Hundreds attend funeral for Iowa trucker who went missing for months

WALL LAKE — Delivering the eulogy Friday for David Schultz, the Iowa trucker whose disappearance for five months captivated attention around the globe, the Rev. Donald Peterson III repeatedly imparted words of consolation to hundreds who came to his funeral to grieve.

"You do not mourn alone," Peterson said during the memorial service at Peace Lutheran Church in Wall Lake.

The service came 16 days after Schultz' body was found near the vicinity of the intersection of Union Avenue and 190th Street in rural Sac County, not far from where his red Peterbilt semitractor-trailer loaded with hogs was discovered abandoned Nov. 21, 2023.

Scores of attendees came from Milford, Okoboji, Sioux Rapids and beyond for the funeral in Wall Lake, where David and Sarah Schultz lived and raised their twin sons, Joseph and Isaack. A Peterbilt semi, intended to carry his casket to the cemetery, was parked on the walkway leading up to the church.

Perched atop the casket was a black cowboy hat, a personal effect of a man who grew up riding a pony named Sparky around an acreage north of Sac City. To the left of the casket, a blown-up photo that has been seen around the world: The father of two and stepfather of two more in a creamy yellow hoodie with a camouflage ball cap pulled up, a slight grin on his face.

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Who was David Schultz?

David John Schultz was born Sept. 25, 1970, at Loring Hospital in Sac City to parents Elmer and Janet (Craft) Schultz, according to his obituary from the Farber and Otteman Funeral Homes group, which helped conduct the service and livestreamed it. His older siblings, Steven and Susan, grew up with him on the family acreage.

David graduated with in 1989 from Sac City High School and worked odd jobs in Sac County until he was able to purchase his first truck.

He met Sarah Bogue at a mutual friend's birthday. Within a week, they were smitten enough that Sarah introduced David to her family. They married Nov. 17, 2012, at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Lake View.

Less than a year later, they had twins Joseph and Isaack. In summer 2023, the twins for the first time accompanied David in his truck as he hauled hogs around Northwest Iowa. Sarah previously said he taught the boys how to load and unload the livestock, and reminded them to open doors for women and say please and thank you.

“He wants to make sure they go to Sunday school, they go to church, and they're respectful," Sarah told The Sioux City Journal last December.

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Though David's disappearance still has not been definitively explained, preliminary autopsy results from the State Medical Examiner's Office, which were announced by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, show no signs of trauma or serious injury. The DCI said authorities do not think foul play led to his death.

However, further findings are pending until the autopsy is finalized.

Jake Rowley, who works with the United Cajun Navy, which helped comb through more than 100,000 acres in and around Sac County in an attempt to find David, has alleged, based on conversations he has had with Sarah, that foul play was involved despite the findings, and there are plans for a second autopsy review once the full state results are released.

Truckers rally for David

Sarah led the procession of family members at the church, and almost immediately began to weep when stopping behind David's casket. Graveside services continued later at the Wall Lake Cemetery. Once concluded, Sarah spoke with family members and thanked Rowley, who helped marshal hundreds to look for David in the days and weeks following his disappearance.

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As a show of support for David, the Driver Advocacy Network of Iowa helped sponsor "Convoy for Truth: A David Schultz memorial" which ran a continuous, multi-hour loop of semis on U.S. Highway 20 from Early to Rockwell City — the same stretch of road that Schultz drove his own semi on the night before he disappeared.