Latest news with #Backeberg
7NEWS
11-05-2025
- 7NEWS
Shock twist in case of woman missing for 63 years: ‘No regrets'
In July 1962, 20-year-old Audrey Backeberg went missing from Reedsburg, Wisconsin. The family's babysitter said she and Backeberg hitchhiked to Madison on July 7 before they took a Greyhound bus to Indianapolis, according to her missing person report. The babysitter said she last saw Backeberg walking away from the bus stop, around a corner. Investigators pursued different leads on her whereabouts for years, but the case eventually went cold. That is, until earlier this month when the Sauk County Sheriff's Office announced Backeberg had been located — 'alive and well'. Backeberg disappeared of her own volition, with no criminal activity or foul play involved, authorities said. The woman who spent more than 60 years listed as a missing person in Wisconsin is now living in another state. The case was assigned to a Sauk County detective early this year as part of an ongoing review of all cold case files, Sheriff Chip Meister said in the release. Witnesses were re-interviewed, all evidence was re-evaluated, and new insights were revealed. But the secret to cracking the case was her sister's Ancestry family history profile, Detective Isaac Hanson told WISN -TV of Milwaukee. 'That was pretty key in locating death records, census reports, all kinds of data,' Hanson told WISN. 'Ultimately, we came up with an address.' Hanson phoned the local sheriff's department and asked someone to stop by at the address he found, WISN reported. Ten minutes later, Backeberg, now in her 80s, gave Hanson a call. An abusive husband may have been a factor in her disappearance, Hanson said, but he promised their conversation would remain private. The sheriff's office also did not disclose what state Backeberg is living in. According to The Chippewa Herald, Backeberg had two children with a former husband, Ronald, who died in 2006. Hanson confirmed to the Herald that Backeberg did remarry and has a new last name that he declined to share. Hanson told the Herald he notified Backeberg's family members, who had mixed emotions but were 'elated'. 'She sounded happy,' he told WISN. 'Confident in her decision. No regrets.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
06-05-2025
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Woman who Disappeared from Wisconsin More Than 6 Decades Ago Found Safe
Sixty-two years ago, Audrey Backeberg disappeared from a small city in south-central Wisconsin after reportedly hitchhiking with her family's babysitter and catching a bus to Indianapolis. Nobody ever knew where she went or what happened to her. All that changed last week when she was found alive and safe in another state, thanks to the fresh eyes from a deputy who took over the case in February. Detective Isaac Hanson discovered an out-of-state arrest record that matched Backeberg, which triggered a series of investigative moves that led to finding her alive and safe in another state. Turns out Backeberg chose to leave the town of Reedsburg on her own accord -- likely due to an abusive husband, The Associated Press quoted Hanson as saying. 'She's happy, safe and secure; And just kind of lived under the radar for that long,' he said. Hanson was assigned the case in late February and, after discovering the arrest record, he and other officials met with Backeberg's family to see if they had a connection with that region. They also started digging through Backeberg's sister's account, pulling census records, obituaries and marriage licenses from that region. Within about two months, they found an address where a woman was living that Hanson said shared a lot of similarities with Backeberg, including date of birth and social security number. Hanson was able to get a deputy from that jurisdiction to go to the address. Ten minutes later, Backeberg, now in her 80's, called Hanson. 'It happened so fast," he said. "I was expecting the deputy to call me back and say, 'Oh nobody answered the door.' And I thought it was the deputy calling me, but it was actually her. And to be honest it was just a very casual conversation. I could sense that she obviously had her reasons for leaving.' Most of the information he learned during that call he declined to share, saying that it was still important to Backeberg that she not be found. 'I think it overwhelmed her of course with the emotions that she had, having a deputy show up at her house and then kind of call her out and talk with her about what happened and kind of relive 62 years in 45 minutes,' he said. Hanson described discovering her safe after more than six decades practically unheard of. And while he doesn't know what will happen next in terms of her family reconnecting, he said he was happy that she can reach out if she wants to. 'There's family living here, so she has my contact number if she ever wants to reach out or needs anything, any phone numbers of family members back here," he said. "Ultimately she kind of holds the cards for that.'
Arab Times
06-05-2025
- Arab Times
Woman who disappeared from Wisconsin more than 6 decades ago has been found safe
WASHINGTON, May 6, (AP): Sixty-two years ago, Audrey Backeberg disappeared from a small city in south-central Wisconsin after reportedly hitchhiking with her family's babysitter and catching a bus to Indianapolis. Nobody ever knew where she went or what happened to her. All that changed last week when she was found alive and safe in another state, thanks to the fresh eyes from a deputy who took over the case in February. Detective Isaac Hanson discovered an out-of-state arrest record that matched Backeberg, which triggered a series of investigative moves that led to finding her alive and safe in another state. Turns out Backeberg chose to leave the town of Reedsburg on her own accord -- likely due to an abusive husband, Hanson said. "She's happy, safe and secure; And just kind of lived under the radar for that long,' he said. Hanson was assigned the case in late February and, after discovering the arrest record, he and other officials met with Backeberg's family to see if they had a connection with that region. They also started digging through Backeberg's sister's account, pulling census records, obituaries and marriage licenses from that region. Within about two months, they found an address where a woman was living that Hanson said shared a lot of similarities with Backeberg, including date of birth and social security number. Hanson was able to get a deputy from that jurisdiction to go to the address. Ten minutes later, Backeberg, now in her 80's, called Hanson. "It happened so fast," he said. "I was expecting the deputy to call me back and say, 'Oh nobody answered the door.' And I thought it was the deputy calling me, but it was actually her. And to be honest it was just a very casual conversation. I could sense that she obviously had her reasons for leaving.' Most of the information he learned during that call he declined to share, saying that it was still important to Backeberg that she not be found. "I think it overwhelmed her of course with the emotions that she had, having a deputy show up at her house and then kind of call her out and talk with her about what happened and kind of relive 62 years in 45 minutes,' he said. Hanson described discovering her safe after more than six decades practically unheard of. And while he doesn't know what will happen next in terms of her family reconnecting, he said he was happy that she can reach out if she wants to. "There's family living here, so she has my contact number if she ever wants to reach out or needs anything, any phone numbers of family members back here," he said. "Ultimately she kind of holds the cards for that.'
Hindustan Times
06-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Wisconsin woman missing for over 6 decades found 'alive and well'
In a remarkable turn of events, a woman from Wisconsin who had been missing for more than six decades has been located, 'alive and well,' according to authorities. Audrey Backeberg, 82, vanished in July 1962 at the age of 20, but a recent investigation has revealed that she was living out of state. The Sauk County Sheriff's Office, in a press statement, confirmed the discovery, though the exact state where she was found has not been disclosed. (Also read: American woman in Bengaluru amazed by India's late-night delivery culture: 'You can get everything') The sheriff's office further explained that Backeberg's disappearance was not the result of criminal activity or foul play. "Further investigation has revealed that Ms Backeberg's disappearance was by her own choice," the statement read. Backeberg, who was a mother of two at the time, left her home on 7 July 1962. According to a report in The Guardian, her babysitter claimed that Backeberg had hitchhiked to Madison, Wisconsin, before taking a Greyhound bus to Indianapolis, Indiana. The babysitter's last memory of Backeberg was seeing her walking away from the bus stop. The Charley Project, a platform dedicated to profiling missing persons, previously updated its post about Backeberg, revealing that she had married her husband, Ronald Backeberg, at a young age. She was reportedly around 15 years old at the time of marriage, which was said to have been troubled, with allegations of abuse. According to a report from the BBC, Backeberg had filed a criminal complaint against her husband around the time of her disappearance, accusing him of abuse and threats to kill her. She had been working at a woollen mill and was on her way to collect her pay when she left home. The case, which had remained unsolved for decades, was re-examined as part of an ongoing review of cold cases. In a statement, the Sauk County Sheriff's Office explained that the case was assigned to a detective for a "comprehensive review," which involved a 'thorough re-evaluation of all case files and evidence.' Detective Isaac Hanson, who led the investigation, revealed to WISN News that he found Backeberg through her sister's account. "That was pretty key in locating death records, census reports, all kinds of data," Hanson said. He went on to contact the local sheriff's department at the address he uncovered, and within minutes, he received a call from Backeberg. (Also read: US woman fulfils her mother's lifelong dream to visit Paris, captures her priceless reaction to Eiffel Tower) 'I think she just was removed and, you know, moved on from things and kind of did her own thing and led her life,' Hanson added. 'She sounded happy. Confident in her decision, no regrets.'
Boston Globe
06-05-2025
- Boston Globe
A woman who disappeared from Wisconsin more than 6 decades ago has been found safe
Detective Isaac Hanson discovered an out-of-state arrest record that matched Backeberg, which triggered a series of investigative moves that led to finding her alive and safe in another state. Turns out Backeberg chose to leave the town of Reedsburg on her own accord -- likely due to an abusive husband, Hanson said. 'She's happy, safe and secure; And just kind of lived under the radar for that long,' he said. Advertisement Hanson was assigned the case in late February and, after discovering the arrest record, he and other officials met with Backeberg's family to see if they had a connection with that region. They also started digging through Backeberg's sister's account, pulling census records, obituaries and marriage licenses from that region. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Within about two months, they found an address where a woman was living that Hanson said shared a lot of similarities with Backeberg, including date of birth and social security number. Hanson was able to get a deputy from that jurisdiction to go to the address. Ten minutes later, Backeberg, now in her 80's, called Hanson. 'It happened so fast,' he said. 'I was expecting the deputy to call me back and say, 'Oh nobody answered the door.' And I thought it was the deputy calling me, but it was actually her. And to be honest it was just a very casual conversation. I could sense that she obviously had her reasons for leaving.' Advertisement Most of the information he learned during that call he declined to share, saying that it was still important to Backeberg that she not be found. 'I think it overwhelmed her of course with the emotions that she had, having a deputy show up at her house and then kind of call her out and talk with her about what happened and kind of relive 62 years in 45 minutes,' he said. Hanson described discovering her safe after more than six decades practically unheard of. And while he doesn't know what will happen next in terms of her family reconnecting, he said he was happy that she can reach out if she wants to. 'There's family living here, so she has my contact number if she ever wants to reach out or needs anything, any phone numbers of family members back here,' he said. 'Ultimately she kind of holds the cards for that.'
