Woman finds husband’s body in their home eight months after reporting him as missing

When Jennifer Maedge went searching for Christmas decorations in December, she expected to find tinsel, not tragedy. What she uncovered inside a hidden storage area was the mummified body of her husband, who had been missing for eight months.

Richard Maedge, 53, a grandfather of three and father to three adult children, vanished on April 26, 2022. That afternoon, he had phoned Jennifer, his wife of nearly two decades, saying he was leaving work early.

But, when the 49-year-old woman returned to their Troy, Illinois home, Richard’s car was parked in the driveway, but he was nowhere to be found.

After attempting to contact him and reaching out to his adult son for leads, Jennifer filed a missing person’s report with the Troy Police on April 27.