Fallout over missing Troy man’s autopsy report revolves around bad smell in home
Richard Maedge’s sister accepts that he committed suicide in a hidden closet in his Troy home and that his body was left hanging for seven months, as was concluded in an autopsy report released this week.
“My heart has just been shattered,” Marilyn Toliver said Thursday.
She had suspected foul play, but in a statement Wednesday, Madison County Coroner Steve Nonn said he had found no evidence of it.
Acceptance aside, Toliver still blames Troy police and Richard Maedge’s wife for not searching harder and finding him sooner. The 53-year-old was missing from April to December.
“The family deserves answers as to why he wasn’t looked for, why he was ignored, with people complaining about a bad smell, and everyone sitting back and saying there was a sewage problem,” Toliver said. “It just seems impossible for (the police) not to go to the house.”
Toliver, 62, a bank teller in Bainbridge, Georgia, has told reporters, Facebook followers and Troy city officials that the mailman and several other people had noticed the smell.
Jennifer Maedge, her brother’s wife of 19 years, told the BND in December that it wasn’t “overpowering.”
“I’m not going to talk about the smell anymore,” she said Thursday. “I’m trying to get beyond that and deal with my grief. I’m just trying to figure out what my future is without him.”
In an email to reporters on Thursday, Chief Deputy Coroner Kelly Rogers addressed the issue of how police handled reports of the smell in light of the missing person’s case:
“Mr. Maedge’s home was described as an unkempt/hoarder home,” he wrote. “On the evening he was reported missing, there was an odor inside of the home, which was described as a sewer-like smell.
“When Mr. Maedge’s wife called again about an odor, the Troy Police Department responded to the residence and conducted a second search of the home. The odor was described as the same odor when he was originally reported missing.
“A plumbing firm was then contacted by Mr. Maedge’s wife, who responded to the home. The plumber also described the odor as a sewer-gas type odor. The plumber then placed a cap on one of the sewer pipes in the basement. There (were) no further reports of an odor inside of the home.”
The coroner’s office didn’t mention a suicide note, and Toliver said she had no knowledge of one.
Troy Police Chief Brent Shownes declined a BND interview request, but he emailed a list of 20 actions taken by his department in response to the missing person’s report on Richard Maedge.
That included searches and follow-up searches of his property, the neighborhood, surrounding areas, his church and other family residences, as well as multiple interviews with family and co-workers.
Police utilized a search-and-rescue group, K-9 dogs, phone GPS technology and bank and dental records; reviewed surveillance video, contacted psychiatric facilities and other agencies; followed up on more than 30 tips and kept in “constant communication” with Jennifer Maedge, according to Shownes.
“I do hope this, coupled with the Madison County (coroner’s office’s) two Press Releases, can bring closure to this case,” he wrote.
Wife defends police
Unlike Toliver, Jennifer Maedge thinks Troy police did a “good job” handling the missing person’s case. She reiterated on Thursday that the closet where Richard Maedge’s body was found is hidden behind a door within another closet crowded with clothes under a stairway.
“There’s no way they would have known about that room,” she said. “You can’t see it in public view.”
Jennifer Maedge, 49, a home health-care provider, said she’s been hurt by cruel social-media comments about how she should have known something was wrong or that she was responsible for her husband’s death.
Jennifer Maedge said she plans to continue living in the home on East Oak Street for now.
“I’m still devastated about the whole entire thing and grieving at the same time,” she said. “I’m shocked that he committed suicide. (But) he had a lot going on with his family, the guardianship case mainly, and everything that surrounded it.”
Toliver and Jennifer Maedge said Richard Maedge was under extreme stress due to a legal battle between the two siblings and their sister. Bonnie Talbott was seeking guardianship of father Ed Maedge, who had dementia, and his estate. Ed Maedge died in August at age 88.
Toliver referred to Richard Maedge’s suicide as “provoked” by the lawsuit in Madison County Circuit Court.
When reached by telephone Thursday, Bonnie Talbott declined comment. Richard Maedge’s children couldn’t be reached. He had two sons, Austin and Zach, and a daughter, Amber.
Richard Maedge was employed by Challenge Unlimited, an Alton-based organization that provides training and job opportunities for people with disabilities, according to his family. He formerly worked at the Winchester ammunition plant in East Alton.
“He was the ultimate ‘Mr. Fix It,’ very creative with mechanical design and repair,” his obituary stated. “He enjoyed watching the Blues Hockey, Cardinals Baseball and NASCAR. He loved his family and the times they spent together.”
Cases tear family apart
Richard Maedge was reported missing on April 27, 2022. At the time, Austin Maedge told reporters that his father could have been depressed over a “family drama.”
Richard Maedge called his wife on April 26 and told her he was leaving work early, according to Nonn’s statement. When Jennifer Maedge got home, she found his vehicle, a Dodge Durango, parked outside and his wallet and keys inside the home.
“I thought maybe he just walked away, maybe he just needed to get away for awhile,” Jennifer Maedge told the BND.
In the months that followed, Toliver posted dozens of notices about her brother’s disappearance on Facebook and established a GoFundMe campaign, writing that Jennifer Maedge was struggling to make mortgage payments. The campaign raised $1,515 of a $5,000 goal.
Marilyn Toliver said she and her husband, Van Toliver, repeatedly called Troy police with questions and tips and never got the impression that detectives were looking that hard for Richard Maedge.
Jennifer Maedge said she discovered her husband’s body on Dec. 11, 2022, while getting out Christmas decorations. Nonn described the closet as “concealed” and only big enough for one person.
“(Richard Maedge) was found suspended by a belt which was further secured around the neck,” according to the coroner’s statement. “The belt was secured with a screw into (a) wooden stud. Also found near the body was a cordless drill.
“There were no other injuries found during the autopsy examination or evidence found that would indicate anything nefarious regarding Mr. Maedge’s death. Toxicological testing was performed and was positive for Ibuprofen only.”
Richard Maedge’s funeral was held on Dec. 19, 2022. That evening, the Tolivers went to the Troy City Council meeting and accused police of conducting a shoddy investigation.
On Thursday, the couple were contemplating their next step.
“I’ve been quiet, just waiting every day for (the autopsy report) to come out,” Marilyn Toliver said. “It upsets me that we waited 80 days for such a vague report. It wasn’t like it was 100 pages long. It was like two paragraphs, and it took 80 days.”
Nonn’s office had previously stated that toxicology and other tests could take weeks or months, and that officials had to review results before determining cause of death and releasing autopsy reports.
The family has been torn apart by the the guardianship lawsuit and discovery of Richard Maedge’s body, according to Toliver, noting some members wanted to keep things private.
“The communication between all of us has just deteriorated since I went to the City Council meeting,” she said. “But common sense tells you something is really, really, really wrong here, and I can’t just sit still about it.”
This story was originally published March 2, 2023 at 4:46 PM.
