Illinois wife finds body of husband in closet at home 8 MONTHS after she reported him missing
TROY, ILLINOIS: An Illinois wife reportedly found the mummified corpse of her husband, eight months after she reported him missing. Richard Maedge’s remains were found buried in a closet at his Troy home, which had been examined twice by authorities after his wife Jennifer reported him missing on April 27, 2022.
Jennifer discovered Richard's corpse on December 11, while searching for Christmas decorations in a rarely-visited, covert storage place within a closet in their bedroom, according to Daily Mail. Madison County chief deputy coroner, Kelly Rogers, released a report on Thursday, March 02, stating that Richard had died by suicide. The report also noted that his body had become mummified after progressing past the stage of decomposition. The police coroner told KTVI that mummified remains do not emit scents, which may have let Richard go unnoticed for so long.
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When did Jennifer report Richard missing?
Officials stated that Jennifer reported Richards missing after he vanished unexpectedly after calling her to say he was leaving work early. Jennifer said when she went home, she found his car parked out front, and his keys and wallet in the house, but he was nowhere to be seen. Police immediately launched an investigation into his disappearance and searched the house where he was last seen.
Investigator searched Maedge’s house twice and found a foul smell inside, but decided Richard wasn't there. The mother of three revealed that the odor remained in their house for a long time until she contacted a plumber, who said it smelled like sewer gas. Jennifer stated that the stink had lessened when the plumber capped one of the sewer lines at her residence.
How Jennifer found Richard’s corpse?
"I decided to put the Christmas tree up, and I was looking for a tote of Christmas ornaments, and that's when I discovered him," Jennifer told the Belleville News-Democrat while stating that she felt as if her husband's 'presence' was close to her while he was missing. The mother also thanked the police for their work, saying, "Even though we didn't want the outcome that we had, it's still an outcome that we can put him to rest."
However, Richard’s sister Marilyn Toliver said she believes investigators could have done more to find her brother earlier. Troy police, in response to her statement, issued a detailed list of the steps they took to find Richard, including intensive searches of the surrounding land. The department also confirmed that they suspect no foul play in Richard's death. "There were no other injuries found during the autopsy examination or evidence found that would indicate anything nefarious regarding Mr. Maedge's death," the coroner said.
