Woman who went missing 60 years ago found safe and well
One missing person case has had a happy ending after a woman who disappeared in 1962 was found alive.
Audrey Backeberg was a 20-year-old married mum of two when she left her Reedsburg, Wisconsin, home for the final time.
She remained missing for six decades, with her family looking for her until the case went cold.
New interviews with family and witnesses confirmed to detectives that Audrey was alive, the Sauk County Sheriff Chip Meister said last week.
Officers combing through the case again managed to speak with the woman, who is now either 82 or 83, according to WiscNews.
She is reportedly living in another state outside Wisconsin and has 'no regrets.'
Audrey was married and had two children when she was last seen near a bus stop on July 7.
After she didn't return home, her family raised the alarm and reported her missing on July 20.
Then, a 14-year-old babysitter working for the Backeberg family alleged that she had hitchhiked with Audrey to Madison, the state capital, before catching a bus to Indianapolis, Indiana.
The teenager wanted to go home, while Audrey refused to return.
Allegations of abuse and trouble in her marriage also emerged, including a criminal complaint, which was filed some days before Audrey went missing, according to the Wisconsin Missing Persons Advocacy group.
Audrey's husband passed a polygraph test and he maintained his innocence over the years, while relatives insisted she would not have just walked out on her children.
While Audrey was found alive, some details of her case are still shrouded in mystery.
It is not known why she didn't return home, but the investigators have now said she did so voluntarily.
Her loved ones tried to come to terms with her possible death, with her sister telling Baraboo News Republic in 2002 that she just wanted to find her body and that the person responsible for her killing would be caught. More Trending
Detective Isaac Hanson, who spoke with Audrey, said Audrey might have left home because of marital issues, but he had vowed to keep their 45-minute conversation private.
Audrey's sister's Ancestry.com account helped to bring closure to the case and find the address where Audrey was located.
The detective told local news WISN: 'I think she just was removed and, you know, moved on from things and kind of did her own thing and led her life.
'She sounded happy. Confident in her decision. No regrets.'
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
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Wales Online
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- Wales Online
Mum who disappeared over 60 years ago found 'safe and well'
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Daily Record
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Missing mum who vanished for 60 years discovered as she shares two words
Audrey Backeberg, 82, was just 20 years old when she mysteriously disappeared and left her children behind but her case has now finally been solved. A mum who vanished for over 60 years said two words upon her shock reappearance. Back in 1962, Audrey Backeberg disappeared from the family home when she was just 20 years old and was finally confirmed to be "safe and well" last week, aged 82. Police have since confirmed that her going missing was through "her own choice" and "not the result of any criminal activity or foul play". At the time of her going missing, her family's babysitter told authorities she had hitchhiked with Audrey to the city of Madison, Wisconsin, where the pair took a Greyhound bus to Indianapolis, Indiana, reports the Mirror. When they got there, Audrey walked around the corner from the bus stop and was never heard from again, until now. When she was discovered by a detective living many decades into her new life she is said to have told them she had 'no regrets'. According to the Audrey Project, an organisation which documents over 16,000 "cold case" missing persons reports in the US, Audrey had married husband Ronald Backberg when she was "about fifteen years old" - but had experienced a "troubled" marriage surrounded by "allegations of abuse". The babysitter had claimed that Audrey had disappeared in Indianapolis of her own accord, but this set up a row with members of her family, who "insisted she would never have abandoned her children." After more than six decades of mystery, answers started to come Sauk County Sheriff's Office assigned a detective to cold case earlier this year. Detective Isaac Hanson combed through case files and evidence, as well as re-interviewing key witnesses in the case - but it was her sister's account that eventually led him to her. He local news station WISN: "That was pretty key in locating death records, census reports, all kinds of data. "So I called the local sheriff's department, said, 'Hey, there's this lady living at this address. Do you guys have somebody, you can just go pop in?' "Ten minutes later, she called me, and we talked for 45 minutes." He added that she seemed to have "moved on from things", and sounded happy and "confident" in her decision to flee many years ago. A statement from Sheriff Chip Meister said: "Earlier this year, the case was assigned to a Sheriff's Office Detective for a comprehensive review as part of an ongoing examination of cold case files. Through diligent investigative work, which included a thorough re-evaluation of all case files and evidence, combined with re-interviewing witnesses and uncovering new insights. "The Sheriff's Office is now able to report that Audrey Backeberg is alive and well and currently resides out of State. Further investigation has revealed that Ms. Backeberg's disappearance was by her own choice and not the result of any criminal activity or foul play. "The Sheriff's Office would like to acknowledge the work of Investigators, both past and present. Despite the significant challenges that many cold cases present, this resolution underscores both the importance of continued work and the dedication of the Sheriff's Office to providing answers to families and the community." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
The Independent
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