Missing For 60 Years, Wisconsin Woman Found "Alive and Well"

NDTV

05-05-2025

Quick Take
Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed.
A Wisconsin woman missing for 60 years has been found alive.
Audrey Backeberg, 20 at her disappearance in 1962, has been located.
Detective Isaac Hanson reopened her cold case using new DNA technology.
A US woman missing for over 60 years has been found "alive and well" by the authorities. Audrey Backeberg, a Wisconsin native, was only 20 years old when she disappeared from her Reedsburg home in July 1962, the Sauk County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
Despite pursuing numerous leads over the years to determine Ms Backeberg's whereabouts, the investigations could not make any breakthrough until this year when Detective Isaac Hanson and his colleagues decided to revisit the case.
According to a report in The Guardian, Ms Backeberg had left her home alongside a babysitter and hitchhiked a ride to Madison, Wisconsin. Afterwards, the duo took a Greyhound bus to Indianapolis, Indiana, with the babysitter last spotting Ms Backeberg, a mother of two, walking around the corner away from the bus stop.
Law enforcement officers were able to locate Ms Backeberg with the aid of new DNA technology, including the self-submit websites such as Ancestry.com. As per Mr Hanson, Ms Backeberg's sister had an Ancestry.com account that linked to an address connected to her.
"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," stated Mr Hanson.
'I'd keep it private'
Asked why she had left her house, Mr Hanson refused to divulge what he discussed during the 45-minute call.
"I told Audrey I'd keep it private. She had her reasons for leaving," he said.
"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."
As per the Wisconsin Missing Persons Advocacy organisation, which profiles missing persons, Ms Backeberg's marriage was troubled and there were allegations of abuse, with a criminal complaint having been filed days before she went missing.
The Sheriff's Office confirmed that Ms Backeberg had indeed left the house on her own accord and that she was living outside the state of Wisconsin.
"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," read the press release.
It remains unclear if Ms Backeberg plans to reconnect with family.