The body of an Illinois man who had been missing since April of last year was discovered by his wife eight months later in a closet.

The coroner’s office in Madison County examined the body and determined last week that Richard Maedge, 53, had committed suicide.

His wife, Jennifer Maedge, filed a missing person report for him on April 27, 2022. She told the authorities that he had called to let her know he was leaving early from the office. There was no sign of him when she got back to their Oak Street house, and she couldn’t get in touch with him either.

Police were called by the woman, and after searching the house thoroughly, they were unable to find the man. When Ms. Maedge smelled something odd in the house, she alerted the police again. They rechecked the house, but still didn’t find anything.

A “sewer-like” odor was detected during the second search, but the home was regarded as a “hoarder home,” according to Kelly Rogers, the Chief Deputy Coroner for Madison County.

A plumber was called in, who identified the odor as “sewer gas.” He patched up a sewer pipe in the cellar, and the foul odor seemed to vanish.

On December 11, after nearly eight months, the wife discovered her husband’s body. She told law enforcement that she discovered him while searching for Christmas decorations in a hidden closet.

It had progressed beyond the decomposition stage, Coroner Rogers told reporters, and the body was found in a mummified state. Since the body fluids had dried up, the odor was not very strong, he said, which could explain why it had taken so long to locate the man.

Thursday, March 2, the coroner’s report was released confirming suicide as the cause of death for Maedge.

The coroner stated that no signs of foul play were discovered during the autopsy.

Ms. Maedge stated that her husband’s funeral was held in January. She claimed that his body was in a hidden closet and that the police could have easily missed it during either of the two searches.