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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@
Metro
04-05-2025
- Metro
Woman who went missing 60 years ago found safe and well
One missing person case has had a happy ending after a woman who disappeared in 1962 was found alive. Audrey Backeberg was a 20-year-old married mum of two when she left her Reedsburg, Wisconsin, home for the final time. She remained missing for six decades, with her family looking for her until the case went cold. New interviews with family and witnesses confirmed to detectives that Audrey was alive, the Sauk County Sheriff Chip Meister said last week. Officers combing through the case again managed to speak with the woman, who is now either 82 or 83, according to WiscNews. She is reportedly living in another state outside Wisconsin and has 'no regrets.' Audrey was married and had two children when she was last seen near a bus stop on July 7. After she didn't return home, her family raised the alarm and reported her missing on July 20. Then, a 14-year-old babysitter working for the Backeberg family alleged that she had hitchhiked with Audrey to Madison, the state capital, before catching a bus to Indianapolis, Indiana. The teenager wanted to go home, while Audrey refused to return. Allegations of abuse and trouble in her marriage also emerged, including a criminal complaint, which was filed some days before Audrey went missing, according to the Wisconsin Missing Persons Advocacy group. Audrey's husband passed a polygraph test and he maintained his innocence over the years, while relatives insisted she would not have just walked out on her children. While Audrey was found alive, some details of her case are still shrouded in mystery. It is not known why she didn't return home, but the investigators have now said she did so voluntarily. Her loved ones tried to come to terms with her possible death, with her sister telling Baraboo News Republic in 2002 that she just wanted to find her body and that the person responsible for her killing would be caught. More Trending Detective Isaac Hanson, who spoke with Audrey, said Audrey might have left home because of marital issues, but he had vowed to keep their 45-minute conversation private. Audrey's sister's account helped to bring closure to the case and find the address where Audrey was located. The detective told local news WISN: '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.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: 'I mourned for my son twice – it's been a rollercoaster of hope and loss' MORE: Mother speaks of 'relief' after missing teenager found safe and well MORE: Body found in River Thames identified as missing 11-year-old Kaliyah Coa
