SAC COUNTY, Iowa — Nearly three weeks after 53-year-old Wall Lake man David Schultz was reported missing, the Sac County Sheriff's Office shared a release dispelling rumors about his Nov. 21 disappearance.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation confirmed via a forensic search of Schultz' phone that he has "not legally gone through a US Bordering Crossing."
Another tip given to investigators claimed that someone named David Schultz had a one-way flight from Minneapolis, Minn., to Phoenix, Ariz. on Nov. 21. Iowa DCI, along with the Minneapolis Airport Police and the airline, confirmed it was not the missing man by using video footage of the gate and ticket information.
While law enforcement continue to investigate, Schultz’s wife, Sarah, believes he would never disappear on his own.
“Late in the afternoon, I found out that he missed a load, and I just got sick to my stomach,” she told Local 5 in late November. "He would never miss a load, he’s their guy. From then on I knew something was bad wrong.”
"My kids need their dad. He's a good man, I want my David ... he's mine. And someone took him. I know someone took him," she added.
What is the timeline of David Schultz' disappearance?
David Schultz left around 7 p.m. on Nov. 20 to deliver a shipment of hogs from Eagle Grove to Sac City.
Workers at the Eagle Grove hog confinement said Schultz showed up late to his pickup and was "the last truck loaded" that night. He left the confinement around 10:50 p.m.
Around 11:15 p.m., surveillance footage revealed Schultz stopped at the MM126 truck stop in Fort Dodge for 16 minutes before leaving. He then drove west onto Highway 20, which is the last time he was seen on DOT cameras.
His cell phones records corroborate this timeline, according to investigators.
Investigators say the DOT camera footage for Highway 4 and Highway 20 was not "usable", and there is no video evidence of him stopping at the truck stop located near Highway 4.
Around 12:18 a.m. on Nov. 21, cell phone data shows Schultz arriving at Highway 20 and 71. He then headed north to the location where his truck was found - investigators believe it could've been there since approximately 12:40 a.m.
The hog load never made it to its final destination, and his abandoned semi-truck was discovered around 3 p.m. on Nov. 21 near 190th Street and Union Avenue. Less than an hour before his truck was found, Sarah Schultz had reported him missing after nearly 20 hours with no contact.
Schultz's cell phone and wallet were found in the parked semi.
Since the investigation began, volunteers have searched more than 100,000 acres on foot, with K-9 units and via air using drones and Iowa State Patrol planes.
No “heat signatures” of a person have been detected, and Schultz has not yet been found.
If you have any information about Schultz' whereabouts or disappearance, contact local law enforcement or the Sac County Sheriff’s Office at 712-662-7127.