Woman discovers her husband's body in their home months after he disappeared and police search him

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which may be disturbing to some readers.

A woman was left horrified after discovering her husband's body in their home eight months after he disappeared.

Jennifer Maedge of Illinois came home in April 2022 to find her husband's car in the driveway, but he was nowhere to be found.

On April 27 of that year, Richard Maedge was declared missing.

The Troy Police Department searched the property after the report was filed more than two years ago, and they discovered a strange odor coming from the family's home after searching the property twice.

Meanwhile, a plumber also reportedly ended up “fixing the smell” which was noticed by anyone who entered the house.

During their investigation, police described the property as a “collectors' house”, but were unable to find Richard anywhere.

This led to the opening of an investigation into his disappearance.

A missing person's report stated that “Maedge was last seen leaving his residence wearing blue jeans and a blue t-shirt.”

As expected, everyone connected to Richard was informed of his fate, including his son Austin.

He told authorities he last saw his father at work when he went to get a key to a storage unit.

The matter remained relatively quiet until one shocking day in December when Richard's wife, Jennifer, went to collect Christmas decorations to put up in her home.

After rummaging through a closet, Jennifer found her husband's body.

At the time, Jennifer said she rarely visited the closet because it was always full of junk.

The body was believed to have been mummified by the time Jennifer discovered it, but authorities have ruled out foul play.

The coroner later ruled Richard's death a suicide.

Coroner Steve Nonn of the Madison County Coroner's Office said, “The area in the hidden room was just large enough for one person to occupy it.

“When she opened the door to the hidden storage area, she then found the body of the deceased and called 9-1-1.

“No other injuries were found during the autopsy and there was no evidence to indicate anything nefarious about Mr Maedge's death.”

Despite the heartbreaking verdict, Jennifer thanked authorities for their efforts.

“Even though we didn't want the outcome we had, we can still put it to rest,” Jennifer told Fox 2.

Meanwhile, Richard's sister Marilyn Toliver added: “Even though we didn't want the result we got, it's still a result we can put to rest.”

If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health in America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.