Veteran Found Dead in Cornfield, Wife Confirms

An Iraqi War veteran who went missing on Saturday, June 8, was found dead, his wife told Action News 5.

Jonathan “Scotty” Roach, 43, was reported missing after he went for a walk on Saturday afternoon. When the father of two departed his house, he left his phone and truck behind.

His body was discovered nearly a week later on Thursday, June 12, in a cornfield/wooded area near the 4000 block of Airline Road around 1:45 p.m., the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) said, per Action News 5.

SCSO patrol deputies, search and rescue units, Homeland Security, the county’s Emergency Management Agency, and volunteers all aided the search.

The SCSO said the body has not been formally identified by the medical examiner. However, Scotty’s wife, Tracey, told the local news outlet that the body discovered is her husband’s. It is still unknown the manner and cause of his death.

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“My husband is an Eagle Scout. He’s 14 years Air Force, lots of training there,” Tracey told the outlet. “He is white water rescue trained. He does kayaking, and nature is his place. At our home, we have bees, chickens, and a garden. That’s where you’ll find Scott, outside. That’s his place where he processes all of the stuff that is going on.”

“There is a song by Adele that says, ‘You feel like home, you sound like a song, you feel like a movie,’ or something like that… that’s my husband,” Tracey said. “Very loving and compassionate.” 

“We’ve been married 13 years, and he’s never yelled at me one time, he’s never said a bad word in our house, he’s constantly there for people who need him,” she continued. “There’s nobody who meets him who doesn’t fall in love with him.”

A representative for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Friday.