In 2022, Richard Maedge lived with his wife, Jennifer, in Troy, Illinois. The couple had an interesting story — they were one of the first to meet through an online dating site. Jennifer recalls that what attracted her most to Richard was his uniqueness, his compassion, and, of course, his talent for handling diverse situations.
Their life seemed to follow a peaceful and normal rhythm, until on April 26, 2022, something unexpected happened.
That day, Richard was at work when he sent a message to Jennifer, saying he wasn’t feeling well and would go home early. At first, it didn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary.
It was just a day when Richard wasn’t feeling well and wanted to rest. However, this would be the last contact Richard had with anyone. From that moment on, no one saw or heard from him again.
Hours later, when Jennifer arrived home, she saw her husband’s truck parked in the driveway. Upon entering the house, she found Richard’s keys and wallet on the table, but there was no sign of him anywhere.
Initially, she thought he might have gone out for a walk to relieve stress, something he did occasionally. But as hours passed and he didn’t return, panic began to set in. Jennifer decided it was time to notify the authorities about her husband’s disappearance.
The first police search
When the police arrived at the couple’s home, the officers immediately noticed that there was a large amount of accumulated items in the house. The investigators soon encountered what many would describe as a disorganized environment.
However, after a quick initial search, they found no sign of Richard nor any evidence that anything unusual had happened there. The case was becoming more mysterious by the moment.
Even with Richard missing, Jennifer tried to remain hopeful and, while waiting for new information, she searched through her husband’s notebooks and diaries, hoping to find something that could explain his sudden absence. She wondered if he might have decided to run away or if something more sinister had occurred.
Days passed, and during this time, Jennifer began to notice something strange: a strong odor filled the house. Concerned, she called the police again, reporting the smell.
The police returned and conducted another search of the house. They noticed the smell but, again, found nothing to explain its origin. They even suggested Jennifer call a plumber, believing the odor might be coming from the pipes.
A plumber came to the house and identified the smell as sewer gas, something that, according to him, could be coming from a pipe in the basement. He made the necessary repair, and for a while, the odor seemed to subside.
Life without answers
While Richard’s disappearance remained unsolved, Jennifer struggled to cope with her husband’s absence and the lack of answers. The emotional pain was compounded by the anguish of not knowing what had really happened. Jennifer also faced questions from family and the community, all equally perplexed by Richard’s disappearance.
In addition, rumors surfaced in the media about the possibility that Richard suffered from Diogenes syndrome — a psychological condition associated with compulsive hoarding of objects and trash. Jennifer, however, disagreed with this label.
While she acknowledged that her husband had difficulties letting go of things, she felt that using such a strong term was unfair. To her, Richard was simply someone who valued his belongings in a special way.
During these months, Jennifer did everything she could to move forward, but Richard’s absence weighed more heavily with each passing day. Investigators were also without leads, and as time went on, the case began to grow cold.
An unexpected discovery
In December 2022, eight months after Richard’s disappearance, Jennifer decided that despite all the pain, she needed to keep up with family traditions. With Christmas approaching, she decided to set up the Christmas tree. As she began searching for decorations stored in a disorganized closet under the stairs, she made a discovery she would never forget.
When she opened the closet to grab the Christmas decorations, she found Richard’s mummified body. In shock, she immediately called the police.
Jennifer later explained that during a house renovation, access to the area where Richard’s body was found had been partially blocked, making it difficult to enter. The body was in a storage area that was not frequently used and, apparently, had gone unnoticed by both Jennifer and the investigators who had been there months earlier.
The autopsy revealed that Richard had taken his own life, and there were no signs of violence. He had been struggling with mental health issues for some time, although Jennifer mentioned that he never spoke about taking his own life. Richard was 53 at the time of his death, a father of three children and grandfather of three grandchildren.
The mystery of the smell
One of the questions on everyone’s mind was: how did Jennifer not notice the presence of the body in her own home for so long? And moreover, how did the smell of a decomposing body not alert everyone?
The answer to this question came from the forensic investigation. Kelly Rogers, deputy coroner of the county, explained that due to the advanced state of mummification, the smell of decomposition quickly dissipated, which may have contributed to Jennifer and the police not realizing where the odor was coming from.
Criticism of the investigation
Jennifer also revealed that Richard had been dealing with a family dispute at the time of his disappearance. He had been in disagreement with one of his sisters about their father’s health, who passed away months after Richard’s disappearance. This family tension, along with mental health issues, may have contributed to the tragic outcome.
Marilyn, Richard’s sister, strongly criticized the police, stating that the investigation was ineffective and that more could have been done. She even mentioned the possibility of contacting the governor to get answers about the mistakes that, according to her, were made during the process.
A similar case in Venezuela
This case reminds us of a similar story that happened in Venezuela in 2023. Ana Clara MartÃnez, a 50-year-old woman, disappeared in July 2021. After months of no contact, friends and family became worried and reported the disappearance to the police. Just like in Richard’s case, the initial search found no clues.
It wasn’t until July 2023, two years after the disappearance, that her relatives, who came from another country, found her mummified body in her apartment. Ana Clara had also taken her own life, and during all that time, no neighbors noticed any strange odor in the building.
