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Economic Times
05-05-2025
- Economic Times
Missing mother reappears after 63 years with a shocking confession, decades after vanishing in 1962
Audrey Backeberg vanished in 1962, leaving behind two children and decades of unanswered questions. Now, 63 years later, she's been found alive in another state—with a shocking revelation: she left by choice and has no regrets. It was July 1962 when 20-year-old Audrey Backeberg seemingly vanished into thin air. The young mother of two was last seen in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, leaving her family—and the town—grappling with confusion and fear. Despite extensive investigations, the case went cold, and over time, it was largely consigned to memory. But on May 1, 2025, the Sauk County Sheriff's Office stunned the public with an unexpected update: Audrey Backeberg was alive. '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,' they wrote in an official statement, 'the Sheriff's Office is now able to report that Audrey Backeberg is alive and well and currently resides out of State' — WISN12News (@WISN12News) Detective Isaac Hanson, who recently inherited the long-cold case, didn't let the decades-old dust deter him. Instead, he combed through archived files, chased obscure leads, and spoke to aging witnesses. His breakthrough came when he stumbled upon an arrest record that bore a striking resemblance to Audrey. 'I ended up locating an arrest record that I suspected was likely Audrey, so I contacted her family,' Hanson told WMTV . That contact led him to Audrey's living sister—who, crucially, had maintained an active account. That account became Hanson's key to uncovering new data. 'That was pretty key in locating death records, census reports, all kinds of data,' he told WISN . Eventually, he found 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, and we talked for 45 minutes.' The reasons for Audrey's disappearance trace back to a troubled domestic life. According to the Wisconsin Missing Persons Advocacy (WMPA), Audrey had married Ronald Backeberg when she was just 15. By 20, she was already a mother of two and had allegedly endured serious abuse. WMPA noted that Audrey had filed a criminal complaint before she vanished, accusing her husband of beating her and threatening to kill her. Though Ronald was taken in for questioning at the time, he passed a polygraph test and denied all allegations. — WIMissingPerson (@WIMissingPerson) The case grew even stranger when the couple's 14-year-old babysitter told police she had hitchhiked to Madison with Audrey and later traveled to Indianapolis with her before returning home alone. Years later, when re-interviewed as an adult, the babysitter recounted that Audrey had consumed a concoction of pills hidden in a Coke can before boarding the bus to Indianapolis. Despite these clues, the trail eventually ran cold—until Hanson revived it. What he found, however, was not a woman hiding in shame or trauma. Audrey, now in her 80s, was living a quiet life in another state, far removed from the chaos she left behind. And she had no plans to return. 'She had her reasons for leaving,' Hanson said. 'We discussed a lot of things. 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.' Though she has chosen not to reconnect with her children or make any public appearance, Audrey's resurfacing answers one of Wisconsin's oldest mysteries—and reopens wounds long thought healed. Her case offers a sobering reminder: some people don't disappear because they're lost. Sometimes, they leave because they want to.
Daily Mail
04-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Missing mother-of-two makes stunning admission as she is found 63 years after mysteriously vanishing
A young mother who vanished over 60 years ago has finally been found and admitted she has 'no regrets' about her disappearance. Audrey Backebeger was 20 years old and a married mother-of-two when she disappeared from Reedsburg, Wisconsin, in July 1962. On Thursday, the Sauk County Sheriff's Office announced that Backebeger had been found 'alive and well' in another 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 said. The Wisconsin Missing Persons Advocacy (WMPA) organization said the woman married her husband, Ronald Backeberg, at just 15 years old and their marriage was riddled with abuse. Despite her family's insistence that Backeberg would never abandon her kids, the case eventually went cold. Detective Isaac Hanson reopened Backeberg's case in March for a comprehensive review as part of an ongoing examination of cold case files. 'I think she just was removed and, you know, moved on from things and kind of did her own thing and lead her life. She sounded happy. Confident in her decision. No regrets,' Hanson told WISN. Backeberg filed a criminal complaint claiming her husband had beaten her and threatened to kill her just days before she vanished, according to WMPA. However, her husband passed a polygraph exam and has always maintained his innocence in the case. Shortly after Backeberg went missing, a 14-year-old babysitter for the couple told police she had hitchhiked to Madison with the young mother, then took a bus to Indianapolis, Indiana with her. The teenager decided to return home and claimed she last saw Backeberg at a bus stop. 'The juvenile was interviewed again as an adult, maybe 15 years ago,' Detective Lt. Chris Zunker of the Sauk County Sheriff's Office told WMPA. '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.' The Sauk County Sheriff's Office said investigators pursued numerous leads over the years, but the case went unsolved for decades. Earlier this year, Hanson was assigned the case and through re-evaluation and re-interviewing witnesses, was able to track Backeberg down. '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,' Hanson said. '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, and we talked for 45 minutes.' Hanson did not specify what state she is in, but said her abusive husband may have played a role in her initial decision to leave.
