Jodi Huisentruit.
An anchorwoman for a Mason City TV station disappeared 23 years ago today.
Jodi Huisentruit was abducted from the parking lot of her apartment complex early on the morning of June 27, 1995. Her body has never been found and the case remains unsolved. Organizers of the website FindJodi.com are hoping to change that.
Caroline Lowe, a former investigative reporter at WCCO TV in the Twin Cities, says there are people who likely have important information in the case, but they’re unwilling to talk to police. The FindJodi.com team is encouraging them to do so.
“We try to find a way to get them to come forward, because in the end, we are not the police, we are a clearinghouse, and ultimately (police) are going to have to have that information to solve the case,” Lowe says. Jay Alberio is a former Woodbury, Minnesota police investigator who’s now part of the FindJodi.com team. He says even an anonymous tip from someone could be a huge help.
“CrimeStoppers, for years, has had anonymous information come in. With 27 years of law enforcement experience, I’ve found that people will give information anonymously, and that typically will break the case,” Alberio says. The FindJodi.com organization is building a “database” that, according to Alberio, could help break the Huisentruit case – but, they need help.
“We have hundreds of leads and tips. We’re going to put this information in that database and see if there’s a link between A and B, and if a common name keeps coming up. But, it’s imperative that you come forward with information,” Alberio said.
The Mason City Police Department, in a social media post this morning, asked anybody with information to contact the department or the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Billboard messages placed around Mason City by FindJodi.com earlier this month include the question: “Someone knows something…is it YOU?”
(By Bob Fisher, KGLO, Mason City)