In a tragic turn of events, an Iowa truck driver, who mysteriously disappeared last autumn and was later discovered deceased in a farm field this spring, succumbed to hypothermia, a consequence of acute methamphetamine intoxication, according to an autopsy report.
As reported by ABC News, the state medical examiner, Dr. Kelly Kruse, determined that the death of 53-year-old David Schultz, a truck driver and farmer, was accidental.
Schultz's lifeless body was discovered on April 24 in a Sac County field, a mere quarter-mile from where his semi-truck was found abandoned in the middle of the road on November 21. Dr. Kruse dismissed the possibility of homicide, stating that Schultz had evidently consumed meth and was subsequently exposed to frigid temperatures. The examiner did not immediately respond to requests for additional information.
In the aftermath of Schultz's disappearance, temperatures plummeted well below freezing. Schultz, a resident of Wall Lake, had departed his home late on the night of November 20, intending to collect a load of pigs from a hog confinement near Eagle Grove. He was scheduled to deliver the pigs the following morning to a livestock dealer in Sac City, a small town approximately 90 miles northwest of Des Moines. However, when he failed to arrive, attempts to reach him by phone proved futile.
Following a missing person report filed by his wife, Schultz's truck was located that afternoon, less than 10 miles northeast of his intended destination. The pigs remained in the trailer, and Schultz's wallet and phone were found inside his vehicle. However, his jacket was discovered on the roadside. Despite extensive searches by law enforcement and the assistance of over 250 volunteers, Schultz's body remained undiscovered until the arrival of spring.
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