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Juda man died near his home
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Steven Swart
JUDA - The body of a missing Juda man was discovered Friday 50 feet from his home under several inches of snow, Green County Sheriff Randy Roderick said Friday.

The body of Steven R. Swart, 54, was found by a neighbor around 9:45 a.m. Friday.

Roderick said neighbors have periodically checked the yard around Swart's home since he was reported missing earlier this week, and the body was found after blowing snow revealed a mound west of the home.

Green County Coroner Jan Perry responded to the scene.

"At this time we do not know the cause, nor the date, of death, and an autopsy will be scheduled," Roderick said.

Roderick said Swart had a history of medical problems and had been known to go for walks during the day.

Roderick said there are no indications of foul play.

Deputies responded to a missing person report Monday at Swart's residence at N1649 County K and found his vehicle in the garage and no one at the residence. Deputies talked to family members, neighbors and friends and discovered that no one had been in contact with Swart since Feb. 5 or Feb. 6.

Roderick said the Sheriff's department enlisted help Wednesday from the Dane County Sheriff's Department K-9 unit to use a cadaver dog to try to locate Swart. Roderick said the dog was used because there was a lot of snow last week and efforts to find Swart had been unsuccessful.

The dog might not have been able to locate the body because of the weather conditions or the time of death, Roderick said.

This is the first time Roderick remembered calling in a cadaver dog to look for a missing person.

The Green County Highway Department also was called to clear Swart's driveway and areas of the road around his driveway.