Jodi Huisentruit, a morning news anchor for KIMT-TV in Mason City, Iowa, skipped work on June 27, 1995. She was never seen again after her car was discovered abandoned in the apartment parking lot.

Since Jodi Huisentruit vanished more than 20 years ago, there have been no arrests and no suspects have been named in the ongoing investigation.

Jodi Huisentruit, who was she?

Huisentruit was a great journalist who was well-liked by her coworkers and viewers. She was well-known for her diligence and commitment to her work.

She earned a degree in Mass Communications from St. Cloud State University in 1992. She worked as a reporter for KAAL-TV in Austin, Minnesota, after college, before moving to Mason City, Iowa, in 1995 to become a morning news anchor for KIMT-TV.

What Happened to Jodi Huisentruit?

Jodi was scheduled to begin her morning show shift at 3:50 a.m. on June 27, 1995. When she did not arrive at the studios on time, Amy Kuns, the show’s producer, called her.

Jodi had apparently overslept and was awoken by Amy’s call. As they talked, she was getting ready. Amy was reassured that she would rush to the station to produce and anchor the 6:00 a.m. news. Her Keys apartment was a 5-minute drive from the TV station.

Amy Kuns attempted to contact her again at 5:00 a.m., but she did not respond. Because Jodi did not show up for work, Amy Kuns anchored the 6:00 a.m. newscast.

Amy asked a coworker to call the police to check on Jodi after the news was finished.

Officers found some of her belongings, including a pair of women’s red dress shoes, a blow dryer, a bottle of hairspray, earrings, and her bent car key, strewn around her car, a new red 1991 Mazda Miata. She had only recently purchased the car.

The ground had evidence of drag marks, indicating that she had been taken away against her will as she got into her car.

Police launch a search for a missing person.

Jodi Huisentruit’s missing belongings were never found

The items Jodi was missing were never discovered. She always had a large bag with her that contained the supplies she would need to prepare for the broadcast every day.

She typically wore a blazer jacket while broadcasting live most days.

She had just begun keeping her contacts in a new address book.

All of these things have not been located.

An extensive search operation is Started

The Mason City police, with assistance from the FBI and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, began a thorough search operation.

Local law enforcement was assisted in the search on June 28, 1995, by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Investigators looked through a park next to the complex of apartments and along the park’s Winnebago River.

The police found a partial palm print and a hair strand in her car, but it is unknown if these were ever linked to a specific person.

Her disappearance was suspected to be suspicious, but investigators were unable to uncover any significant clues.

Screams heard

At least three neighbors in Huisentruit’s apartment complex were questioned by investigators, and each of them claimed to have heard screaming around 4:30 am, when Jodi Huisentruit would have left for work.

A white van was spotted

Around the same time, a neighbor reported seeing a white Ford Econoline van with its lights on and engine running in Huisentruit’s parking lot. The van was never identified positively.

A strange incident occurred the night before her disappearance

Witnesses claim they saw and heard an unknown young male race up the inner stairwell of the apartment, pound on Jodi’s door while yelling, and then quickly disappear after receiving no response from inside the apartment unit.

Jodi was reportedly at her friend John Vansice’s house at 8:30 p.m. when the mysterious incident occurred. Police have yet to confirm or locate the mysterious individual. It is also unclear whether the individual was involved in Jodi’s disappearance.

No clues are found

In May 1996, approximately 100 volunteers combed Cerro Gordo County, leaving flags to mark anything suspicious. Each of these locations was re-examined by law enforcement, but no promising evidence was discovered.

More than 1,000 people have been interviewed by police and private investigators, but none have yielded conclusive evidence pointing to a suspect.

Jodi is declared dead

In May 2001, Huisentruit’s family petitioned the court to have her declared dead after being unable to determine her whereabouts.

A strange message appears on “Find Jodi” Billboard

A billboard about Huisentruit’s disappearance was vandalised with a mysterious message in the middle of the night in January 2020. The name “Frank Stearns” was spray-painted on the billboard. Smaller letters with the word “machine shed” underneath were spraypainted.

The officer who had been on the force since Huisentruit vanished was Lieutenant Frank Sterns, a former lieutenant of the Mason City Police Department. The graffiti artist might be suggesting that Frank Sterns is the perp, and that Jodi’s body can be found in the “Machine shed.”

It is unknown if the incident was looked into further or if any leads in the case were found.

Suspects in Jodi Huisentruit Case

• Serial rapist Tony Dejuan Jackson
• John Vansice, Jodi Huisentruit’s friend
• Thomas Corscadden

“Her Case remains Unsolved Please Share for her help to bring home“