Latest news with #AudreyBackeberg
Wales Online
06-05-2025
- Wales Online
Mum who disappeared over 60 years ago found 'safe and well'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info 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." READ MORE: Donald Trump orders notorious Alcatraz prison to be re-opened for 'America's most violent offenders' 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 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." READ MORE: Donald Trump says 'Greenland invasion could happen' and makes bizarre claim 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."
Daily Record
06-05-2025
- Daily Record
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'.
New York Post
05-05-2025
- New York Post
Missing woman found 60 years later, and more notorious cold cases that were solved
A Wisconsin mother of two who vanished in 1962 has been found alive and well, clearing up a mystery that has haunted the city of Reedsburg for decades. For years, detectives followed up leads in the search for Audrey Backeberg until the case went cold. In a stunning twist of events, police were able to use a relative's Ancestry account to finally track her down.
USA Today
05-05-2025
- USA Today
A Wisconsin woman went missing 62 years ago. Police just found her 'alive and well.'
A Wisconsin woman went missing 62 years ago. Police just found her 'alive and well.' A woman reported missing 62 years ago out of southwest Wisconsin has been found alive and well, authorities announced. In July 1962, Audrey Backeberg was 20 years old when she was reported missing out of Reedsburg in Sauk County, Wisconsin, about 63 miles northwest of Madison. She also had two children at the time, per historical newspaper reports. Investigators followed multiple leads to find her, to no avail, the Sauk County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. In early 2025, the office assigned the cold case to a detective for 'a comprehensive review,' Sheriff Chip Meister said in the news release. It was part of the office's attempt to examine multiple cold case files. The office used to find her, reported television station WISN-TV. 'The Sheriff's Office is now able to report that Audrey Backeberg is alive and well and currently resides out of state,' the sheriff wrote. '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 did not immediately reply to USA TODAY's requests for comment, and the office did not say what state she lives in currently. Young mother previously filed charges against husband Prior to a missing person's report being filed, Backeberg was last seen on July 7, 1962, reported the Baraboo News Republic. She picked up her paycheck that day and that was the last time loved ones saw her, the newspaper reported. On July 4, 1962, just three days before she left town, police received a report that her husband abused and threatened to end her life, the newspaper reported. Her husband was granted a divorce in 1963, the year after she went missing, according to a Wisconsin State Journal record from Nov. 24, 1963. Police also spoke to a 14-year-old girl who Backeberg had allegedly babysat. The girl told police she and Backeberg planned to run away. They took a bus to Indianapolis. However, the girl got sick and told police she was a runaway, reported the Baraboo News Republic. The girl last saw Backeberg as she crossed the street in Indianapolis. In May 2002, investigators announced plans to search a Sauk County property where an informant said her body was buried. Then-sheriff Randy Stammen said police weren't sure what happened to the woman. "We don't know if she's simply a missing person living a life somewhere else," Stammen said. "We do now there has been no activity on her social security number. The question still comes back to, is she just a missing person?" Hannah Kobayashi: Woman issues first statement after returning to US, says 'I am still processing it all' Detective: Ancestry allowed us to solve case Det. Isaac Hanson of the Shauk County Sheriff's Office began working the case in early March, reported WISN-TV. According to Hanson, Backeberg's sister had an account he was able to use to track down the missing woman. 'That was pretty key in locating death records, census reports, all kinds of data," Hanson told WISN-TV. "Ultimately, we came up with an address ... 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, Backeberg called him and they spoke for 45 minutes, he said. And while her abusive husband may have led her to leave, the lingering question of what made her go so long without contacting anyone may always remain. "I think she just was removed and … moved on from things and kind of did her own thing and led her life," he said. "She sounded happy. Confident in her decision. No regrets." Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@
News.com.au
05-05-2025
- News.com.au
‘No regrets': Missing mum found after 60 years
An American mother of two who vanished more than 60 years has been found alive — telling cold-case cops she is 'happy' and has 'no regrets' for leaving her family. Audrey Backeberg was 20 years old, living with her husband, Ronald Backeberg, and their two children in Reedsburg, a city about 88km northwest of Madison, Wisconsin, when she vanished from her home on July 7, 1962. For years, investigators with the Sauk County Sheriff's Office had followed leads trying to piece together the young mother's disappearance until the case eventually went cold, reports The New York Post. However, the sheriff's office made a startling announcement on Thursday that, despite all the decades that have passed, Ms Backeberg was found 'alive and well' living in another state. 'Through diligent investigative work, which included a thorough re-evaluation of all case files and evidence, combined with reinterviewing 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,' police wrote in a press release. Detective Isaac Hanson led the investigation after the cold case was assigned to him in March as part of the sheriff's office's 'comprehensive review as part of an ongoing examination of cold case files'. Hanson spent weeks reinterviewing witnesses, re-evaluating old evidence, and hunting down new leads to solve Mr Backeberg's disappearance. 'The sister actually had an account, and I was able to use that. That was pretty key in locating death records, census reports, all kinds of data,' the detective told Milwaukee TV station WISN on Friday. 'No regrets' 'Ultimately, we came up with an address … 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.' Det Hanson said he spoke with Ms Backeberg for 45 minutes and told him she fled from her home for her own safety from her allegedly abusive husband. 'I think she just was removed and, you know, moved on from things and kind of did her own thing and led her life,' he said. 'She sounded happy. Confident in her decision. No regrets.' Days before the then 20-year-old mum of two had gone missing in 1962, she filed a criminal complaint claiming she had beaten her so severely that she had head injuries. She alleged her then partner also threatened to murder her and had access to firearms, according to Wisconsin Missing Persons Advocacy. Despite reporting the alleged abuse to the authorities, the man — whom she married when she was only 15 years old — remained in the house with her and the children. She left home to get her paycheck from her job a woollen mill on July 7, but then vanished. He chased after leads searching for his missing wife, and her family insisted the young mother would never abandon her children. Following her disappearance, the family's 14-year-old babysitter claimed Ms Backeberg hitchhiked to Madison, then got on a bus to Indiana. However, when police tried interviewing the teen about the claim, she got nervous and refused to speak to them. 'The juvenile was interviewed again as an adult, maybe 15 years ago,' Sauk County Sheriff's Office Det. Chris Zunker said in 2020, according to Wisconsin Missing Persons Advocacy. 'She stated Audrey had taken a bunch of pills, put them in a Coke can and drank it before taking the bus down to Indianapolis. She reported Audrey potentially hooked up with some construction workers that may have been in the area.' Det Henson said the department can confidently report that Ms Backeberg left by her own choice and was never unsafe while being listed as a missing person for the past six decades. He would not reveal what state she was now residing in.
