Search for Jodi Huisentruit: Investigators fight for search warrant release

Yahoo

04-03-2025

The Brief
Investigators asked a judge on Monday to release a 2017 search warrant connected to the disappearance of news anchor Jodi Huisentruit nearly 30 years ago.
A private investigator working on the case has said he hopes the search warrant will lift a "cloud of suspicion" over a friend of Huisentruit.
The warrant sought GPS data from two vehicles that were manufactured years after Huisentruit's disappearance.
MASON CITY, Iowa (FOX 9) - Attorneys argued in court on Monday for authorities to release search warrants related to the disappearance of Iowa news anchor Jodi Huisentruit, who went missing nearly 30 years ago.
The backstory
Huisentruit went missing on the morning of June 27, 1995, in Mason City, Iowa.
Huisentruit, a Long Prairie, Minn. native, worked as a morning show anchor at local affiliate KIMT. On the morning of June 27, 1995, Huisentruit was running late for work. She called a coworker to let them know she was on her way but never made it to work.
Her disappearance was quickly ruled an abduction after police found her belongings lying on the ground near her car and a witness reported seeing a suspicious white van and hearing a scream.
Despite the efforts of the police, private investigators, and volunteers, Huisentruit has not been found and no one has been charged in her disappearance.
What's new?
In court on Monday, attorneys argued for the release of a 2017 search warrant linked to the investigation.
The warrant was to obtain GPS data from two vehicles connected to a friend of Huisentruit, John Vansice, who has reportedly since passed. It's worth noting the GPS data would be from long past Huisentruit's 1995 disappearance, as the two vehicles involved were a 1999 Honda Civic and a 2013 GMC.
Authorities argued for the search warrant to remain sealed, saying its release could potentially impact the integrity of the investigation.
The backstory
Investigator Steve Ridge, a media consultant who has worked for years to solve Huisentruit's disappearance, pushed for the release of the search warrant. Speaking with KTTC last month, he said he hopes to "lift the cloud of suspicion" over Vansice. Vansice was one of the last people to see Huisentruit alive, as she visited him the night before her disappearance.
Speaking with Ridge in an interview shared on FindJodi.com, Vansice said he has cooperated with local, state, and federal investigations, willingly submitting to polygraph and DNA testing, finger and palm printing, and a hypnosis session.
Vansice said he's faced unfair suspicion from law enforcement, amateur investigators, and media over Huisentruit's disappearance.
What's next
In court, a judge took the matter under advisement, saying a ruling would be made in the next 30 days.
Dig deeper
Last year, authorities searched property in Winsted, Minn., about 40 miles west of the Twin Cities, linked to Huisentruit's disappearance.
Winsted police said no human remains were discovered during the search.
It's unclear what led police to that property, but officers said "information gleaned from this effort will be used in the ongoing investigation."
Last year, the reward for information leading to the recovery of Huisentruit's remains was raised to $100,000.