PHOENIX, AZ — A private investigator says a tip helped him identify a potential suspect in the 1995 disappearance of Mason City, Iowa, television anchor Jodi Huisentruit. The case has remained unsolved for decades, and her body has never been found.
The investigator, Steve Ridge, said the lead came from someone who wanted to get something off their chest and helped bring new focus to the case.
How the case began
Huisentruit did not arrive at work one morning in 1995 to anchor the news in Mason City. No one has ever been charged in connection with her disappearance.
The cold case has drawn attention for years because of the unanswered questions surrounding what happened that day.
Arizona link in the case
The Arizona connection runs through John Vansice, whom investigators say was the last person to see Huisentruit alive. Vansice described himself as the main person of interest and publicly said he and Huisentruit were close friends.
He also said she had concerns about being stalked because of her on-air job. Ridge said Vansice lived for many years in Arizona before he died in 2024.
What Ridge says he learned
Ridge said he interviewed Vansice several times in Phoenix and that Vansice denied any role in Huisentruit’s disappearance. Ridge said Vansice told him he cared about her and would never hurt her.
On FOX 10 Talks, Ridge said he believes the new evidence points to a potential suspect, but he would not identify the person or say whether that individual is still alive.
Details behind the lead
Ridge said the new information involves a person of interest who was dating Huisentruit and later confessed in her presence during a tense moment while authorities were following them in Minnesota. He said the person stopped the vehicle, reacted emotionally, and eventually admitted, “I did it.”
Those claims were described by Ridge during his interview and have not been independently confirmed by the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation.
What happens next
Ridge said he has turned the material over to the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation. When asked about the claims, the agency said only, “No comment.”
The case remains open, and the new allegation adds another layer to a disappearance that has stayed unresolved since 1995.
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