Warning: This article contains details that some may find upsetting
A woman made the horrifying discovery of her husband's body inside a wardrobe eight months after he was reported missing.
Jennifer Maedge, from Illinois, US, reported her husband Richard Maedge as a missing person on the afternoon of 27 April, 2022.
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Troy Police Department went and searched the property at the time, discovering a strange odour coming from the family home.
Officers reportedly searched the home at least twice while a plumber was also said to have eventually 'fixed the smell'.
Police described the property as a 'hoarder home', but did not find Richard anywhere, which resulted in an investigation being launched.
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A missing persons report claimed that 'Maedge was last seen leaving his residence wearing blue jeans and blue t-shirt'.
Son Austin also said he last saw his father at work when he went to get a key to a storage unit.
However, the horrifying discovery of Maedge was made eight months later on 11 December, 2022, when Jennifer went to retrieve some Christmas decorations.
Jennifer claimed she rarely visited the closet as it was always stuffed with tonnes of rubbish.
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Upon her search, she was beyond shocked to find her husband's corpse buried deep into the wardrobe. His body had become mummified by the time he was discovered.
Richard's death has been ruled as a suicide, a county coroner report has said.
Amid the horrifying circumstances, Jennifer thanked police for their work.
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"Even though we didn't want the outcome that we had, it's still an outcome that we can put him to rest," she told Fox 2.
Troy Police said they suspect no foul play in Richard's death.
Coroner Steve Nonn, of Madison County Coroner’s Office, said: “The area in the concealed room was only big enough for one person to occupy it.
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“Upon opening the door to the concealed storage area, she would then find the decedent’s body and called 9-1-1.”
"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 added.
Richard's sister, Marilyn Toliver, said: "Even though we didn't want the outcome that we had, it's still an outcome that we can put him to rest."
LADbible has contacted Troy Police for comment.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123
Topics: US News
Anish Vij