An Iowa livestock hauler is still missing after nearly three weeks. David Schultz, 53, was reported missing on Nov. 21 when his semi-truck with a load of pigs was found in the middle of the road with just his wallet and cell phone left inside. He was set to deliver the load of hogs to a farm days before Thanksgiving.
The Sac County Sheriff’s Office shared a news release on its social media page on Saturday. The investigation began after Sara Schultz reported her husband missing on the afternoon of Nov. 21.
According to the Sioux City Journal, Schultz’s tractor-trailer rig was found on northbound U.S. Highway 71 near its intersection with U.S. Highway 20.
“This is not something David would do,” his wife told the Sioux City Journal. “He would never leave. His family is his life.”
So far, what law enforcement knows is that after Schultz left his home on the evening of Nov. 20, he was scheduled to pick up a load of pigs in the Eagle Grove area and transport them to Sac City. At 3:04 p.m. Nov. 21, a Sac County Secondary Road employee reported that a semi truck had been sitting on the roadside since early that morning.
Investigators were able to obtain video footage of Schultz at 11:15 p.m. Nov. 21 at a truck stop east of Ford Dodge on Highway 20. He was also seen on a DOT camera on Highway 20 heading west. This was the last time Schultz was seen.
Adding to the mystery, the truck was turned off, but not pulled off the side of the road with pigs still on board. It was also facing northbound, when it should have been facing southbound. The search was continued the following day by law enforcement agencies, local fire departments, and volunteers.
A Facebook post by the United Cajun Navy says that over 100,000 acres had been searched, beginning in Sac County, moving on to Calhoun, Webster, and Wright counties.
“Searches may resume as early as Wednesday, but we need a few days to step back and find any information and work with law enforcement to find any more designated search areas,” United Cajun Navy Midwest team leader Jake Rowley said in a Facebook post.
The trucking community has also stepped in to try to find Schultz with the hashtag #bringdavid home.
@mitchel.d.a.n.iowa.cdldu #bringdavidhome #davidschultz #unitedstates #missingperson #iowa #truckersoftiktok #fyp #viral #usa #help #cdldriversunlimited #unitedcajunnavy ♬ Stand Together – Becky Shaheen
The Sheriff’s Office and the Lake View Police Department said that several law enforcement agencies, local fire departments, and volunteers have continued the search, expanding the areas and continuing investigation in the coming days.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Sac County Sheriff’s Office at 712-662-7127 or local law enforcement agencies.
Another man, Mark Riesberg went missing Oct. 28 on Highway 71, about 5 miles north of the old Highway 20 junction where Schultz went missing.