The woman who found her husband's mummified remains in their home eight months after he disappeared has spoken out about the horrifying discovery.
Richard Maedge, 53, had disappeared last April after texting his wife that he was heading home from work as he was not feeling well.
Jennifer Maedge, 49, had returned home later to find his car on the driveway and his wallet and keys inside the home, but no sign of Richard himself.
Despite police attending the home when Richard was declared a missing person, and a foul smell being noticed at the property - which was attributed to a sewer issue - it wasn't until eight months later when Jennifer discovered Richard's body had been in a closet in the property all along.
Jennifer had found Richard's mummified remains behind clothes in a packed, rarely-used closet when she had decided to look for some Christmas decorations.
It was later confirmed that Richard had taken his own life, with Madison County Coroner Steve Nonn confirming there was no evidence of foul play.
Police had revealed that it was hard to do a thorough search of the house as it was a "hoarder home" so had failed to find Richard, and Jennifer claimed the smell had never become "overpowering" while his body decomposed within the home.
She has now spoken out about the tragic discovery, revealing that she had been "trying to figure out the best way to celebrate the holidays" while Richard was missing, so decided to decorate their Christmas tree to lighten the mood.
However, when Jennifer began hunting for her ornaments in a "closet-within-a-closet" beneath the stairs in their home in Troy, Illinois, with a flashlight, she stumbled upon Richard's body, which had become mummified over the months.
She told People: "It was pretty shocking," adding: "Opening the door and seeing him there was just total shock."
Richard, who had three adult children from a prior marriage and three grandchildren, had taken his own life after battling with his mental health, which he had sought help for in the past.
Jennifer explained: "He told me that he knew the breaking point, and he would get help. So, this would be the most farfetched of anything, that he would actually go through with this. He never verbalized anything [like] he would take his life to me."
Chief Deputy Coroner Kelly Rogers told KTVI that officers had detected a "sewer-like" odor when they visited the property but could not locate where it was coming from as the house was a "hoarder home".
Jennifer responded: "'Hoarder' is a strong word, but he was more - I would consider, more of a pack rat. He didn't want to get rid of anything."
The space where Richard was found had originally been accessed via a door in the hallway but after the couple remodeled their home, it was only accessible through a door hidden in a larger outer closet.
"The smell did not take up the whole entire house, it was very, very confusing," Jennifer revealed, adding that the home usually has "many different smells" as she has four dogs and a cat.
Police had failed to find Richard despite searching the home at least three times, including with cadaver dogs, and interviewing multiple members of the family, Troy Police Chief Brent Shownes said in a statement after the autopsy via the Belleville News-Democrat.
Richard's sister, Marilyn Toliver, had shared her anger at it taking so long for her brother to be found, telling the St Louis Post-Dispatch: "Mistakes were made, and I want answers. 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."
Jennifer also revealed that while Richard had been prescribed medication for depression in the past, he was not taking anything at the time of his death.
She added: "It never occurred to me that he would've taken his own life. I thought, well, maybe he might've taken a walk, because he was maybe stressed out.
"I mean, it's not something that he would normally do, but then again, you never know what people would do."
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out for help and contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741, or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
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