The purported suicide death of an Illinois woman’s husband whose dead body was found in their home has been explained.
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According to Fox 59, Madison County Coroner Steve Nonn confirmed that Richard Maedge died by suicide in a report released on March 2. Richard’s wife, Jennifer, reportedly discovered her husband’s body in a closet storage space in December while searching for Christmas lights. Jennifer initially reported Richard as missing on April 27 — just one day after he called her and said he was leaving work early. Richard’s car and keys were at the home but Jennifer said he was nowhere to be found.
When Richard’s corpse was discovered, Kelly Rogers, who is the county’s chief deputy coroner, told KTVI that the body had “advanced beyond decomposition,” and was in a “mummified state.” Rogers went on to explain that a body reaches the mummification phase once fluids dry up, and or are removed from the skin. She added that a mummified body may not have a strong odor, which could be one of the reasons why Jennifer couldn’t find Richard’s body for nearly eight months.
However, police who had previously found no trace of Richard after they first searched the home following his disappearance reportedly described the residence as a “hoarder house. Authorities also purportedly noticed a “sewer-like,” odor emitting from within the residence during a second search of the house after Jennifer called to report the odor. Apparently, the odor was so bad at one point, Jennifer’s neighbors and a postal worker had even noticed it, according to the Belleville News-Democrat. Even still, no remains were found and Jenifer and her family contacted a plumber, who determined the odor was sewer gas and put a cap on a sewage pipe in the basement of the home as a result.
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An autopsy report revealed no further injuries or foul play were detected. Despite all of the aforementioned details, Jennifer said there was no way police would have ever been aware of the location of the hidden closet, located under a stairway, during their searches of the property. Richard’s family members appear to think otherwise, though. Marilyn Toliver, Richard’s sister, has criticized Troy Police Department for their investigation into the disappearance of her deceased sibling.
“Mistakes were made, and I want answers,” Toliver told the Belleville News-Democrat. “If it means filing a complaint and going all the way to the governor, I will. I’m not going away. I’m just now beginning to say stuff out loud. I should have been screaming from the beginning, but I was suckered in by the police department saying they were doing their job and looking for him.”
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Richard is survived by his wife Jennifer, his two sons Austin and Zack Maedge, a daughter, Amber Maedge, and three grandchildren.
Watch Fox 2 St. Louis’ exclusive interview with Richard’s widow Jennifer below.