Cold case of Jodi Huisentruit, Iowa TV news anchor who went missing in 1995, takes a strange twist

Law enforcement officials in Minnesota recently conducted a fresh search for the body of a beloved television news anchor who went missing nearly 30 years ago — though they failed to dig up any human remains.

Police in Winsted told a group of journalists investigating the disappearance of KIMT-TV anchor Jodi Huisentruit that a sweep of a city-owned park in a rural area about 40 miles west of Minneapolis turned up animal bones.

Investigators were acting on a tip from a person at the apartment construction site who noticed something unusual.

The Oct. 18 search, which was said to be the first public activity linked to the cold case in years, was first reported by The Independent and FindJodi.com, a website operated by former journalists solely devoted to uncovering the mystery of Huisentruit’s whereabouts.

Huisentruit was 27 years old when she went missing before dawn on June 27, 1995. She had told a colleague that morning that she had overslept and was running late for work.

A co-worker showed up at her Mason City, Iowa, home and found her shoes, earrings and drag marks next to her car — suggesting there was a struggle.

Huisentruit was declared dead in 2001,

Winsted Police Chief Justin Heldt told FindJodi’s Caroline Lowe that it was not unusual to find animal bones where the search took place.

Heldt was not immediately available for comment.

Police in Mason City referred The Post to a statement it gave FindJodi earlier this month.

“MCPD recently worked with Minnesota law enforcement officials to follow up on a lead in Winsted,” Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley said in the statement.

“MCPD continues to receive, evaluate, and follow up on information it receives related to Jodi Huisentruit’s disappearance on a regular basis. Information gleaned from this effort will be used in the ongoing investigation.”

Brinkley said that “at this time, there is no additional information for public release.”

Justin Heldt, chief of police in Winsted, told FindJodi that “due to the ongoing nature of the investigation,” he was “unable to provide any further details.”

Heldt was not immediately available for comment.

Last year, a private investigator told the US Sun that Huisentruit had a “secret final fling” with a mystery man just 10 days before going missing — though police cleared the man of any wrongdoing.

Steve Ridge, the private investigator, said that he believed “jealously” may have been a motive for Huisentruit’s murder since she “had strong admirers” and her newfound love interest might “infuriate other suitors.”

EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email news@emeatribune.com Follow our WhatsApp verified Channel