Key facts
- Name: Jodi Sue Huisentruit
- Born: June 5, 1968
- Age at disappearance: 27
- Last seen: June 27, 1995, early morning
- Location: Outside her apartment, Mason City, Iowa (en route to KIMT-TV)
- Height / build: 5’4″, about 110 lbs, blonde hair
- Status: Still missing — declared legally dead in May 2001; remains never found; still listed as missing by Iowa’s Missing Person Information Clearinghouse
- Investigating agency: Mason City Police Department
The anchor who never made it to the desk
At about 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 27, 1995, KIMT producer Amy Kuns noticed something wrong: Jodi Huisentruit, the station’s 27-year-old morning news anchor, hadn’t reported for work.
Kuns called Jodi’s apartment. Jodi answered — she had overslept, she said, and she was getting ready to leave for the station. Kuns called again. This time the phone just rang and rang.
By 6:00 a.m., Jodi still hadn’t arrived, and Kuns filled in for her on the morning show Daybreak. At about 7:00 a.m., KIMT staff called the Mason City police.
What officers found in the parking lot outside Jodi’s apartment told the story before anyone said a word: her red Mazda Miata, parked. Her personal belongings scattered across the lot. Her key — bent, as if forced. Every sign of a struggle, and no sign of Jodi.
The woman who delivered the morning news to Mason City had become the morning news. She has been missing for 31 years.
Who Jodi was
Jodi Sue Huisentruit was born June 5, 1968, and grew up to be the kind of local television anchor small cities love: bright, ambitious, polished. She anchored the morning show at KIMT, the CBS affiliate in Mason City, and she was good at it — the friendly face that started thousands of Iowans’ days.
The day before she vanished, she’d played in a local Chamber of Commerce golf tournament, then stopped by her friend John Vansice’s house to watch a videotape he’d made of a birthday celebration he’d organized for her earlier that month. She went home, called a friend, and went to bed. A normal evening. The last normal evening.
The investigation
More than 1,000 interviews. That’s the scale of what Mason City police poured into Jodi’s case in the years after she vanished — and it still wasn’t enough.
Suspicion circled people close to her. John Vansice — the friend who’d thrown her the birthday party, who named his boat after her — was the last known person to see her alive, and investigators looked hard at him. He was never charged. Other persons of interest came and went. No one was ever arrested.
In May 2001, Jodi was declared legally dead. Her body has never been found, and Iowa’s Missing Person Information Clearinghouse still lists her as missing — a bureaucratic paradox that captures the case exactly: legally gone, actually unknown.
The case has never stopped generating coverage: true-crime podcasts, Hulu’s Her Last Broadcast: The Abduction of Jodi Huisentruit docuseries (released July 15, 2025), and, in 2026, a startling claim from private investigator Steve Ridge, who said he’d identified a potential suspect after speaking with a woman who allegedly described a confession. Ridge said he gave investigators supporting documentation. Authorities have not announced that the case is solved.
Theories: what might have happened
Abduction by someone she knew. The scene — a parking lot steps from her door, in the dark, before dawn — suggests someone who knew her schedule. A stranger would have had to be waiting, at 4:30 in the morning, on luck. Someone who knew she overslept, knew she’d be rushing out, knew the lot would be empty — that’s a narrower circle. Supporting it: the targeted timing and the signs of a struggle at her own car. Undercutting certainty: no suspect has ever been charged, and persons of interest have consistently denied involvement.
Abduction by a stalker or stranger. Jodi was a television anchor — a public face, recognizable, with a published schedule. It’s possible someone fixated on her. But investigators have never publicly identified such a person, and the precision of the timing points more toward knowledge than obsession.
The 2026 lead. Investigator Steve Ridge’s claimed confession-witness is the first genuinely new development in years — but it is unconfirmed by law enforcement, and in a 31-year-old case, new claims have a history of dissolving under scrutiny.
Have information?
Contact the Mason City Police Department or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST). In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- June 5, 1968 — Jodi Sue Huisentruit is born.
- June 26, 1995 — Plays in a Chamber golf tournament; visits friend John Vansice’s home in the evening.
- June 27, 1995, ~4:00 a.m. — Producer Amy Kuns calls; Jodi says she overslept and is getting ready.
- June 27, 1995, ~7:00 a.m. — KIMT calls police; Jodi’s car, scattered belongings, and bent key found in her parking lot.
- 1995–2000s — More than 1,000 interviews; persons of interest investigated; no arrests.
- May 2001 — Declared legally dead; remains never found.
- July 15, 2025 — Hulu releases the docuseries Her Last Broadcast: The Abduction of Jodi Huisentruit.
- June 2026 — PI Steve Ridge claims a new suspect lead after a witness allegedly described a confession.
- Today — Still missing.
FAQ
Is Jodi Huisentruit still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Jodi Huisentruit has been missing for 31 years. Although she was declared legally dead in 2001, her remains have never been found and Iowa’s Missing Person Information Clearinghouse still lists her as missing.
Was Jodi Huisentruit ever found?
No. No remains have ever been identified as Jodi’s, and no one has ever been charged in her disappearance.
How old would Jodi Huisentruit be today?
Jodi was born June 5, 1968 — she turned 58 in June 2026.
What was found in Jodi Huisentruit’s parking lot?
Her red Mazda Miata, personal belongings scattered across the lot, and her key bent as if forced — all consistent with a struggle at her car.
Who was the last person to see Jodi Huisentruit?
Her friend John Vansice, who had organized a birthday celebration for her earlier that month, was the last known person to see her alive the evening before she vanished. He was investigated and never charged.
How can I help?
Share this case file. Contact the Mason City Police Department or NCMEC at 1-800-843-5678 with any information.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Mason City Police Department (open case); Iowa Missing Person Information Clearinghouse (still lists Huisentruit as missing).
- News: KIMT; Globe Gazette (Mason City); KCCI; KRNa (“New Docuseries About One of Iowa’s Biggest Cold Cases Coming Soon”).
- Reference: Wikipedia, “Disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit” (retrieved Oct 2026).
- Media: Unsolved: Jodi Huisentruit, The Anchor Who Vanished (podcast, Aug 2026); MISSING: Jodi Huisentruit (2023); Hulu, Her Last Broadcast: The Abduction of Jodi Huisentruit (docuseries, released July 15, 2025); Kym Pasqualini, “Missing News Anchor Jodi Huisentruit” (Medium, March 2026).
Corrections (October 2026 fact-check): Corrected the Hulu docuseries description — it was released July 15, 2025 as “Her Last Broadcast: The Abduction of Jodi Huisentruit,” not “in development 2025–2026.” Timeline and Sources updated.
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.