The family of a northwest Iowa man who went missing last fall says he has been found dead.

David Schultz, 53, was first reported missing by his wife on Nov. 21, 2023.

Family holding on to hope that Iowa trucker David Schultz, who was last seen in November, will be found safe

Schultz’s wife, Sarah, tells KCCI that her husband’s body was found in a farmer’s field and that Sac County Sheriff’s Office identified him by the boots he was wearing.

According to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations, the body was discovered shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday. The body was found near the intersection where Schultz’s semi was located the day he disappeared.

The remains are being transported to the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner for an autopsy. No other details have been released.

Body of missing Iowa trucker David Schultz found | The Gazette

Details of Schultz’s disappearance

Schultz left his Wall Lake home around 7 p.m. on Nov. 20. He went to pick up a load of pigs from a hog confinement in the Eagle Grove area. He left around 10:5o p.m.

Video footage shows Shultz at a truck stop around 11:15 p.m. on Nov. 20. After leaving the truck stop, his semi-truck was seen heading west on Iowa Department of Transportation cameras.

Cell phone data shows Schultz’s phone traveling to the location where the semi-truck was found — the intersection of D-15 and N-14. Data suggests the semi-truck may have been there since 12:40 a.m. on Nov. 21.

Wife of Iowa trucker seeks answers a month after his disappearance - FreightWaves

The morning of Nov. 21, Schultz didn’t drop off his load of pigs at the Wieckman hog buying station in Sac City. Sarah Schultz, David Schultz’s wife, reported him missing that afternoon after learning he did not show up to Wieckman’s.

A Sac County Secondary Road employee reported that a semi-truck had been at the intersection of D-15 and N-14 since early morning. Responding deputies determined the semi-truck to be Schultz’s. His phone and wallet were found inside.

His semi-truck, with a load of pigs, was found at an intersection near Sac City with his wallet and cell phone inside.

The United Cajun Navy, a search and rescue group based in Louisiana, organized a volunteer search. Almost 200 volunteers participated in the initial search that covered more than 100,000 acres.

During the search, another missing man, 54-year-0ld Mark Riesberg, of Calhoun County, was found dead in his vehicle.

An initial $2,000 reward for information related to Schultz’s disappearance increased several times and had reached nearly $30,000 before his body was found.