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

[adot0902]

Because I can't get this case out of my mind...
Here's my question -
Possible the truck or trailer is used to transport drugs without DS knowing? Maybe he found something and there was a confrontation?
Does that happen?

It does happen frequently on Contraband: Seized at the Border on Discovery+. But I do not know how "real" that show is.

Also they say the reason is so the truck drivers don't look "off" when they get to the border crossing. They have know idea so they don't know to look suspicious.

 

[Joe Friday]

Because I can't get this case out of my mind...
Here's my question -
Possible the truck or trailer is used to transport drugs without DS knowing? Maybe he found something and there was a confrontation?
Does that happen?

I don't think David traveled far enough away from the Sac City area to make transporting drugs in his truck without his knowledge realistic.

David also likely never went to the same places regularly. Sure he might have been to the same pig barns over and over, but not on a daily or weekly basis forming any kind of routine, so if someone was going to use his truck as a means of transportation they wouldn't know where David was going to be loading or unloading in order to load the drugs and move them from one place to another, when the drugs needed to be moved. Can't just load up drugs at one place and wait until the next time David happens to go to the place where the drugs need to be unloaded, when ever that may be. And all without his knowledge??? I don't think so.

JMO

 

[iusedtofloat]

IIRC the guy was 70+ years old. Most people that involve themselves do so for the attention, to keep up with the investigation or as you say are nut jobs.

This 70+ year old farmer guy out doing morning chores, probably doesn't even have any social media accounts, maybe has internet, might have a smart phone and doesn't pay any attention to what is gong on around him other than what is happening in his rural agricultural landscape, and certainly doesn't know anything about if there are drugs, gangs and people being "knocked off" because of being involved with it and if asked would be like "what are you talking about".

Just an innocent guy who when he learned David was missing put two and two together and said he had seen David's truck sitting in the middle of the road, but didn't think much of it as he went to feed the livestock on the north forty.

JMO

I had no idea he was 70+. Some senior citizens do commit crime but now I have an idea of why he wouldn't call or investigate further (old school, minding his business, I am guessing). Thanks for the info

 

[charminglane]

Well, even an hour drive might be worth it to someone who already has a record and doesn't want to take it themselves.
As well as an employee at one of the barns would know when DS loads and unloads.
More people know where he is or should be than don't.
Until the fateful day.

 

[Sarg]

Someone, many posts above, suggested that he made it to where he was suppose to leave the pigs and something happened there. Someone else drove the truck where it was found. This seems the most logical scenario to me.

 

[adot0902]

Someone, many posts above, suggested that he made it to where he was suppose to leave the pigs and something happened there. Someone else drove the truck where it was found. This seems the most logical scenario to me.

Here is my only problem with that theory... It's really hard to drive an 18-wheeler, it's even harder to drive an 18 wheeler that was made in the 90's. I can drive manual pretty well, I don't know that I could start an 18 wheeler let alone drive one, the person would have to have a lot of experience, I believe David's was a clutch and probably a 10 speed. Does anyone have more info on the truck because I left this theory go based on the fact no one but a truck driver could drive his truck successfully. But I have a limited knowledge on trucks and if you tell me it was an automatic I'm 100% giving that theory more thought.

 

[Joe Friday]

Someone, many posts above, suggested that he made it to where he was suppose to leave the pigs and something happened there. Someone else drove the truck where it was found. This seems the most logical scenario to me.

I believe David's phone data would have shown if David was where he was supposed to leave the pigs.

LE has it down to the minute when he arrived at certain locations and which direction the phone traveled at certain locations such traveling north at the Hwy 20 and Hwy 71 interchange. If David would have turned south at that intersection to go to where the pigs needed to be delivered LE would have known that and as LE has said there is no video evidence to suggest David ever made it there from nearby business. (that's more than one)

Also there is simply not enough time to drive from the Hwy 20 and Hwy 71 interchange to Sac City, something happen and for someone to drive David's truck to where it was found, when LE thinks the truck arrived.

JMO

 

[Joe Friday]

Here is my only problem with that theory... It's really hard to drive an 18-wheeler, it's even harder to drive an 18 wheeler that was made in the 90's. I can drive manual pretty well, I don't know that I could start an 18 wheeler let alone drive one, the person would have to have a lot of experience, I believe David's was a clutch and probably a 10 speed. Does anyone have more info on the truck because I left this theory go based on the fact no one but a truck driver could drive his truck successfully. But I have a limited knowledge on trucks and if you tell me it was an automatic I'm 100% giving that theory more thought.

I don't think David's truck was an automatic. Automatics truck transmissions have been around for a long time, but were not widely used in the over the road trucks like David's. Automatics were used in busses and city trucks where an automatic made it easier to drive without doing a lot of manual shifting when starting and stopping all day long. More recently automatics have been developed/redesigned and are being installed into over the road trucks mostly by large fleet companies because they hire newer drivers that have no experience driving a truck with a manual transmission. It's one less requirement needed to put someone in the seat and turn the steering wheel. One less thing to repair when a driver breaks the transmission because they can't find a gear or puts the transmission in the wrong gear. (the old saying "can't find them, grind them")

Also not many large fleet companies spend the money it costs to purchase a Peterbilt. The large fleet companies buy the most inexpensive truck they can to maximize the bottom line, not concerned about driver comforts. Therefor there are not many large Peterbilt trucks such as David's built with automatic transmissions.

JMO

 

[Lisbeth_S]

Someone, many posts above, suggested that he made it to where he was suppose to leave the pigs and something happened there. Someone else drove the truck where it was found. This seems the most logical scenario to me.

Agree that it would be the most logical scenario.
If I wanted to disappear on my own accord I would have done that. Finish the job and no one will know where I am after that.
However, not only it must be incredibly difficult to drive an 18 wheeler if you're not familiar with it, but also the pigs wouldn't have been found in the trailer if that was the case.
So I think we can discard this scenario.

Edit: the cameras at the offloading site also show no trace of DS.

 

[SharonNeedles]

Voluntarily disappearing would be hard. Maybe even harder than being a fugitive on the run. Always wondering if someone will recognize you. Not like you could just go get a job and start working somewhere, IRS records would expose you quickly. Would almost need to start an entire new identity. How would someone make money to live, rent an apartment, buy a house, bank accounts, credit cards, loans, buy and register a vehicle without a new identity?

How many missing persons cases have turned out to be someone who walked away from their life? See threads on WS all the time with the title "Found Safe" but they usually turn out to be ones that were people who were just lost or out of contact for a while. A lot of those threads of people that returned get deleted too. I to would want to come back and read about what was written about me, by all of you. Although it may be interesting to see just how many outlandish theories there were and how accurate everyone was as to what really happened.

If someone knows of threads here on WS of missing persons who it ended up being a case of someone leaving on their own and walking away for a better life, with only the cloths on their back, please post a link here. I would be interested in looking at it or them. TIA

JMO

It's funny you should ask that... I first found WebSlueths because of such a case. I can't seem to find it here now, but I know it's here somewhere. Her name is Sharon Hopf. She went missing in 2012 and initial indications were that she might have been abducted on her way to work. The place where she was last seen (and possibly abducted from) is a gas station / convenience store that I used to visit almost daily at the time.

David Schultz is giving me a bad case of Deja vu. Sharon was found safe in Texas, it turns out she had planned this for quite some time. Sharon was sloppy though, once forensics got hold of her computer it was obvious.

Personally I believe you are correct, just disappearing and starting over somewhere else would be difficult... But, as far as I know, David has committed no crime and thus wouldn't need to bother with the whole "new identity" thing.

 

[SharonNeedles]

This "impromptu inspection" is actually what 90% of truck drivers will do upon loading and before "pulling out" to roll.
And it is not only livestock haulers, it is to sort of look over the rig for any possible occurring problems and avoid LE stops for mechanical/signal/stop light attractions.

Agreed. What makes this unusual though is pulling into a stop for no apparent reason in the middle of a relatively short drive when he was already running late.

 

[SharonNeedles]

Nobody knows if drugs or gangs were involved here. We're talking rural Iowa... definitely not gang activity IMO!!! or MOO! whatever you guys say here for opinions lol

Rural Iowa isn't nearly as tranquil as a lot of folks envision it... Drugs and gangs are always on the table. Although I don't think there are any indications of that in this case.

 

[Seattle1]

Agreed. What makes this unusual though is pulling into a stop for no apparent reason in the middle of a relatively short drive when he was already running late.

But was he running late when he stopped at the at the Marker 126 Travel Center east of Fort Dodge, Iowa, on U.S. Highway 20 around 11:15 pm? His appointment at Wiechman's buying station was at midnight, and I think he was probably on target to arrive timely when he stopped at the Travel Center.

My understanding is Dave was late leaving Wall Lake for Eagle Grove because “He had another load before this one that made him late,” this was his second trip to Eagle Grove that day where he needed to arrive before the shift ended. Dave's wife reports they were cleaning out the hog barns that made him late.

Wife of Iowa trucker seeks answers a month after his disappearance

It’s been a month since Sarah Schultz last saw her truck driver husband, David. “Any scenario you could run through your head is probably a possibility,” the Sac County sheriff said.

www.freightwaves.com

Dave picked up a load of 120 pigs near Eagle Grove, Iowa, but authorities say he never arrived for his appointment time of midnight at the site where he was supposed to offload the pigs: Wiechman Pig Co. buying station in Sac City, Iowa.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

Agreed. What makes this unusual though is pulling into a stop for no apparent reason in the middle of a relatively short drive when he was already running late.

I'm wondering if the "running late" only applied to loading.

We've seen descriptions upthread of unloading during the night with no one else around, and leaving the paperwork in a box to be retrieved in the morning when workers arrive.

In fact I think the receiving location spokesman even said they only realized he hadn't unloaded when someone the next morning saw there were fewer pigs than expected in the pens.

So maybe once DS had loaded, his sense of running late relaxed?

MOO

 

[Joe Friday]

Personally I believe you are correct, just disappearing and starting over somewhere else would be difficult... But, as far as I know, David has committed no crime and thus wouldn't need to bother with the whole "new identity" thing.

SFSBM

Lets say this goes on for a few years. Sarah is eventually going to either need to divorce David if she plans on marrying someone else. Or wait until David is legally declared dead. I think that takes seven years. Not sure how Social Security for the twins for David would work into this, but I would assume payments would start being made until they reach 18.

If divorced then David would be required to pay child support. If David used his same identity, the courts could seize his assets to pay back support, should it become known he is living his "happy" life elsewhere. Social Security would likely want their money back as well if any payments were made.

LE might also get really up tight about spending huge amounts of resources on people who are not actually missing and just off hiding somewhere because they choose to run away without telling anyone. For this LE may be wanting reimbursement for that as well.

It might not be in David's best interest to be discovered if he is living a secret life under the same identity without telling someone like LE if you know what I mean.

JMO

 

[B4igo2it]

I was unaware he had a scheduled midnight delivery at Wiechman. I find it odd that LB was not contacted within the hour of DS not showing up, especially that late in the evening.

 

[sandmansc]

That's just crazy! It makes me wonder why our food prices aren't 10x more than they are.

Sh.h.h.

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

I was unaware he had a scheduled midnight delivery at Wiechman. I find it odd that LB was not contacted within the hour of DS not showing up, especially that late in the evening.

See post #914 above.

I’ve mentioned before that I think the possible lax situation at unloading - no one there expecting him - could have been a key part of a voluntary missing scheme (whether he is still alive or not). He would know no one would be looking for him for about 5 hours or so... And by being last to load in Eagle Grove, no one would be unloading right after him either, assuming the trucks were all headed to Wiechmans in SC. Strange coincidence, or something else?

 

[Seattle1]

I was unaware he had a scheduled midnight delivery at Wiechman. I find it odd that LB was not contacted within the hour of DS not showing up, especially that late in the evening.

LB learned about 7:30 AM on Tuesday morning that DS did not unload the livestock. IMO, given the number of scenarios that can delay a delivery, I think this was a reasonable time to wait before alerting the broker. JMO

 

[Joe Friday]

But was he running late when he stopped at the at the Marker 126 Travel Center east of Fort Dodge, Iowa, on U.S. Highway 20 around 11:15 pm. His appointment at Wiechman's buying station was at midnight.

My understanding is Dave was late leaving Wall Lake for Eagle Grove because “He had another load before this one that made him late,” this was his second trip to Eagle Grove that day where he needed to arrive before the shift ended. Dave's wife reports they were cleaning out the hog barns that made him late.

Wife of Iowa trucker seeks answers a month after his disappearance

It’s been a month since Sarah Schultz last saw her truck driver husband, David. “Any scenario you could run through your head is probably a possibility,” the Sac County sheriff said.

www.freightwaves.com

Dave picked up a load of 120 pigs near Eagle Grove, Iowa, but authorities say he never arrived for his appointment time of midnight at the site where he was supposed to offload the pigs: Wiechman Pig Co. buying station in Sac City, Iowa.

@Seattle1 I don't think the supposed midnight appointment at Wiechman's linked in the Freightwaves article is correct.

There has been no other mention of an appointment time anywhere else and Freightwaves only lists this as what authorities have said, but does not include which authority or a quote from anyone. Most likely just poor reporting.

The manger of Wiechman's said this particular station is not used much and truckers will unload and place their paperwork in a box. Meaning there is no one there after hours, it's a self unload process and for this there would be no appointment times. Get there when you get there sort of thing. If there was someone there at midnight and David had an appointment, then someone would have noticed David did not arrive at his appointment time and notified the search for the missing baby pork chops to begin then, instead of the next morning when a worker noticed there were not as many piggy's in the pens as there should have been.

JMO