The search continues for a missing Wall Lake man, and the Sac County Sheriff’s Office has provided a detailed timeline of events in the case, including cell phone information.
According to information late this (Sat) morning, over 100-thousand acres of land has been searched by the United Cajun Navy and many volunteers, but 53-year-old David Schultz still hasn’t been located.
Schultz was reported missing on November 21st. That afternoon, David’s wife Sarah Schultz contacted the Lake View Police Department to report David missing after she learned that David had not dropped off a load of pigs at Wieckman’s hog buying station in Sac City as scheduled. She hadn’t been able to make contact with him by telephone. David reportedly left his home around 7pm on November 20th. He was scheduled to pick up a load of pigs in the Eagle Grove area and transport them to Sac City.
Later in the afternoon on November 21st, a Sac County Secondary Road employee reported to the Sac County Sheriff’s Office that there was a semi-tractor-trailer parked on the traveled portion of the road at the intersection of county road D-15 and county road N-14. It was reported that the semi, which deputies determined was David Schultz’s, had been at that location since early morning. The semi was shut off, and inside deputies found David Schutlz’s wallet and cell phone. David Schultz’s driver’s license was in the wallet. Investigators would later learn that nothing was missing from the wallet. Over the next several hours, law enforcement searched the immediate area on foot and with a K-9. The Sac County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the Iowa State Patrol airwing unit. An airplane was dispatched from Iowa City that was equipped with forward-looking infra-red. A state patrol pilot flew the surrounding area and did not detect a heat signature that would be consistent with a person. For the next two days, law enforcement, area firefighters, and volunteers expanded the ground search on foot and with the use of drones. Nothing of significant value was located.
Detectives from the Sac County Sheriff’s Office and the Lake View Police traveled to the Eagle Grove area and with assistance from the Wright County Sheriff’s Office, located the hog confinement that Schultz was scheduled to load from. Load crew members were interviewed, and load records were obtained. Investigators learned that Schultz had picked up his load, but had been late to arrive, and he was the last truck loaded. Schultz left at about 10:50 PM.
Investigators obtained video footage of David Schultz at 11:15 the night of November 20th at the MM126 truck stop east of Fort Dodge on Highway 20. Schultz was at the truck stop for 16 minutes, and then was seen on a DOT camera on Highway 20 west of the truck stop heading west. This was the last time David Schultz was seen. Cell phone data obtained from David Schult’s phone corroborates this timeline.
Cell phone data also showed that Schultz traveled across Highway 4 to the intersection of Highway 20 and Highway 71 junction. There was not any usable video from the DOT camera at Highway 4 and Highway 20, and there is no video of Schultz stopping at the truck stop at Highway 4. Cell phone data shows Schultz’s phone arrived at Highway 20 and 71 at about 12:18am on November 21st. The data shows the phone traveling north to where the truck was found. Data suggests the truck may have been there since 12:40am on November 21st.
Video surveillance from an area business showed that David never made it to Wieckman Hog Buying station. Law enforcement has searched for additional video footage from Eagle Grove to Fort Dodge, but none has been located.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has assisted with a forensic search of David Schultz’s phone. They have also confirmed that David Schultz has not legally gone through a US Bordering Crossing. Information was received that a person named David Schultz had a one-way flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix, Arizona on the late afternoon of November 21st. Authorities determined it was not the David Schultz that is missing. The DCI continues to assist in the examination of other digital evidence that has been obtained or requested through a subpoena or search warrant.
Several agencies have assisted in the case. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Sac County Sheriff’s Office at 712-662-7127, or contact your local law enforcement agency.
