Nearly 30 years after Minnesota-born TV anchor Jodi Huisentruit vanished in Mason City, Iowa, there could be a breakthrough in the cold case.
According to FindJodi, a website dedicated to the Huisentruit case, Mason City police acknowledged that investigators recently performed a search in Winsted while following up on a tip.
“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.”
Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley
According to the website, a “heavy Iowa and Minnesota police presence” at an apartment construction site in Winstead received significant local notice approximately two weeks ago, with the city’s newspaper reporting on the incident.
According to FindJodi, the Winsted Police Department confirmed that they supported Iowa detectives in the search but did not provide any specifics.
While Mason City authorities could not offer specifics about the tip or the search results, Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley stated that “information gleaned from this effort will be used in the ongoing investigation.”
Meanwhile, Winsted Police Chief Justin Heldt informed FindJodi via email that the department is not investigating “the case you mentioned.”
The disappearance
Huisentruit, a 27-year-old from Long Prairie, Minnesota, did not show up for work at KIMT-TV, where she anchors the morning news program, on June 27, 1995.
When the station’s producer called and awakened her up, Huisentruit promised to be at work soon but never showed up.
Several hours later, worried KIMT staff called police to request a welfare check on the reporter. Responding offers discovered no sign of Huisentruit, but there was indications of a scuffle outside the apartment complex, with her red high heels, blow dryer, and earrings “scattered by her car,” according to a case chronology.
A partial palm print was discovered on the automobile, and nearby residents reported hearing a scream around 4:30 a.m. There were few further details to go on, and the case quickly became cold, with Huisentruit being pronounced legally dead in 2001.
In 2022, ABC’s 20/20 met Tony Jackson, who is currently in jail in Minnesota after being convicted of rape, kidnapping, and burglary in the Minneapolis area a few years after Huisentruit disappeared. He has been linked to the case since 1998, but has denied all involvement and has been cleared by police.