Just found this today. No arrest but a search warrant issued on one of the initial suspects.
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2018/03/16/jodi-huisentruit-news-anchor-cold-case-police-reportedly-serve-search-warrant/433732002/

Very interesting--glad to see an update in this case!

"48 Hours" on CBS is going to air an interview with John Vansice Saturday @ 9PM CST

Link (https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/interview-with-vansice-cbs-hours-looks-at-jodi-huisentruit-case/article_7153e215-62eb-5c4f-8eaf-988dc8a5e817.html#tracking-source=home-breaking)

"48 Hours" on CBS is going to air an interview with John Vansice Saturday @ 9PM CST

Link (https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/interview-with-vansice-cbs-hours-looks-at-jodi-huisentruit-case/article_7153e215-62eb-5c4f-8eaf-988dc8a5e817.html#tracking-source=home-breaking)

Thanks for sharing this.

I’m not saying he did it but he is certainly the most logical suspect. Some of what he says is very suspicious, too. He is just an odd guy and his relationship with Jodi was not normal. I’ll be curious what he has to say.

Thanks for sharing this.

I’m not saying he did it but he is certainly the most logical suspect. Some of what he says is very suspicious, too. He is just an odd guy and his relationship with Jodi was not normal. I’ll be curious what he has to say.

The suspicion was that he allegedly hired someone to do his own dirty work for him. He was too smart to carry out the act himself. My own view is that it was a crazed fan who had become obsessed with her.

Online court records show police were seeking GPS data from a 1999 Honda Civic and a 2013 GMC 1500. Vansice is listed as the interested party on the warrant, which is under seal.

Huh? she disappeared in 1995.. They think he went and moved her body recently or something?

Huh? she disappeared in 1995.. They think he went and moved her body recently or something?

That'd be my guess, although with everything under such tight seal, who knows??

The suspicion was that he allegedly hired someone to do his own dirty work for him. He was too smart to carry out the act himself. My own view is that it was a crazed fan who had become obsessed with her.

My gut still tells me it was a crazed and obsessed fan. It's truly scary to think how easy this abduction was to pull off. She lived in a tiny apartment complex, not in a gated location. At that time of morning with nobody awake yet, she would have been a sitting duck. Any local creep who obsessively watched her on TV every day would have easy access to her after figuring out her routine.

I'll wait and see what becomes of John Vansice but I'm still not completely convinced. Even if he was considered a weirdo, Jodi apparently had no apprehension over going to his apartment to watch the video of her birthday party. Being weird doesn't always = killer.

I'll wait and see what becomes of John Vansice but I'm still not completely convinced. Even if he was considered a weirdo, Jodi apparently had no apprehension over going to his apartment to watch the video of her birthday party. Being weird doesn't always = killer.

True, but he did want more from her than she was willing to give to him. He named his boat after her for God's sake... :D I'm not convinced he did it or even had anything to do with it. However, his behavior before and after the murder was nothing less than bizarre. If they have enough evidence to get a warrant for his vehicles, then there has to be at least decent evidence against him.

The main reason I doubt the crazed fan theory is because she was running late that day. If someone was stalking her, I'm not convinced they would have stayed that long if she was normally gone by then. (I realize that's a little thin, but it's what I'm going with.)

It may not have been JV, but I believe she knew her killer on at least some level.

The main reason I doubt the crazed fan theory is because she was running late that day. If someone was stalking her, I'm not convinced they would have stayed that long if she was normally gone by then.

Oh, I'm convinced. A crazy stalker fan who went through all the trouble of tracking down her home, memorizing her schedule to and from work, figuring out the endgame once he had her and finally driving to her apartment is not going to have any issue with waiting an extra hour for her to walk out of her apartment. There are the same amount of witnesses around at 4:00 a.m. than there would have been at 3:00 a.m.; none. Very easy to pull off.

I'd rather the culprit be JV because you have someone to go on. A crazy viewer turned stalker gives you absolutely no starting point to investigate because it could be ANYONE. Unfortunately, my gut tells me crazed fan.

Unfortunately, my gut tells me crazed fan.

Hard for me to think that someone would become obsessed with a local TV news anchor.. But.. Crazy is crazy.

She was young, attractive, good personality. Many famous people have stalkers, even ones who dont' have a good personality. I could see a nut taking too much of a liking to her.

https://qctimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/jodi-huisentruit-episode-of-hours-will-show-new-footage-of/article_6b9658c8-90ef-5fdd-8ddc-869d3153da85.html

Oh, I'm convinced. A crazy stalker fan who went through all the trouble of tracking down her home, memorizing her schedule to and from work, figuring out the endgame once he had her and finally driving to her apartment is not going to have any issue with waiting an extra hour for her to walk out of her apartment. There are the same amount of witnesses around at 4:00 a.m. than there would have been at 3:00 a.m.; none. Very easy to pull off.

I'd rather the culprit be JV because you have someone to go on. A crazy viewer turned stalker gives you absolutely no starting point to investigate because it could be ANYONE. Unfortunately, my gut tells me crazed fan.

I agree with your theory 100%. in so many of these cases we try to make logic out of it. with random acts of violence there is no logic. some people are just sick.

Only half way through but how did this guy not come up at all on the UM segment?!

Nothing really new in the 48 Hours piece. As far as JV is concerned, the police had to have probable cause to even get the search warrant so there must be some evidence there. IIRC, her toilet seat was found up which would be very weird for a single female. It could mean a man was there that morning.

No matter who did it, I really hope they get some new traction on this.

I really think this was an obsessed stalker who knew her routine and waited for her to leave her apartment. I think she had a habit of holding her belongings while rushing to her car to make it in time for her morning show, leaving her vulnerable to an attack. The morning of her abduction, she was already late and would have undoubtedly been in a huge hurry and focused on making it to work.

I really think if JV had done this, there would have been some shred of evidence, such as in the vehicle he would have had to have driven to make the abductions possible, for example. If he had borrowed or rented a vehicle, that information likely would have been discovered. He was cased pretty carefully by LE...I just don't see him getting away scot-free with no evidence left behind.

To me, this abduction seems planned well in advance. She was one of the town's most popular residents. I think this person was pretty brazen and plotted it all out before finally making his move, as he had to have known what a huge stir this would cause in the community. Unfortunately, that person has done a really good job of covering his tracks so far.

Nothing really new in the 48 Hours piece. As far as JV is concerned, the police had to have probable cause to even get the search warrant so there must be some evidence there. IIRC, her toilet seat was found up which would be very weird for a single female. It could mean a man was there that morning.

No matter who did it, I really hope they get some new traction on this.

Well, one of the problems is that when the police call someone a 'person of interest' it automatically infers a degree of suspicion of guilt. Think to the Olympic bombings in '96. Poor old Richard Jewell who did everything right was vilified for quite some time and got the only (that I know of) official apology from the FBI.

I tend to think of this guy "JV" as a red herring. Police are focusing on him.. Which.. I'm fine with.. To a point. Do we really think this guy is smart enough to have disposed of her body to the point that she has not been found for 23 years? Most people aren't.. So, while he certainly may be worth a look.. Not sure how much focus he should get, or at least for how long without finding hard evidence. Sounds like all they have now is circumstantial.

OMG - this Jackson character stands out like a sore thumb. Proximity,
the guy was going to school for television, of course he would watch local news as a broadcast student. History of being violent towards women, habitual
rapist and felon. Enough said.

This John Vansice is a little strange, but please all speculation on this guy.
Give me a break. I could see why they can't charge him, based on the broadcast all they got is rhetoric !

What immediately makes me think Vansice isn't the responsible party is that he had so many opportunities to murder Jodi and dispose of her body without lying in wait for her outside her apartment at 4 in the morning, as the two were in one another's company on numerous occasions, visiting at one another's homes and the like. And why would he bother to stage an abduction scene?

He's weird and creepy as hell, but I just don't think he's the guy. I think Jodi's abductor might not even have been a crazed fan or stalker planning this abduction for a long period of time, considering she was running late. I think it's more likely that such a person would have been wary of the deviation in Jodi's routine that day, and he would've gotten nervous and left.

I've always thought Tony Jackson was a weak suspect. The links are speculative and tenuous.

I think she may have very well been abducted by an opportunist who would've grabbed the first young woman he encountered at that time and place.

He's weird and creepy as hell, but I just don't think he's the guy. I think Jodi's abductor might not even have been a crazed fan or stalker planning this abduction for a long period of time, considering she was running late. I think it's more likely that such a person would have been wary of the deviation in Jodi's routine that day, and he would've gotten nervous and left.

I think she may have very well been abducted by an opportunist who would've grabbed the first young woman he encountered at that time and place.

Was she running late? Ok.. Yeah.. Forgot that the producer had called and she answered. I thought the producer had called and gotten no answer and had just assumed she overslept.

I think you're right about the opportunist. If someone planned it.. Would they sit out there waiting for her to come out well after the time she should have? I'd think that would creep the person out and they'd pull the rip cord on the idea.. At least for that day.

What immediately makes me think Vansice isn't the responsible party is that he had so many opportunities to murder Jodi and dispose of her body without lying in wait for her outside her apartment at 4 in the morning, as the two were in one another's company on numerous occasions, visiting at one another's homes and the like. And why would he bother to stage an abduction scene?

Good points, Meg. My argument for why JV would have done it that night is because I think his situation may have come to a head that night.

He had just spent a lot of money throwing the birthday party for Jodi. Some witnesses said he was trying to make his move the night of the party and hook up with Jodi physically, but it didn't happen. So now he gets together with her to watch the video. I can see him making another play for her that night. Maybe she blew him off once and for all and he got pissed. There were reports that someone knocked (pounded?) on Jodi's door that night but she didn't answer. Maybe JV came back for a visit. I can see him being really pissed and stewing about it all night and waiting to confront her in the parking lot. I don't even think his goal was to kill her. He may have been frustrated/mad and hit her out of rage, and then said "Uh-oh..."

I'm not saying JV did it, but man... he was OBSESSED with Jodi and his actions after she went missing were bizarre at best. I will admit that this could be another story like Tim Bidner, where someone who is way too interested in the case and is weird AF ends up not being the perp.

You might be right about the opportunist part. Pretty lady runs out to car and a creeper just happens to be there. He walks over to ask her a question, gets close, and then she screams as she is assaulted. In many ways, that makes the most sense.

What immediately makes me think Vansice isn't the responsible party is that he had so many opportunities to murder Jodi and dispose of her body without lying in wait for her outside her apartment at 4 in the morning, as the two were in one another's company on numerous occasions, visiting at one another's homes and the like. And why would he bother to stage an abduction scene?


I think she may have very well been abducted by an opportunist who would've grabbed the first young woman he encountered at that time and place.


Well, grabbing her at 4am has ultimately proven to be successful in avoiding capture. Would it have worked out the same though if she'd vanished during one of the times she was known to be in his company or within a few hours of such?

I'm not saying for sure he did it though. But I think to have gotten away with it for so long and for there to not even be a body it couldn't have been a random opportunistic grab in a wrong-place-wrong-time scenario.

But I think to have gotten away with it for so long and for there to not even be a body it couldn't have been a random opportunistic grab in a wrong-place-wrong-time scenario.

Angela Hammond.

Was anyone interviewed on 48 Hours interviewed for Unsolved Mysteries? I don't remember.

Was anyone interviewed on 48 Hours interviewed for Unsolved Mysteries? I don't remember.

I seem to recall the producer at the station being interviewed.. Whether that was on UM or not, can't recall.

I seem to recall the producer at the station being interviewed.. Whether that was on UM or not, can't recall.

The one who called Jodi to wake her up was interviewed on UM, and not interviewed in 48 hrs, but a clip of her doing an interview back in 95 is shown.

Jodi's older sister is interviewed (as she was for the Disappeared and UM segments).

If he didn't do it why not simply speak to the 48 Hours reporter? Shutting the door in their face makes him come off at guilty

If he didn't do it why not simply speak to the 48 Hours reporter? Shutting the door in their face makes him come off at guilty

I think that was by design, and it's totally bush-league journalism. I'm not going to defend JV as a suspect, but how they did this was pathetic. Showing up outside his house at night with a camera and a bright light and saying "Hi, I'm from CBS News..." is really poor. I'm sure they tried to get an interview and he declined (or ignored them), but this way they get the sensational video clip to end their show.

So why wouldn't he speak to them? Most importantly, there are active warrants out for his vehicles, so I'm sure his lawyer told him not to say a thing to any reporters. He's also been dealing with this for over 20 years (and he's now 72) so I'm sure he's tired of having to answer the same questions from the media. In a sense, he has nothing to gain but a lot to lose if he says the wrong thing.

If he didn't do it why not simply speak to the 48 Hours reporter? Shutting the door in their face makes him come off at guilty

Once you are named a "Person of Interest".. there's little you can say that will work in your favor.

I don't blame him for keeping his mouth shut whether he's guilty or innocent. It's pretty obvious the police think he's guilty. Whether he is or not is another story. But, they don't have enough to arrest him now.. so, don't say something that they can twist into a reason.

Great points Meg--I completely agree, and have said the exact same things. I also think if she had THAT level of crazy stalker, he would have shown up in her life previous to this. Disturbing calls, repeatedly showing up at the news station or remotes...something. Someone would have known about his existence. Their very first interaction being him kidnapping her from her apartment (the one morning she was hours late) just doesn't seem realistic to me.

I also think it was just a random crime of opportunity. There's never been any real reason to think otherwise. But for some reason, the public nature of her job has led to so much unfounded speculation.

Cheers,
Matt


What immediately makes me think Vansice isn't the responsible party is that he had so many opportunities to murder Jodi and dispose of her body without lying in wait for her outside her apartment at 4 in the morning, as the two were in one another's company on numerous occasions, visiting at one another's homes and the like. And why would he bother to stage an abduction scene?

He's weird and creepy as hell, but I just don't think he's the guy. I think Jodi's abductor might not even have been a crazed fan or stalker planning this abduction for a long period of time, considering she was running late. I think it's more likely that such a person would have been wary of the deviation in Jodi's routine that day, and he would've gotten nervous and left.

I've always thought Tony Jackson was a weak suspect. The links are speculative and tenuous.

I think she may have very well been abducted by an opportunist who would've grabbed the first young woman he encountered at that time and place.

To that end, if it was a stalker, I really think it was more of a neighborhood thing and not a fan. There has been speculation that a couple of guys who lived nearby may have taken an interest in her (as in “that blond lady that lives here” and not Jodi the news anchor). I can see a couple of guys coming home drunk, seeing her, and taking her away. Maybe they got too rough with her and then realized it was too late.

RaidenKhan, you make a good point. She hadn’t reported any stalkers very close before her disappearance. It seems odd that their first (known) encounter would be kidnapping and murder. I could even believe if she was shot to death on sight by a crazy stalker before I can believe a stalker did this.

I think someone who knew her wanted her dead or someone saw a sudden opportunity.

I believe she knew her attacker or at least knew who he was. That early in the morning i tend to think he knew she would be coming out because he knew her schedule. And also probably knew she had a tendency to be late. It wouldn't surprise me if he lived in that building so his vehicle wouldn't stand out as unusual to anyone who lived there and may see it.

48 Hours did a interesting piece on this case. I wonder if that male friend of hers had anything to do with it?

48 Hours did a interesting piece on this case. I wonder if that male friend of hers had anything to do with it?That's been discussed throughout this thread, but I'll add that I think the male friend (John Vansice) knows more than he's letting on, whether or not he's the one that actually did it is another matter.

New update (possibly)

https://kwwl.com/news/2019/09/19/new-information-from-two-iowa-killers-could-solve-multiple-cold-cases/

New update (possibly)

https://kwwl.com/news/2019/09/19/new-information-from-two-iowa-killers-could-solve-multiple-cold-cases/

Thanks for posting this. Too bad it sounds more like a big tease when it comes to Jodi's case.

I keep waiting for them to unseal the warrants against John Vancise to see what it is they were looking for against him.

I can't remember if I mentioned this before, but if you are interested in Jodi's case you should check out season 3 of the "Frozen Truth" podcast. The host does a good job of giving the history of this case and going through the possible suspects in detail. [On a side note, season 1 of "Frozen Truth" covered another UM case, Amy Wroe Bechtel.] I have nothing to do with this podcast other than I enjoyed listening to it and I learned quite a bit about this case that I didn't know before.

Thanks for posting this. Too bad it sounds more like a big tease when it comes to Jodi's case.

I keep waiting for them to unseal the warrants against John Vancise to see what it is they were looking for against him.

I can't remember if I mentioned this before, but if you are interested in Jodi's case you should check out season 3 of the "Frozen Truth" podcast. The host does a good job of giving the history of this case and going through the possible suspects in detail. [On a side note, season 1 of "Frozen Truth" covered another UM case, Amy Wroe Bechtel.] I have nothing to do with this podcast other than I enjoyed listening to it and I learned quite a bit about this case that I didn't know before.

Indeed - I was actually kind of hesitant to post this (given that it smells like a delaying tactic on the part of some Defense Attorneys)

Thanks for posting this. Too bad it sounds more like a big tease when it comes to Jodi's case.

I keep waiting for them to unseal the warrants against John Vancise to see what it is they were looking for against him.

I can't remember if I mentioned this before, but if you are interested in Jodi's case you should check out season 3 of the "Frozen Truth" podcast. The host does a good job of giving the history of this case and going through the possible suspects in detail. [On a side note, season 1 of "Frozen Truth" covered another UM case, Amy Wroe Bechtel.] I have nothing to do with this podcast other than I enjoyed listening to it and I learned quite a bit about this case that I didn't know before.

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/frozen-truth/e/59760077

There was an episode of 48 Hours earlier this year on this case. They go into greater detail than the UM version ever did, including 2 possible suspects.

About eight months before her abduction Jodi mentioned being stalked. A white van was involved which are always bad news.

https://www.findjodi.com

This just got more interesting

Here is an update (https://www.kimt.com/content/news/Investigator-says-hes-found-video-of-Jodi-Huisentruit-564517151.html) on Jodi's case, where a private investigator says he has the last known video footage of Jodi.

Interestingly enough, the investigator says Jodi and a friend where with John Vancise and his son on their boat but jumped on another boat with two other men. This raises two big questions in my mind:
1) Could these guys have had something to do with her disappearance?, or
2) Could this have made John Vancise angry enough at Jodi that it led to a later fight?

Nothing earth-shattering here, but it is more evidence and hopefully we can start narrowing in on what happened in the days and hours before Jodi was abducted.

Wow! Interesting. Thanks for the update.

Cheers,
Matt

Scuttlebutt for the reason for the GPS subpeona/search warrant is that they think he's been visiting her grave.

that's pretty sick. To have the thought that someone would do that first off, and if someone would actually do that.

Scuttlebutt for the reason for the GPS subpeona/search warrant is that they think he's been visiting her grave.

that's pretty sick. To have the thought that someone would do that first off, and if someone would actually do that.

Ahh... I wondered why they were looking at cars of his that he didn't even have at the time of the crime. They must have had something on him to get the warrant in the first place. I can't imagine a judge just signing for that without enough info, so now I'm super curious what they had on JV.

Ahh... I wondered why they were looking at cars of his that he didn't even have at the time of the crime. They must have had something on him to get the warrant in the first place. I can't imagine a judge just signing for that without enough info, so now I'm super curious what they had on JV.

Yeah, that's what jumped out at me about the warrant.. Hell.. Even if they found the cars he did have at the time.. Those things didn't have GPS.. Noone but the military had GPS at the time.

Anybody watch the Up And Vanished tonight about Jodi’s case?

Cheers,
Matt

Anybody watch the Up And Vanished tonight about Jodi’s case?

Cheers,
Matt

I did. I thought it was decent, and there were a few new nuggets in there. But there is no earth-shattering revelations and no new hard evidence. Just mostly lots of speculation and hearsay from unidentified people.

It certainly paints an even cloudier picture for John Vansice, his possible involvement in the case, and his strange behavior around the time of Jodi's disappearance. I did think it was interesting that he called the newsroom looking for Jodi the morning of her disappearance. I had never heard that before and it seems really odd. I'm not convinced he kidnapped and/or killed her, but I've always been convinced that he knows more than he has ever given to the police.

I do take this show with a little grain of salt though, as I think Paine Lindsey paints you the picture he wants you to see vs. a straight up presentation of the facts. After listening to two seasons of the "Up and Vanished" podcast, I think he tends to make mountains out of molehills when it can make for dramatic listening.

Ha! My exact thoughts on it (and Payne), word for word.

Cheers,
Matt

I did. I thought it was decent, and there were a few new nuggets in there. But there is no earth-shattering revelations and no new hard evidence. Just mostly lots of speculation and hearsay from unidentified people.

It certainly paints an even cloudier picture for John Vansice, his possible involvement in the case, and his strange behavior around the time of Jodi's disappearance. I did think it was interesting that he called the newsroom looking for Jodi the morning of her disappearance. I had never heard that before and it seems really odd. I'm not convinced he kidnapped and/or killed her, but I've always been convinced that he knows more than he has ever given to the police.

I do take this show with a little grain of salt though, as I think Paine Lindsey paints you the picture he wants you to see vs. a straight up presentation of the facts. After listening to two seasons of the "Up and Vanished" podcast, I think he tends to make mountains out of molehills when it can make for dramatic listening.

Ha! My exact thoughts on it (and Payne), word for word.

(Well, except for the “two seasons of U&V” part...I could only make it through a few episodes of that Season Two trainwreck. I did, however, listen to both Monster seasons as well, so your point is well-taken).

Cheers,
Matt

Vansice sure mean mugged the guy dancing with Jodi. The mid nineties probably a little to early for everyone to have outside cameras.

I realize this sounds a little crazy, but I wouldn't put it past Vansice to have Jodi kidnapped so he could "save" her later and be her big hero. Then perhaps she was killed in the process and they had a body to get rid of.

He was way older than Jodi and obviously very infatuated with her. He tried to play it off as being a father figure to her, but his actions and the statements of those around him show he had a different interest.

I think he kept upping the ante with her and she kept rebuffing him. I think he thought the birthday party would seal the deal for him to finally be with her but it didn't. They were together the night before she died and she may very well have told him once and for all that she would never be with him the way he wanted to be with her. That and/or she was with someone else and his jealousy finally popped the cork.

This could be another case where LE is over-focusing on the main suspect, but I really think they must have something on him to get what they did recently, especially with the vehicles. I just can't believe that after all the weird stuff he did, Vansice doesn't have more knowledge of this than he lets on.

Wait, I thought her body was never found! Does she have a cenotaph marker?

‘20/20’ Investigates the Mystery Behind a Young Anchorwoman Who Vanished Before Dawn

‘20/20’ Features Exclusive Access to Local Police Investigating Case

‘20/20’ Airs Friday, Jan. 28 (9:01–11:00 p.m. EST), on ABC, Next Day on Hulu

For over 26 years, authorities tried to locate Jodi Huisentruit, a 27-year-old anchorwoman who vanished early one morning before heading into work in Mason City, Iowa. Now “20/20,” with reporting by co-anchor Amy Robach, explores surprising new leads in the case. In collaboration with investigative journalist and Committee Films producer Maria Awes, “20/20” features exclusive, extensive access to the Mason City Police Department and the lead investigator on Huisentruit’s case, Terrance Prochaska. This report includes, for the first time, Prochaska’s comments about his work on the case years after it first began and takes cameras on a ride-along, tracing Huisentruit’s steps the night before her disappearance. “20/20” contains the first national TV interview with Tony Jackson, a serial rapist whose name has been associated with the case since 1998 despite the fact he’s been cleared by police, who denies any involvement in Huisentruit’s disappearance. It also features exclusive footage captured by “20/20” cameras as police investigated a new lead regarding a buried freezer. The two-hour program includes exclusive interviews with Krystal Doolittle and Scarlett Fleshner, who open up for the first time about how theories falsely linked Huisentruit’s disappearance to their father’s death in Mason City just three months prior, and new interviews with members of FindJodi, a team made up of journalists, a podcaster and a former police commander dedicated to collecting and investigating new tips to try to solve the mystery. “20/20” airs Friday, Jan. 28 (9:01–11:00 p.m. EST), on ABC, next day on Hulu.

vv8KnwBPrQA

Scuttlebutt for the reason for the GPS subpeona/search warrant is that they think he's been visiting her grave.

that's pretty sick. To have the thought that someone would do that first off, and if someone would actually do that.

What appalled me was that the court let them get a GPS search warrant at all. Seems like a slam dunk 4th amendment violation.

What appalled me was that the court let them get a GPS search warrant at all. Seems like a slam dunk 4th amendment violation.

It all depends. Since we can't see the warrant and what evidence they used to back it up.. We can't know for sure.

But, I agree.. From where we sit and what we know.. Sure seems like someone was going fishing.

I was just randomly watching this segment on an episode on Peacock this morning and I get here to write about it and it is on the front forum page.

This thread is an interesting read in that everyone admits all of the circumstantial evident against the main suspect, but almost unanimously agree that he probably didn't do it.

We have seen in cases like this on UM the people who often try to involve themselves in the search for a missing person albeit over-zealously; often are involved in the crime.

I believe JV probably did do this crime and the reason he snatched her up before work was to make it look like it was some obsessed fan. He could have done it the night prior at his place, but I think he was trying to place the blame elsewhere.

A lot of times these guys do things like this trying to be "smart" and get involved in trying to solve the case to seem concerned and appear normal but they appear anything but that.

I was just randomly watching this segment on an episode on Peacock this morning and I get here to write about it and it is on the front forum page.

This thread is an interesting read in that everyone admits all of the circumstantial evident against the main suspect, but almost unanimously agree that he probably didn't do it.

We have seen in cases like this on UM the people who often try to involve themselves in the search for a missing person albeit over-zealously; often are involved in the crime.

I believe JV probably did do this crime and the reason he snatched her up before work was to make it look like it was some obsessed fan. He could have done it the night prior at his place, but I think he was trying to place the blame elsewhere.

A lot of times these guys do things like this trying to be "smart" and get involved in trying to solve the case to seem concerned and appear normal but they appear anything but that.I think VanSice is as guilty as they come and my feeling is he didn't do this by himself.

Just my 2 cents.

I think Van Sice is as guilty as they come and my feeling is he didn't do this by himself.

Just my 2 cents.

Its very telling not a trace of her has come up in all these years. I think he planned and executed this crime. He couldn't handle her rejection of him he was obsessed.

Kinda sorta new info on this case:
https://www.kcci.com/article/jodi-huisentruit-reward-doubles-mason-city-iowa/44991471

A private investigator has revealed some new developments in the case. He has discovered that Jodi had met and started some sort of a fling with a man just ten days before her disappearance. The two saw each other a lot those final days and the PA even obtained a picture of the two at a restaurant, just days before her disappearance. Jodi did not tell any of her friends about this relationship. The man's identity is being withheld and apparently the police knew about the relationship but never revealed it to the public. Click the link for more info....

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12596719/Will-mystery-missing-news-anchor-Jodi-Huisentruit-finally-unravelled-thirty-years-New-details-emerge-fling-man-met-just-ten-days-disappeared-photograph-reveals-location-final-date.html

A private investigator has revealed some new developments in the case. He has discovered that Jodi had met and started some sort of a fling with a man just ten days before her disappearance. The two saw each other a lot those final days and the PA even obtained a picture of the two at a restaurant, just days before her disappearance. Jodi did not tell any of her friends about this relationship. The man's identity is being withheld and apparently the police knew about the relationship but never revealed it to the public. Click the link for more info....

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12596719/Will-mystery-missing-news-anchor-Jodi-Huisentruit-finally-unravelled-thirty-years-New-details-emerge-fling-man-met-just-ten-days-disappeared-photograph-reveals-location-final-date.html

Not surprising, she was an attractive woman who seemed to have a lot of guys squiring her & her seemingly stringing along one guy at least. I could easily see at least one of them getting jealous.

it is interesting that this information was withheld for so long. I often thought that it was a stranger/stalker or a neighborhood person that may have known her, but did not have a relationship with her.

A private investigator has revealed some new developments in the case. He has discovered that Jodi had met and started some sort of a fling with a man just ten days before her disappearance. The two saw each other a lot those final days and the PA even obtained a picture of the two at a restaurant, just days before her disappearance. Jodi did not tell any of her friends about this relationship. The man's identity is being withheld and apparently the police knew about the relationship but never revealed it to the public. Click the link for more info....

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12596719/Will-mystery-missing-news-anchor-Jodi-Huisentruit-finally-unravelled-thirty-years-New-details-emerge-fling-man-met-just-ten-days-disappeared-photograph-reveals-location-final-date.html

After reading articles from sources other than dailymail. Sorry, that site is just too tabloidish for me. Cops seemingly cleared this guy long ago.. I think they were holding this information from the public as the 'thing only the killer would know' as it,in theory, speaks directly to the motivation for the crime.

I'm sorry, but why was she being tailed by a PI in the days leading up to her disappearance?

it is interesting that this information was withheld for so long. I often thought that it was a stranger/stalker or a neighborhood person that may have known her, but did not have a relationship with her.

My gut still tells me this is the exact scenario that happened. Mason City has a small population of just 28,000 people. Jodi was a major celebrity to the residents and surrounding area. Everything about this abduction was so easy to pull off because there was such easy access to her. She lived in a small apartment with no locked gate among your average everyday people. From what I've read and the pictures I've seen, the parking lot at KIMT was not closed off either. Any creepy weirdo who watched her on the news every day and become obsessed with her could easily be able to spy on her routine, when she left for and from work. That's why I have always been haunted by this case. Everyone keeps wanting to look at people she had personal relationships with. But I think it's much more likely the abductor never once had any interaction with her. Pretty celebrities get creepy stalkers more often than not. And she was too easy of a target.

My gut still tells me this is the exact scenario that happened. Mason City has a small population of just 28,000 people. Jodi was a major celebrity to the residents and surrounding area. Everything about this abduction was so easy to pull off because there was such easy access to her. She lived in a small apartment with no locked gate among your average everyday people. From what I've read and the pictures I've seen, the parking lot at KIMT was not closed off either. Any creepy weirdo who watched her on the news every day and become obsessed with her could easily be able to spy on her routine, when she left for and from work. That's why I have always been haunted by this case. Everyone keeps wanting to look at people she had personal relationships with. But I think it's much more likely the abductor never once had any interaction with her. Pretty celebrities get creepy stalkers more often than not. And she was too easy of a target.
absolutely, and I wonder if it was someone in her neighborhood or apartment complex area that had access to her somehow. it could have been someone who creeped her out or someone that she never would have seen it coming. a lot of abductions that involve sexual assaults come back to neighbors or creepers. it's disgusting when you think about it.

I'm sorry, but why was she being tailed by a PI in the days leading up to her disappearance?

She wasn't-this is a PI who took a photo this year, of where some guy who says he was in a new relationship with her in 1995 & had what was her final date with her.

She wasn't-this is a PI who took a photo this year, of where some guy who says he was in a new relationship with her in 1995 & had what was her final date with her.

You'll have to forgive me, because the way I read this it sounded like he was taking pictures of them.

Ridge said that five days before she went missing, Jodi met her date at his lakeside home, where they sat on the back deck, which he managed to get access to in order to document it.

'The last time she had a date - it's such a powerful picture...a few days later Jodi was gone.'

You'll have to forgive me, because the way I read this it sounded like he was taking pictures of them.

Ridge said that five days before she went missing, Jodi met her date at his lakeside home, where they sat on the back deck, which he managed to get access to in order to document it.

'The last time she had a date - it's such a powerful picture...a few days later Jodi was gone.'

It really is a total nothing of a story-even if the guy is telling the truth & isn't a bs artist.

Do we know with this case how she got abducted? I was always under the impression that he may have been sitting in her backseat waiting for her. Or is that just the sort of thing that people started doing after they saw this case?

I know for sure the sort of opportunity there would be if she was coming into work that early. As someone who wakes up earlier than most farmers for work there is no one around at 5am, even in the suburbs. It is dark, even on a summer day, at that time, and aside from a horn honking I doubt there would have been much that disturbed anyone. And I don't think anyone had a report of a horn honking.

She was declared legally dead in 2001. I think she probably is dead, but I wonder what the reason for that would be. It would be a family member that would have done that.

Do we know with this case how she got abducted? I was always under the impression that he may have been sitting in her backseat waiting for her. Or is that just the sort of thing that people started doing after they saw this case?

I know for sure the sort of opportunity there would be if she was coming into work that early. As someone who wakes up earlier than most farmers for work there is no one around at 5am, even in the suburbs. It is dark, even on a summer day, at that time, and aside from a horn honking I doubt there would have been much that disturbed anyone. And I don't think anyone had a report of a horn honking.

She was declared legally dead in 2001. I think she probably is dead, but I wonder what the reason for that would be. It would be a family member that would have done that.

If we knew that, we'd probably have a better idea of who did it.

But.. Hiding in the backseat.. Seems unlikely. Her car key was found, along with other items of hers, by the car.. And the key was bent. Like she had put it in the door lock and been hit at that time. at least, that's the impression that I get out of it.

I've also got a big problem that someone was lying in wait for her. We know that she overslept and was running late that day. I just have a real problem that an abductor who knew her schedule would keep hanging out waiting for her, once she broke that schedule. That part really bothers me.

Think about it. You've planned this abduction.. She leaves her house at 4:30am like clockwork. So, you're sitting there.. Got your plan all set.. 4:30am rolls around.. She doesn't come out. 4:35.. 4:40.. 4:45.. you've gotta be saying "Nope.. Something's off. Abort, abort, abort" at that point, right?

I don't recall exactly how late she was, but I seem to recall it being close to an hour. And I just have a real problem that a kidnapper would sit there and wait that long.

Which.. Leads me to lean to two other possibilities.

First.. Random crime of opportunity. But.. That doesn't sit right with me, either.

Second.. Which.. Has its own problems.. She actually had someone spend the night at her place. She didn't oversleep.. They were.. arguing/fighting/whatever.. Not loudly, as no neighbors mentioned anything like that. But.. They leave her apartment.. He attacks her. But.. This, as I said, has its own set of problems. No one reported a strange car parked there overnight.

If we knew that, we'd probably have a better idea of who did it.

But.. Hiding in the backseat.. Seems unlikely. Her car key was found, along with other items of hers, by the car.. And the key was bent. Like she had put it in the door lock and been hit at that time. at least, that's the impression that I get out of it.

I've also got a big problem that someone was lying in wait for her. We know that she overslept and was running late that day. I just have a real problem that an abductor who knew her schedule would keep hanging out waiting for her, once she broke that schedule. That part really bothers me.

Think about it. You've planned this abduction.. She leaves her house at 4:30am like clockwork. So, you're sitting there.. Got your plan all set.. 4:30am rolls around.. She doesn't come out. 4:35.. 4:40.. 4:45.. you've gotta be saying "Nope.. Something's off. Abort, abort, abort" at that point, right?

I don't recall exactly how late she was, but I seem to recall it being close to an hour. And I just have a real problem that a kidnapper would sit there and wait that long.

Which.. Leads me to lean to two other possibilities.

First.. Random crime of opportunity. But.. That doesn't sit right with me, either.

Second.. Which.. Has its own problems.. She actually had someone spend the night at her place. She didn't oversleep.. They were.. arguing/fighting/whatever.. Not loudly, as no neighbors mentioned anything like that. But.. They leave her apartment.. He attacks her. But.. This, as I said, has its own set of problems. No one reported a strange car parked there overnight.

I am sure the cops have hashed out those possibilities too. But I do like the idea of the "friend" staying overnight. That's possible. Could have been hit a little too hard. Maybe the whole keys by the car thing was staged. There was a white van seen parked there, but in reality will anyone notice if a random non-descript car is parked nearby?

I've also got a big problem that someone was lying in wait for her. We know that she overslept and was running late that day. I just have a real problem that an abductor who knew her schedule would keep hanging out waiting for her, once she broke that schedule. That part really bothers me.

Think about it. You've planned this abduction.. She leaves her house at 4:30am like clockwork. So, you're sitting there.. Got your plan all set.. 4:30am rolls around.. She doesn't come out. 4:35.. 4:40.. 4:45.. you've gotta be saying "Nope.. Something's off. Abort, abort, abort" at that point, right?

I don't recall exactly how late she was, but I seem to recall it being close to an hour. And I just have a real problem that a kidnapper would sit there and wait that long.

No. I feel the exact opposite. And it’s because we’re not dealing with a logical person here. If you’re psycho enough to spy and plan out an abduction of another human being, a little extra waiting is not going to deter you in the slightest.

At that time of early morning with basically nobody outside to witness anything, an abduction like this is just as easy to pull off at 5:30 a.m. as it would be at 4:30 a.m. It’s kind of like the Micki Jo West case. Marvin Irvin was able to easily abduct her with no witnesses because it was 5:00 in the morning and she was walking through her neighborhood to the bus stop. It’s now been 45 years and her body has never been found.

I’ve looked all over the parking lot of Jodi’s abduction on Google Street View. It’s such a quick and easy getaway to any major roads. Everything about this abduction was so easy. And yes, it adds an extra creepy layer that an abductor would be so dedicated to getting you that he’d wait out another 30 minutes or so to do it but let’s not pretend like these kind of people don’t exist. If this were the middle of the afternoon and there was a very narrow period of time where an abduction was possible, only then could I see the situation where you would have to abort. But in this case, he had all the advantages.

No. I feel the exact opposite. And it’s because we’re not dealing with a logical person here. If you’re psycho enough to spy and plan out an abduction of another human being, a little extra waiting is not going to deter you in the slightest.

At that time of early morning with basically nobody outside to witness anything, an abduction like this is just as easy to pull off at 5:30 a.m. as it would be at 4:30 a.m. It’s kind of like the Micki Jo West case. Marvin Irvin was able to easily abduct her with no witnesses because it was 5:00 in the morning and she was walking through her neighborhood to the bus stop. It’s now been 45 years and her body has never been found.

I’ve looked all over the parking lot of Jodi’s abduction on Google Street View. It’s such a quick and easy getaway to any major roads. Everything about this abduction was so easy. And yes, it adds an extra creepy layer that an abductor would be so dedicated to getting you that he’d wait out another 30 minutes or so to do it but let’s not pretend like these kind of people don’t exist. If this were the middle of the afternoon and there was a very narrow period of time where an abduction was possible, only then could I see the situation where you would have to abort. But in this case, he had all the advantages.

Obviously, not arguing that you're wrong, just that I disagree. Neither of us know what happened, so, we can't say one way or the other.

But.. The problem I would have with your idea. There's going to be FAR more activity at 5:30am than at 4:30am

There's a big jump in the number of people who might have to be at work, or at least would be up and leaving at 5:30am vs 4:30am.

The only people I can think of leaving home at 4:30am are newspeople, AM drive DJs and people who make the doughnuts.

That list expands quite a bit at 5:30am. Teachers, daycare workers, construction folks, etc.

If we think the guy was so psycho that he wouldn't care if there were more possibilities of being seen.. Then he's about the luckiest SOB in the world.

No. I feel the exact opposite. And it’s because we’re not dealing with a logical person here. If you’re psycho enough to spy and plan out an abduction of another human being, a little extra waiting is not going to deter you in the slightest.

At that time of early morning with basically nobody outside to witness anything, an abduction like this is just as easy to pull off at 5:30 a.m. as it would be at 4:30 a.m. It’s kind of like the Micki Jo West case. Marvin Irvin was able to easily abduct her with no witnesses because it was 5:00 in the morning and she was walking through her neighborhood to the bus stop. It’s now been 45 years and her body has never been found.

I’ve looked all over the parking lot of Jodi’s abduction on Google Street View. It’s such a quick and easy getaway to any major roads. Everything about this abduction was so easy. And yes, it adds an extra creepy layer that an abductor would be so dedicated to getting you that he’d wait out another 30 minutes or so to do it but let’s not pretend like these kind of people don’t exist. If this were the middle of the afternoon and there was a very narrow period of time where an abduction was possible, only then could I see the situation where you would have to abort. But in this case, he had all the advantages.

I'm with you 100% on this. He wasn't deterred by how long it took for her to come out because he knew she would be coming out eventually (or if that day failed, another day would work due to her schedule). I really think this was someone (known or unknown to her) who latched onto her and was dead set on getting what he wanted. It's the stuff of nightmares, and to add to it, her mind was probably 100% on work and getting to her car because she was so concerned about being late. That distraction made it easier for him to sneak up on her while she was unlocking her car.

But.. The problem I would have with your idea. There's going to be FAR more activity at 5:30am than at 4:30am

There's a big jump in the number of people who might have to be at work, or at least would be up and leaving at 5:30am vs 4:30am.

The only people I can think of leaving home at 4:30am are newspeople, AM drive DJs and people who make the doughnuts.

That list expands quite a bit at 5:30am. Teachers, daycare workers, construction folks, etc.

5:30 a.m. is still a pretty dead period as opposed to normal hours. It’s a very small parking lot of a small apartment complex. The road it’s connected to doesn’t have any homes or businesses across the street. We’re talking about a very tiny scope of people who could have been there to witness this even during normal hours. So I don’t think luck had anything to do with it.

An attacker who got lucky would be like the guy who shot “Carol” in the face on Brayman Hollow Road. That was morning rush hours (although on a country road) with cars passing right before and after the shooting. Yet that guy was still able to pull his truck to block on coming traffic, get out, shoot her in the face and drive away undetected. That guy was lucky. Jodi’s abductor didn’t need much luck.

I really think the most likely explanation by far for her disappearance is that some creep saw her on TV, became obsessed with her, and stalked her until he was able to attack. She was running late that day, but her attacker had no disincentive to wait her out since the parking lot apparently remained quiet.

The lack of a substantial connection between her and her attacker is probably in large part why the case remains unsolved.

I really think the most likely explanation by far for her disappearance is that some creep saw her on TV, became obsessed with her, and stalked her until he was able to attack. She was running late that day, but her attacker had no disincentive to wait her out since the parking lot apparently remained quiet.

The lack of a substantial connection between her and her attacker is probably in large part why the case remains unsolved.

sounds logical given her local status there. what's sickening though is we've seen so many random creeps out there that are just going to do something like that when they get the chance. it's really hard to catch them unless there is something to go off of. I always get a bad feeling about apartment complexes. a lot of abductions seem to come from someone that lives there or is spending time there.

I really think the most likely explanation by far for her disappearance is that some creep saw her on TV, became obsessed with her, and stalked her until he was able to attack. She was running late that day, but her attacker had no disincentive to wait her out since the parking lot apparently remained quiet.

The lack of a substantial connection between her and her attacker is probably in large part why the case remains unsolved.

That has always been my #1 theory. And I think it's the main reason this case remains unsolved with no leads all these years later. A stranger who watched her every day and became obsessed with her, that leaves no specific starting point from an investigation standpoint. And it hinders the case.

I always get a bad feeling about apartment complexes. a lot of abductions seem to come from someone that lives there or is spending time there.

I think it depends on the situation. Gated apartments or the kinds that have security guard boxes would make me feel safer. An abduction from those types of apartments are going to be much harder to pull off. But Jodi's apartment was small and attached to a main road. Anyone could pull into her parking lot at any time of the day or night.

In the days before CC-TV, I would still think apartments were safer than actual houses, if someone is out to get you. In the Cindy James saga, her friends begged her to move to an apartment thinking she'd be safer.

That has always been my #1 theory. And I think it's the main reason this case remains unsolved with no leads all these years later. A stranger who watched her every day and became obsessed with her, that leaves no specific starting point from an investigation standpoint. And it hinders the case.



I think it depends on the situation. Gated apartments or the kinds that have security guard boxes would make me feel safer. An abduction from those types of apartments are going to be much harder to pull off. But Jodi's apartment was small and attached to a main road. Anyone could pull into her parking lot at any time of the day or night.

In the days before CC-TV, I would still think apartments were safer than actual houses, if someone is out to get you. In the Cindy James saga, her friends begged her to move to an apartment thinking she'd be safer.

I think my reasoning for suspecting her apartments personal experience. I never felt safe living in apartments compared to a single family home. Unfortunately there is crime everywhere and if you are a single female you are more prone to being attacked. I think my fear with Jodi's case is that it was someone who lived near her or spent a fair amount of time there and somehow may have gone undetected.

What if its the opposite? An attractive lady lives in a gated housing community or a gated apartment area - but the stalker lives in her same area? Then is she trapped??!! A stalker can live anywhere from a crappy apartment to a nice condo.


That has always been my #1 theory. And I think it's the main reason this case remains unsolved with no leads all these years later. A stranger who watched her every day and became obsessed with her, that leaves no specific starting point from an investigation standpoint. And it hinders the case.

**I am sure her kidnapper/killer knew where she lived. Stalked her from her tv station, stalked her while she jogged outside, went shopping, etc. He would know her work schedule too and that she got up extra early. Many of us know that certain jobs require its workers to get up very early compared to the regular 9-5 jobs. Its these jobs that we are like: "i dont want to do that because getting up at 5am would suck": tv morning reporters, the military, winter time snow plows, etc.

I think it depends on the situation. Gated apartments or the kinds that have security guard boxes would make me feel safer. An abduction from those types of apartments are going to be much harder to pull off. But Jodi's apartment was small and attached to a main road. Anyone could pull into her parking lot at any time of the day or night.

In the days before CC-TV, I would still think apartments were safer than actual houses, if someone is out to get you. In the Cindy James saga, her friends begged her to move to an apartment thinking she'd be safer.

That has always been my #1 theory. And I think it's the main reason this case remains unsolved with no leads all these years later. A stranger who watched her every day and became obsessed with her, that leaves no specific starting point from an investigation standpoint. And it hinders the case.



I think it depends on the situation. Gated apartments or the kinds that have security guard boxes would make me feel safer. An abduction from those types of apartments are going to be much harder to pull off. But Jodi's apartment was small and attached to a main road. Anyone could pull into her parking lot at any time of the day or night.

In the days before CC-TV, I would still think apartments were safer than actual houses, if someone is out to get you. In the Cindy James saga, her friends begged her to move to an apartment thinking she'd be safer.

And yet.. it seems the investigation is currently pointing to someone who knew her.

Of course.. Whether that's investigators going the wrong direction or not remains to be seen. Hell, they're going for DNA from vehicles 23 years later..

What if its the opposite? An attractive lady lives in a gated housing community or a gated apartment area - but the stalker lives in her same area? Then is she trapped??!! A stalker can live anywhere from a crappy apartment to a nice condo.

There's an old saying.. You don't (@#& where you eat. It applies here.

What if its the opposite? An attractive lady lives in a gated housing community or a gated apartment area - but the stalker lives in her same area? Then is she trapped??!! A stalker can live anywhere from a crappy apartment to a nice condo.

Unfortunately, that’s also true. It’s like that detective said on the Annette Burnside segment. Unless you have someone guarding you 24 hours a day, if someone is that hellbent on getting you, they’re going to get you. Extremely depressing reality.

November 1, 2024

Investigators from Mason City, Iowa, recently searched an area in Winsted, Minnesota, on a possible lead connected to the search for missing Iowa news anchor Jodi Huisentruit, abducted on June 27, 1995.

Acting on a tip, the Iowa investigators conducted the search two weeks ago in the rural city northwest of the Twin Cities.

Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley confirmed the purpose of the search in a brief statement to FindJodi:

“MCPD recently worked with Minnesota law enforcement officials to follow up on a lead in Winsted. MCPD continues to receive, evaluate, and follow up on information it receives related to Jodi Huisentruit’s disappearance on a regular basis. Information gleaned from this effort will be used in the ongoing investigation. At this time, there is no additional information for public release. We do want to encourage anyone with information about Jodi’s disappearance to contact the MCPD or the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.”

The chief declined to share specifics about the tip or its status in the overall Huisentruit investigation.

https://findjodi.com/mason-city-iowa-investigators-search-area-in-winstedminnesota-on-a-huisentruit-tip/

June 27 was the 30th anniversary of her disappearance. Hulu has a new three-part docuseries premiering Tuesday, July 15.

“Her Last Broadcast: The Abduction of Jodi Huisentruit” (Tuesday, July 15)

In 1995, rising TV news anchor Jodi Huisentruit disappeared from her Iowa apartment just before dawn, leaving behind signs of a violent abduction. Her case quickly became one of the nation’s most haunting unsolved mysteries. Now, 30 years later, “Her Last Broadcast: The Abduction of Jodi Huisentruit” follows a major break that reenergized the case. Sparked by a 2022 “20/20” episode, a tip from one of Huisentruit’s close friends led Mason City Police to reveal a secret clue they had kept hidden for decades. In this fast-paced, true-crime series, cameras exclusively embed with the case’s law enforcement team as they doggedly follow new leads, conduct intense interviews, and embark on searches that lead them to two new persons of interest — all while growing closer than ever to answering the question: What happened to Jodi?

This three-part docuseries features over 20 new interviews, which include Huisentruit’s family, friends and her former colleagues; an unprecedented archive of Huisentruit’s life and career, including rare access to KIMT-TV, where Huisentruit’s abandoned desk remains untouched; and exclusive, real-time access to the investigation and breaks in the case — including never-before-seen material and new, groundbreaking information. An exploration of the power of persistence, public memory and journalism, “Her Last Broadcast: The Abduction of Jodi Huisentruit” breathes new life into one of the country’s most haunting unsolved mysteries.

“Her Last Broadcast: The Abduction of Jodi Huisentruit” is produced by Committee Films and ABC News Studios for Hulu. Maria Awes and Andy Awes are executive producers for Committee Films. Eamon McNiff is executive producer, and David Sloan serves as senior executive producer for ABC News Studios.

OFFICIAL TRAILER: ‘Her Last Broadcast: The Abduction of Jodi Huisentruit’ | July 15 | Hulu (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3fw5Sm0aBY)

o3fw5Sm0aBY

Well done show-

Tony Jackson-other than the jailhouse snitch thing it is hard to see why he would even be linked. There is zero evidence he was offending before his 1997 relationship broke down & that seems to have been the trigger & the MO is totally different, he attacked & dominated women in their home over a long time period-the last one on a co-worker he waited inside her home for 2 hours beforfe striking, he didn't wait outside & abduct anybody.

Christopher Revak-the only link seems to be a coincidence that his ex lived next to Vansice for a while, however she left there three months before Jodi vanished & there is zero evidence he ever went there. We know he was in trouble with the cops in his area a couple of weeks before she went missing & in July, so we are supposed to believe that he went looking for his ex three months after she had left that address, saw Jodi with Vansice decided he had to abduct her later? Bit of a stretch to say the least. Plus his crime/supsected crimes happened over a decade later.

Brad Millerbernd-he knew Jodi, said he had a date with her in late 1994 & seems he tried to contact her before her death. However it mostly seems to be his bitter ex wife who was a friend of Jodi's who wants nothing more than for him to be guilty-seemingly because he cheated on her, was a drunk & a lousy husband-but she married him not long after they had met in a silly valentines day gimmick in 1994 where multiple couples got married, so what did she expect?

White Econoline van-wonder how many people were driving them back in the 1990's? Nobody took down the licence plate-despite thinking it looked odd? Seems more like mostly people retrofitting. They searched the home he was at in 1995-which looked like the perfect place to bury a body, but couldn't find anything that would justify an excavation-the man seems odd & he submitted to their junk science polygraph & gave interviews without a lawyer He was also somewhat weedy back then & even though she was small I think it was somebody strong. I don't think he did it.

John Vansice-clearly obsessed with her, admits he was with her the night before she vanished, phones the tv station before she had been declared missing & it seems he had never done this before, kept phoning them afterwards-even to pop a champagne bottle over the phone, turned up at the crime scene early on & the guy who was with him says he was behaving oddly.

He is still the obvious suspect for me-he had access to her, was besotted with her, looked jealous on the tape he handed over whenever she would be near another guy, had access to the sea via his boat that he creepily named after her before she vanished-where he could have disposed of the body.

Other possibilities-she was just unlucky, left late-although the documentary didn't say what other shows have previously-that she was quite often late & somebody loitering around looking for a victim, or somebody that had been stalking her took their chance.

The show didn't mention the new guy on the scene she had been dating-if the toilet seat being up wasn't a cop being caught short, then had this guy been staying overnight with her, was it Vansice that she had invited back-he found out about the guy, confronted her & then lost it? He was a big guy & would fit the bill for handling her easily. Had she met some random guy at a bar after leaving Vansice & invited him back?

And John Vansice would know Jodi's morning routine - when she left her apartment and when she got to work. Was he working that day or did he take the day off for "vacation"? (I am assuming John worked that day otherwise he'd stick out like a sore thumb.) But it doesn't sound like he snapped and killed her - as that would have happened inside her apartment the prior night. There was a scream in the parking lot - so someone attacked Jodi, it could have been John wearing a mask.... I still am not sure if John did it or not.



Well done show-

Tony Jackson-other than the jailhouse snitch thing it is hard to see why he would even be linked. There is zero evidence he was offending before his 1997 relationship broke down & that seems to have been the trigger & the MO is totally different, he attacked & dominated women in their home over a long time period-the last one on a co-worker he waited inside her home for 2 hours beforfe striking, he didn't wait outside & abduct anybody.

Christopher Revak-the only link seems to be a coincidence that his ex lived next to Vansice for a while, however she left there three months before Jodi vanished & there is zero evidence he ever went there. We know he was in trouble with the cops in his area a couple of weeks before she went missing & in July, so we are supposed to believe that he went looking for his ex three months after she had left that address, saw Jodi with Vansice decided he had to abduct her later? Bit of a stretch to say the least. Plus his crime/supsected crimes happened over a decade later.

Brad Millerbernd-he knew Jodi, said he had a date with her in late 1994 & seems he tried to contact her before her death. However it mostly seems to be his bitter ex wife who was a friend of Jodi's who wants nothing more than for him to be guilty-seemingly because he cheated on her, was a drunk & a lousy husband-but she married him not long after they had met in a silly valentines day gimmick in 1994 where multiple couples got married, so what did she expect?

White Econoline van-wonder how many people were driving them back in the 1990's? Nobody took down the licence plate-despite thinking it looked odd? Seems more like mostly people retrofitting. They searched the home he was at in 1995-which looked like the perfect place to bury a body, but couldn't find anything that would justify an excavation-the man seems odd & he submitted to their junk science polygraph & gave interviews without a lawyer He was also somewhat weedy back then & even though she was small I think it was somebody strong. I don't think he did it.

John Vansice-clearly obsessed with her, admits he was with her the night before she vanished, phones the tv station before she had been declared missing & it seems he had never done this before, kept phoning them afterwards-even to pop a champagne bottle over the phone, turned up at the crime scene early on & the guy who was with him says he was behaving oddly.

He is still the obvious suspect for me-he had access to her, was besotted with her, looked jealous on the tape he handed over whenever she would be near another guy, had access to the sea via his boat that he creepily named after her before she vanished-where he could have disposed of the body.

Other possibilities-she was just unlucky, left late-although the documentary didn't say what other shows have previously-that she was quite often late & somebody loitering around looking for a victim, or somebody that had been stalking her took their chance.

The show didn't mention the new guy on the scene she had been dating-if the toilet seat being up wasn't a cop being caught short, then had this guy been staying overnight with her, was it Vansice that she had invited back-he found out about the guy, confronted her & then lost it? He was a big guy & would fit the bill for handling her easily. Had she met some random guy at a bar after leaving Vansice & invited him back?

And John Vansice would know Jodi's morning routine - when she left her apartment and when she got to work. Was he working that day or did he take the day off for "vacation"? (I am assuming John worked that day otherwise he'd stick out like a sore thumb.) But it doesn't sound like he snapped and killed her - as that would have happened inside her apartment the prior night. There was a scream in the parking lot - so someone attacked Jodi, it could have been John wearing a mask.... I still am not sure if John did it or not.

I'm not sure if it is the same documentary, but I heard that Vansice had an alibi from a mutual friend of his and Jodi's. The alibi wasn't 100% because the lady called him at home at 6am and then went on a morning walk with him afterward around 7am. The friend said that she didn't believe he would have had time to abduct Jodi.

Then John seemed to be little over the top with his interviews and cooperation with authorities.

One of my initial thoughts about Jodi's abduction was that the perp lived in her apartments. Someone obsessed with her, yet also comfortable and familiar with the location. It was alarming to hear that Vansice was obsessed with Jodi, and also once lived in the apartments.

What if its the opposite? An attractive lady lives in a gated housing community or a gated apartment area - but the stalker lives in her same area? Then is she trapped??!! A stalker can live anywhere from a crappy apartment to a nice condo.

absolutely, that's why I never liked living in apartments. no matter what the level of comfort and safety is. but I'm a guy. If I were a single lady, or even married, I would be a lot more terrified. this is a situation where you have some known suspects. one a serial rapist, the other an older guy who named his boat after her. yet the murderer could be none of those and completely unknown to everyone.

As a woman, I find the idea of going to my car in a parking lot like that pretty concerning. My complex has an underground garage, and it makes me feel more secure. A parking lot without security where anyone can enter or exit without passing through any sort of gate would weird me out, especially if I worked off hours like Jodi did.

I still think she was targeted specifically, but it's not out of the realm of possibility it was a crime of opportunity.

I'm on episode 2 of the Hulu doc and it's really good so far. I just wish we weren't going down the road of throwing out "suspects", and I use that loosely because in this case it's a divorced woman's ex-husband that she hates, to the masses because in this era of social media and podcasts people just run with it and go crazy with it. "It has to be him because the doc was good."

I'm not sure if it is the same documentary, but I heard that Vansice had an alibi from a mutual friend of his and Jodi's. The alibi wasn't 100% because the lady called him at home at 6am and then went on a morning walk with him afterward around 7am. The friend said that she didn't believe he would have had time to abduct Jodi.

Then John seemed to be little over the top with his interviews and cooperation with authorities.

One of my initial thoughts about Jodi's abduction was that the perp lived in her apartments. Someone obsessed with her, yet also comfortable and familiar with the location. It was alarming to hear that Vansice was obsessed with Jodi, and also once lived in the apartments.

The footage of him physically picking her up in the bar & dancing/flirting with her was really disturbing. What was he 50 & she was 27 or something?

I'm on episode 2 of the Hulu doc and it's really good so far. I just wish we weren't going down the road of throwing out "suspects", and I use that loosely because in this case it's a divorced woman's ex-husband that she hates, to the masses because in this era of social media and podcasts people just run with it and go crazy with it. "It has to be him because the doc was good."

Pretty much every cold case crime show does it nowadays-literally just throw random cases out there just to pad out time/get more episodes out of it. These cases are tenuous-distance away from the crime the show is covering, the dates etc & we had that here-with the killer from the late 2000's whose only connection is his ex used to live next to Vancise in 1995, but no proof he ever went there & his crimes were over a decade later & the 1997 rapist whose only connection was a jailhouse snitch.

Vancise is clearly the prime suspect & I can see why the other guy with the white van was a suspect-his ex wife was pals with Jodi, he met her through her & went on a date with her in late 1994 after the marriage broke down & tried contacting her a few weeks before she vanished.

But the other two-totally pointless & the cop in charge taking these things seriously & using junk science like lie detectors doesn't instill you with much hope-he was on the prior documentary when they were doing a huge excavation & frankly he needs to be replaced-he may be very dedicated, but he seems to be keen to jump down conspiracy holes & waste inordinate amounts of time & resources on total nonsense. Those DNA tests on the items are really the only thing that will solve the case.

Those DNA tests on the items are really the only thing that will solve the case.

I agree. I was just browsing her FIND A GRAVE page, and it mentions that "it is strongly believed that she was was abducted and killed by Jerry Lynn Byrnes..."

I don't recall that Jerry Lynn Byrnes was even mentioned in the recent Hulu doc, but I may have forgotten.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/112572280/jodi_sue-huisentruit

I agree. I was just browsing her FIND A GRAVE page, and it mentions that "it is strongly believed that she was was abducted and killed by Jerry Lynn Byrnes..."

I don't recall that Jerry Lynn Byrnes was even mentioned in the recent Hulu doc, but I may have forgotten.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/112572280/jodi_sue-huisentruit

What you have on findagrave is the opinion of a single person. Whether it's the manager of the memorial or someone who sent the edit in.

It being there has no more bearing on fact than what we post here..

I've kinda held the belief that this was a crime of opportunity. So, I suspect it's someone with no or a very slight connection to her. as i've mentioned in the past.. The fact that she was running late that day.. I just feel that if someone was there with specific plans to abduct her.. They would have known her patterns and when she didn't come out of her house to leave for work at the appropriate time.. They wouldn't have just hung around for.. 45 minutes or whatever time she was late, just waiting to see if she'd come out.

But.. That's my opinion.. That's what I think is most likely, but it in no way means that i'm right or wrong. It's what makes the most sense to me.

It also explains why it's been so difficult to solve. Much harder to solve a random abduction vs one that was done by someone known to her.

I need to watch that Hulu show.

Pretty much every cold case crime show does it nowadays-literally just throw random cases out there just to pad out time/get more episodes out of it. These cases are tenuous-distance away from the crime the show is covering, the dates etc & we had that here-with the killer from the late 2000's whose only connection is his ex used to live next to Vancise in 1995, but no proof he ever went there & his crimes were over a decade later & the 1997 rapist whose only connection was a jailhouse snitch.

Vancise is clearly the prime suspect & I can see why the other guy with the white van was a suspect-his ex wife was pals with Jodi, he met her through her & went on a date with her in late 1994 after the marriage broke down & tried contacting her a few weeks before she vanished.

But the other two-totally pointless & the cop in charge taking these things seriously & using junk science like lie detectors doesn't instill you with much hope-he was on the prior documentary when they were doing a huge excavation & frankly he needs to be replaced-he may be very dedicated, but he seems to be keen to jump down conspiracy holes & waste inordinate amounts of time & resources on total nonsense. Those DNA tests on the items are really the only thing that will solve the case.

I can see why they'd be a cursory suspect too, but the fact that they're oversharing it with ABC News like this tends to make me think its a theory they don't take all that seriously. Otherwise they'd play their cards close to the vest to catch him. So it just feels to me like we're inventing villains for TV.

And admittedly, UM and other shows have done this for the last 20 years. I guess I'm more sensitive to it now in the social media/tiktok age because the majority of the so called internet "sleuths" that have come up in the 2010s onward really lack the ability to look at something objectively. A doc said it therefore it's true.

I enjoyed the documentary and I do not think any of the men mentioned have anything to do with Jodi's disappearance.

-Vansice abducting her in the morning and then calling her job makes absolutely zero sense for him to do. They were friends. She apparently enjoyed being in his company, and nothing in her journals or conversations with friends suggest otherwise. He didn't need to sneak up behind her to grab her...he could have invited her over to his house or on his boat if he wanted to do something nefarious.

-Brad Millerbernd seems like a good suspect, but he too knew Jodi, and I don't see why he would abduct her in the early morning in the parking lot. She went out to dinner with him the year prior. They had remained friendly (granted the divorce from his ex-wife could have changed this dynamic). Other than the ex-wife's word, there is no evidence that he was infatuated with Jodi. They have his DNA and he's been cooperative.

The other two, IMO, shouldn't have even been mentioned on the show. There is no evidence that the serial killer was even in the area during Jodi's disappearance, and Tony Jackson according to this (https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/tony-dejuan-jackson-denies-involvement-in-jodi-huisentruit-case) article was ruled out by the cops back in 1999!

If it's ever solved I'd put my bet on it being a completely random wrong-place-wrong-time encounter. If she'd woken up on time she'd still be here.

If it's ever solved I'd put my bet on it being a completely random wrong-place-wrong-time encounter. If she'd woken up on time she'd still be here.

Maybe, but I think it's more likely that her abductor stalked her (perhaps for some time) and lied in wait for her.

The only deterrent at that early hour would have been the presence of more people in the parking lot.

Perhaps, but it didn't look like her apartment was exactly in the nicest area to begin with. Plenty of opportunity for a vagrant or a random to be around.

Perhaps, but it didn't look like her apartment was exactly in the nicest area to begin with. Plenty of opportunity for a vagrant or a random to be around.

The area looks nice to me looking at it on google street view. A little more scenic and secluded. The apartment complex is connected to the Winnebago River on one side and right across from a campground behind it.

https://findjodi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/key.png

https://oddstops.com/i/2022/09/28/20220928110802-aerial-image.webp

The campground isn't a selling point to me for safety, IMO.

If it's ever solved I'd put my bet on it being a completely random wrong-place-wrong-time encounter. If she'd woken up on time she'd still be here.

I am leaning this way too. While Vansice is a good suspect she was running late 45 mins -hour. Would someone wait in a parking lot where they don't belong? Someone could have seen them in that time. I think it may have been a random thing.

Perhaps, but it didn't look like her apartment was exactly in the nicest area to begin with. Plenty of opportunity for a vagrant or a random to be around.

I am leaning this way too. While Vansice is a good suspect she was running late 45 mins -hour. Would someone wait in a parking lot where they don't belong? Someone could have seen them in that time. I think it may have been a random thing.

Exactly what I've been saying. If you're going to kidnap someone and have been stalking them and planning it out.. You know she leaves for work at.. 3am every morning..

And then she doesn't show up at 3am.

Are you just going to hang out in the parking lot, giving yourself more time to be seen on the hope that she's going to eventually come out?

How would you know she didn't take the day off? Didn't call in sick?

It's kinda a ridiculous idea to think that someone did so much work to know her schedule and lie in wait for her would just.. Hang out for an hour or so when she didn't show up on time. This is a kidnapping/murder. Not you waiting on the cable guy an extra hour when he said he'd be there at noon.

Most likely.. He'd bail and perhaps try again another day.


I will leave a slight possibility open that the whole car scene was staged. It did appear that she, perhaps, had someone at her apartment, based on the toilet seat being up and two wine glasses.. So.. A theory that she was taken direct from the apartment.. Not impossible. i don't rank it very high, but.. I can't explain those two things, so.. Can't discount them.

So, she hooks up with someone, they spend the night.. She oversleeps.. Wakes whoever is there, tells them they have to go.. But.. The bed was made.. There was no other evidence that someone was in the apartment. The 'scream' heard.. If it was even related.. Could perhaps have been when whoever that was she had in her apartment was dragging her out.

but.. He then tosses her in his car/van and then goes out and scatters the evidence by her car? all without leaving any fingerprints or other evidence of his existence?

That starts stretching belief beyond what i'm comfortable with.

Are people still hung up on her oversleeping for 45 minutes?

Absolutely an abductor would still wait for her to come out and strike. You've gone through the trouble of planning this kidnapping. A little extra waiting isn't going to stop you. Especially when it's between 3:45 and 4:00 a.m. when nobody is out and about and such a kidnapping is easy to pull off at that time of morning.

If it was a 2+ hour wait, then yes. I could see bailing that day and trying another day because now you're entering the time period when the more common workday schedule will be starting, people will be leaving and it will be much more risky. But an abduction at 3:45 a.m.? In that secluded of a location? Very easy.

Are people still hung up on her oversleeping for 45 minutes?

Absolutely an abductor would still wait for her to come out and strike. You've gone through the trouble of planning this kidnapping. A little extra waiting isn't going to stop you. Especially when it's between 3:45 and 4:00 a.m. when nobody is out and about and such a kidnapping is easy to pull off at that time of morning.

If it was a 2+ hour wait, then yes. I could see bailing that day and trying another day because now you're entering the time period when the more common workday schedule will be starting, people will be leaving and it will be much more risky. But an abduction at 3:45 a.m.? In that secluded of a location? Very easy.

I know I've said it multiple times, but I don't think it was a random act. I think someone knew her personally or knew of her because they lived in those apartments (at one time or another). someone knew her schedule and as you said, they were probably following her.

I tend to agree with those who believe that it was a planned abduction. Possibly by someone who was jealous because she was dating another man. It's been 30 years since she vanished and the mystery remains unsolved so whoever is guilty it seems that they covered their tracks pretty well.

I know I've said it multiple times, but I don't think it was a random act. I think someone knew her personally or knew of her because they lived in those apartments (at one time or another). someone knew her schedule and as you said, they were probably following her.

Indeed. But I still don't think her abductor even knew her. And that's why this case remains unsolved. Only people who interacted with her and knew her were looked at. Not the unnamed, creepy stalker who lived in the neighborhood, watched her on the local news and became obsessed with her.

Indeed. But I still don't think her abductor even knew her. And that's why this case remains unsolved. Only people who interacted with her and knew her were looked at. Not the unnamed, creepy stalker who lived in the neighborhood, watched her on the local news and became obsessed with her.

true, and that would make it extremely difficult to find the culprit. IIRC the investigators said that they had physical evidence. I recall a palm print. I imagine if one of their top suspects was linked to that evidence, we would have heard it by now.

Another tragic story is the rape and murder of Darlene Stack in August 1976 in Wheaton Illinois. It took 35 years but her killer was finally identified through the use of DNA technology and he was sentenced for the crime. Life in prison without parole. There are several news articles on the internet that discuss this case.