(NewsNation) — A new docuseries is revisiting the disappearance of Iowa news anchor Jodi Huisentruit and the national attention her case drew after more than 30 years.
“Her Last Broadcast: The Disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit” is an ABC News-produced docuseries that features more than 20 new interviews from her friends, family, colleagues and Iowa law enforcement officials.
According to a press release, the crew working on the series also got access to Huisentruit’s station, KIMT-TV, where her desk remains untouched.
Jodi Huisentruit’s disappearance
On June 27, 1995, Huisentruit, who was an anchor and producer for her station’s morning and noon shows, failed to show up for work at her usual start time at 3 a.m. Producer Amy Kuns called her and woke her up. By 5 a.m., Huisentruit still hadn’t appeared and Kuns called again, but she did not pick up.
Around 7 a.m. that day, a coworker called the Mason City, Iowa, police to check on Huisentruit. When police arrived at her apartment, they found Huisentruit’s car still in the parking lot, with signs of a struggle present. Her heels, blow dryer and earrings were found on the ground by the car along with the bent key to her car.
Neighbors who were later interviewed said they heard a scream around 4:30 a.m., but no one called the police. A man said he saw a light colored van in the parking lot, but it was never found.
Huisentruit had also mentioned being followed by a man in a white truck a year before she disappeared.
After years of search efforts, Huisentruit’s family had her declared legally dead in 2001 despite a body not being found.
Person of interest named
John Vancise, a friend of Huisentruit’s, was named as a person of interest in her disappearance. Vancise, who was 20 years older than Huisentruit and threw a birthday party for her, was the last person to see her alive, but he was never named as a suspect or charged in the case.
Vancise called the news station asking if she was there before she had been reported missing. He maintained that he cooperated with investigators and had nothing to do with her disappearance.
Documents regarding a search warrant in Huisentruit’s case were recently unsealed at the request of Vancise’s family. The warrant requested GPS data from his 1999 Honda Civic and a 2013 GMC SUV. Vancise died in December of 2024.
Possible motive in Huisentruit’s disappearance: Investigator
A private investigator said he believed jealousy over a secret relationship played a part in Huisentruit’s disappearance as she started dating a man from out of state in the days leading up to her disappearance.
Steve Ridge has worked on her case since 2019. He told NewsNation the relationship started two Saturdays prior and involved “almost daily contact,” which included golf outings, dinner dates and drinks at the man’s home.
“I think plain and simply, things came to a head given the fact that she had developed this new relationship,” Ridge said. “I believe (this) was ultimately the motive for a confrontation that would have occurred in the parking lot at her Key Apartments.”
Ridge said he believes he has a suspect in her disappearance on a list he’s narrowed down to four people.
Anyone with information on Huisentruit’s case should contact the Mason City Police Department or Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
The three-part docuseries is now available for streaming on Hulu or Disney+.
