Mum who disappeared over 60 years ago found 'safe and well'
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A mum who disappeared over 60 years ago has been found "safe and well" according to Police.
Audrey Backeberg, 82, from Sauk County, Wisconsin, was confirmed to be the missing woman last week by the Sauk County Sheriff's Office.
The then-20 year old went missing in 1962 after reportedly hitchhiking with her family's babysitter to Madison, where the childminder said the pair had taken a Greyhound bus to Indianapolis, Indiana.
She added Audrey had then walked around the corner from the bus stop, to never be seen or heard from again - until now.
The babysitter believed Audrey decided to leave home by herself, but according to The Mirror, her family members insisted the woman would "never have abandoned her children."
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Detective Isaac Hanson, Sauk County Sheriff's Office, took on the cold case earlier this year, analysing all evidence surrounding Audrey's disappearance.
The official interviewed previous witnesses and combed through files, but it was Audrey's sister's Ancestry.com profile which eventually led to the confirmation the missing woman was alive and well.
(Image: Rapid Search and Rescue Corp)
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."
The detective added the mum seemed to have "moved on from things", and sounded happy and "confident" in her decision to leave her home all those years ago.
According to the Audrey Project, a firm which specialises in documents from more than 16,000 unsolved cases in the US, stated Audrey had married husband, Ronald Backberg, when she was "about fifteen years old," but had lived through a "troubled" marriage surrounded by "allegations of abuse."
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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."
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