Nearly 30 years after Iowa news anchor Jodi Huisentruit disappeared, a random tip has led police to what could be a breakthrough.
Two weeks ago, investigators searched an area in Winsted, Minnesota, a rural town northwest of the Twin Cities, as part of their investigation.
The search focused on a construction site where new apartments are being built.
Mason Police Chief Jeff Brinkley did not provide details about the case or the informant, but shared a statement about the findJodi website asking the public to contact them or the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation if they have any information.
Huisentruit was in the parking lot of his apartment complex in Mason City, Iowa, on the morning of July 27, 1995.
The 27-year-old was on her way to anchor the morning news on KIMT-TV, but suddenly disappeared into thin air.
Huisentruit was in the parking lot of her apartment complex in Mason City, Iowa, on July 27, 1995, on her way to anchor the morning news at KIMT-TV, but she was kidnapped and never seen or heard from again. her.
Police found Huisentruit’s red high-heeled shoe next to her car before she was kidnapped
The police chief said the Mason County Police Department worked with Minnesota law enforcement officials to follow up on the lead in Winsted.
Winstead is a city located just 45 miles west of the Twin Cities metro and has a population of 2,240, according to a 2020 census.
“MCPD continues to receive, evaluate and follow up on information it receives related to the disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit on a regular basis,” the police chief said.
“Information obtained from this effort will be used in the ongoing investigation,” Brinkley said. ‘At this time, there is no additional information for public release.
He further said, “We want to encourage anyone with information regarding Jodi’s disappearance to contact MCPD or the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.”
Only one person has ever been considered a person of interest.
John Vansice, who was 50 at the time and was a friend of Huisentruit, told police he was the last person to see her alive.
She had gone to his house the night before to watch a birthday video, but insisted that he was not involved in her disappearance.
Two weeks ago, investigators searched an area in Winstead, Minnesota, a rural town northwest of the Twin Cities. The search focused on the construction zone of an apartment building.
Huisentriut pictured presenting the 6am morning news
Huisentruit was in the parking lot of his apartment complex in Mason City, Iowa, on the morning of July 27, 1995, on his way to anchor the morning news.
Huisentruit’s apartment in Mason City, Iowa
The morning of her disappearance, the station’s producer called her apartment and woke her up. He said he would be there soon for his live news broadcast at 6 a.m. The station was about a mile from his house.
Her coworkers became worried when hours passed and she didn’t arrive. They called the police requesting a welfare check.
When officers arrived at the Key Apartments in Mason City, Iowa, they found red heels, a hair dryer, earrings and hairspray strewn next to her car.
“She was kidnapped about 20 minutes after leaving her apartment building,” according to the site.
“He was next to his car, which was parked approximately 12 steps from the entrance to his apartment building.”
“During the struggle with her kidnapper, the key to Jodi’s red 1991 Mazda Miata was slightly bent.”
Police said “there was evidence of a fight outside the apartment building.” They also found a “partial palm print” in the car.
However, there are no witnesses to the kidnapping or surveillance cameras that record what happened.
Some neighbors reported hearing a scream around 4:30 a.m., but no one called the police.
Very little forensic evidence was found at the crime scene and the case was eventually closed.
In 2001, Huisentruit was declared legally dead.
Huisentruit was 27 years old when she was kidnapped in June, she would have turned 56
Huisentruit was from Long Prairie, Minnesota and described her as a “local girl.” One of the local merchants decorated the window of his store for Christmas 1996 with a painting of the young television presenter.
Two years later, friends and former colleagues Josh Benson and Gary Peterson created the nonprofit FindJodi, Inc. to keep the young woman’s memory alive and help solve the case.
Huisentruit’s case became one of Iowa’s biggest mysteries.
In April 2023, co-founder Gary Peterson He died at 81 years old. His co-founder Josh Benson wrote a tribute to Peterson on the website FindJodi and shared how heartbroken he was by his passing.
‘I met Gary back in 2002 in Austin, Minnesota. He was my first boss in TV News at KAAL-TV. “We hit it off right away,” Benson wrote.
“We both discovered that we shared a passion for missing persons cases and within six months we immersed ourselves in the disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Mason City Police Department at (641) 421-3636, Iowa DCI Special Agent Ryan Herman at rherman@dps.state.ia.us or FindJodi.com .