]

I am curious about that, as I read something about that elsewhere and wondered if there is truth to it. Do they really kidnap truckers and force them into driving? As opposed to just training their own willing members to drive?

I don't know how often that happens but it's an asset that he had.

 

[mst]

"According to law enforcement, family and friends report last hearing from 53-year-old David Schultz of Wall Lake during the early morning hours of Tuesday, Nov. 21"

Lake View Police Department Requests Public’s Help In Finding Missing Sac County Man

The Lake View Police Department requests the public’s help locating a missing Sac County man. According to law enforcement, family and friends report last hearing from 53-year-old David Schultz of Wall Lake during the early morning hours

www.1380kcim.com

This bothers me from the original report from the LakeView Police. He was talking to someone in the early hours of the morning that wasn't his wife. I think that most likely LE has spoken to whoever it is and isn't sharing that information with his wife for a reason

 

[BuySellTrade]

His wife said he bought a different semi. What if DS had been having problems with his semi and he was having mechanical issues that night after stopping at Sparky’s? He maybe took that road because it was acting up?? When he got out to look around at the problem, someone hit him?? Just a thought. At this point anything is possible I guess.

This is the scenario that initially crossed my mind, mechanical problems and hit by a passing driver that took body to avoid responsibility for own negligence, examples DUI or speeding. Window of time to dispose of impact to vehicle and impact of vehicle on body.

Now the situation seems more mysterious. Probably law enforcement knows much more than public today.

 

[abanddb123]

Midwest mystery: Iowa man still missing, 2 weeks after semi with pigs was found on highway

David Schultz’s semi-truck was found two weeks ago on a rural highway in northwest Iowa, its trailer still filled with baby pigs he was transporting. Schultz’s wallet and phone were inside, and his jacket was on the side of the road.

ksltv.com

 

[24Roses]

"According to law enforcement, family and friends report last hearing from 53-year-old David Schultz of Wall Lake during the early morning hours of Tuesday, Nov. 21"

Lake View Police Department Requests Public’s Help In Finding Missing Sac County Man

The Lake View Police Department requests the public’s help locating a missing Sac County man. According to law enforcement, family and friends report last hearing from 53-year-old David Schultz of Wall Lake during the early morning hours

www.1380kcim.com

This bothers me from the original report from the LakeView Police. He was talking to someone in the early hours of the morning that wasn't his wife. I think that most likely LE has spoken to whoever it is and isn't sharing that information with his wife for a

"According to law enforcement, family and friends report last hearing from 53-year-old David Schultz of Wall Lake during the early morning hours of Tuesday, Nov. 21"

Lake View Police Department Requests Public’s Help In Finding Missing Sac County Man

The Lake View Police Department requests the public’s help locating a missing Sac County man. According to law enforcement, family and friends report last hearing from 53-year-old David Schultz of Wall Lake during the early morning hours

www.1380kcim.com

This bothers me from the original report from the LakeView Police. He was talking to someone in the early hours of the morning that wasn't his wife. I think that most likely LE has spoken to whoever it is and isn't sharing that information with his wife for a reason

This could easily and innocently be an employee from the Sparky's if he did indeed stop there.

 

[abanddb123]

DAVID JOHN SCHULTZ | Iowa Department of Public Safety. Does this mean they have information or evidence that something criminal happened, or is this protocol that when asked, they participate? Make sense?

 

[HolographicOne]

I’m laughing because I googled this last night. This is also the same size as the state of Rhode Island

This is incorrect. Rhode Island is approximately 1200 sq miles. 100,000 acres /156 sq miles is roughly a 12 mile by 13 mile square. I understand the mistake though.

 

[ifindedout]

DAVID JOHN SCHULTZ | Iowa Department of Public Safety. Does this mean they have information or evidence that something criminal happened, or is this protocol that when asked, they participate? Make sense?

He's simply on the DPS Missing Persons page.

Missing Persons | Missing Person Information Clearinghouse

dps.iowa.gov

BBM
The Missing Person Information Clearinghouse was established July 1, 1985, within the Department of Public Safety providing a program for compiling, coordinating and disseminating information in relation to missing persons and unidentified body/persons. Housed within the Division of Criminal Investigation, the Clearinghouse assists in helping to locate missing persons through public awareness and cooperation, and in educating law enforcement officers and the general public about missing person issues.

 

[katydid23]

If David had a problem with the truck mechanically or otherwise, it would seem more likely he would drive south from Hwy 20 one mile towards Sac City and in the direction of his house in Wall Lake where he could get help, rather than turn north from Hwy 20 towards rural farm land where there would be no help at all and then drive four miles before getting out to see what the problem was.

JMO

It also seems to me that if there was any hint of truck problems, he would have called someone about it, when the problem was 1st happening. The dispatcher, a business associate, a friend, his wife, other truckers on the radio, a mechanic friend?

Truckers are usually 'solution oriented' types---and if there was a problem with the truck, he'd be calling ahead to set up some kind of a way to deal with it, since he had a full load of livestock in the trailer. If his truck was acting up I'd think he'd call dispatch for some assistance.

 

[starlightstarbright]

<modsnip - quoted post was removed>

To me, most likely scenario would be another (trucker?) friend who is also awake at this hour. My husband (not a trucker, but does do some driving) gets lots of messaging in with friends while waiting around for things to be delivered, ready to be picked up, waiting on paperwork, etc. Also I don’t think communication would have to be 2 way, he could very likely have sent his wife a list for the grocery store trip in the morning while she was sleeping or sent a meme to a friend, but simply someone has evidence of a message from him in the early hours and LE believes (do they?) it’s actually him sending it.I don’t think this implies anyone actually physically saw him and spoke with him.

 

[TL4S]

To me, most likely scenario would be another (trucker?) friend who is also awake at this hour. My husband (not a trucker, but does do some driving) gets lots of messaging in with friends while waiting around for things to be delivered, ready to be picked up, waiting on paperwork, etc. Also I don’t think communication would have to be 2 way, he could very likely have sent his wife a list for the grocery store trip in the morning while she was sleeping or sent a meme to a friend, but simply someone has evidence of a message from him in the early hours and LE believes (do they?) it’s actually him sending it.I don’t think this implies anyone actually physically saw him and spoke with him.

I agree, it could have been as simple as a call to dispatch, too. He was on his way to delivery after all.

 

[MorningDove]

It seems to me that it was targeted event.

 

[neesaki]

<modsnip - quoted post was removed>
Could It have been the dispatcher he was talking to at that time? I recall he had talked to them about running late.

 

[B4igo2it]

DAVID JOHN SCHULTZ | Iowa Department of Public Safety. Does this mean they have information or evidence that something criminal happened, or is this protocol that when asked, they participate? Make sense?

This states he was reported missing on Nov. 20th. Hmmm.... wasn't it the 21st?

 

[LC2]

This is the scenario that initially crossed my mind, mechanical problems and hit by a passing driver that took body to avoid responsibility for own negligence, examples DUI or speeding. Window of time to dispose of impact to vehicle and impact of vehicle on body.

Now the situation seems more mysterious. Probably law enforcement knows much more than public today.

I keep coming back to the “friend” that almost hit his parked semi at 5:30 am. It makes no sense to me why this person wouldn’t call and report such an odd thing? It poses a huge risk for one thing, to future motorists. Maybe this “friend” didn’t almost hit him at all, and this piece of info that got put out to the public just puts this vehicle at the “scene” should it happen to come up later?? Maybe this friend is the reason DS took this particular road? You’d stop for a friend. Just another thought. And Jmo.

 

[katydid23]

I keep coming back to the “friend” that almost hit his parked semi at 5:30 am. It makes no sense to me why this person wouldn’t call and report such an odd thing? It poses a huge risk for one thing, to future motorists. Maybe this “friend” didn’t almost hit him at all, and this piece of info that got put out to the public just puts this vehicle at the “scene” should it happen to come up later?? Maybe this friend is the reason DS took this particular road? You’d stop for a friend. Just another thought. And Jmo.

Interesting thought, about having to put themself there, just in case they were seen.

It was supposedly a 'friend' of the wife, IIRC---didn't she say one of her friends saw him and almost hit him? Or do I have that wrong?

I wonder if it was a male or female friend?