Investigators uncover possible serial killer linked to women’s murders, missing TV anchor
Share this @internewscast.com

This week, officials disclosed that a man once considered a key figure in the disappearance of Iowa news anchor Jodi Huisentruit was linked to the 2006 murder of a Wisconsin woman. This revelation has also raised suspicions that he might be connected to other homicides.

The Wood County Sheriff’s Office identified Christopher Revak as the individual responsible for the murder of Deidre Harm, bringing closure to a case that had remained unsolved for nearly 20 years.

On October 20, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office posted a statement on Facebook from District Attorney Jonathan Barnett. In the letter, Barnett expressed his intention to have pursued charges against Revak, had he been alive.

“I consider this case closed,” Barnett stated. “I believe I had sufficient evidence to prosecute and, if Mr. Revak were alive, secure a conviction at trial.”

Mugshot of Christopher Revak

Douglas County Sheriff Chris Degase shared insights with Fox News Digital regarding his investigation into the case involving Christopher Revak.

Deidre Harm, a 21-year-old mother, vanished after an evening at a bar in downtown Wisconsin Rapids on June 10, 2006. Her body was discovered by hunters five months later in a wooded area near Seneca, roughly five miles from the town center, as reported by WSAW.

“This may provide some closure for many but won’t bring Deidre back,” the Wood County Sheriff’s Office and Wisconsin Rapids Police said in a joint statement. “Our thoughts and prayers will always be with Deidre’s family.”

Revak, a Wisconsin native and former EMT, died by suicide in a Missouri jail cell in July 2009, just one day after being charged with second-degree murder in the death of Rene Williams, 36, a mother of three from Mansfield, Missouri.

Williams was last seen on March 13, 2007, at the Eagle Lodge bar in Ava, Missouri, where she worked. Revak was also at the bar that night, according to FOX 9.

In 2024, KCCI Des Moines reported that Iowa and Wisconsin investigators were taking a fresh look at Revak, who had long been suspected of multiple violent crimes before his death.

A drawer case for Jodi Huisentruit.

Investigators have never found Jodi Huisentruit, who was declared legally dead in 2001, the Associated Press reported. (ABC News Studios)

According to a recent documentary, police have examined whether Revak might have been connected to as many as five different homicides over a 14-year span, including the disappearance of Huisentruit.

Douglas County Sheriff Chris Degase, who investigated Williams’ case, previously told Fox News Digital that Revak’s confirmed link to Harm’s killing deepened his concerns about the former EMT’s violent history.

“When I started working on the Christopher Revak case, he was my suspect in the murder of Rene Williams,” Degase said. “I didn’t think it was his first go around at it.”

Degase told KY3 that forensic evidence connected Revak to Williams’ disappearance.

“We had his DNA at the scene. We had her DNA inside his truck,” he said. “I think the biggest thing was that they weren’t able to find a body. They had no witnesses to come forward to say that she was dead.”

Despite the lack of a body, investigators charged Revak with Williams’ murder based on DNA results. Degase said his curiosity about similar crimes led him to uncover chilling parallels.

“It wasn’t the first time Revak tried to abduct a woman in Ava,” he said. “Actually, shortly after his arrest I Google searched ‘women abducted from bars’ in all the towns that he had lived in. And when I Google searched from Wisconsin Rapids, Deidre Harm came up.”

That discovery prompted Degase to reach out to Wisconsin investigators, sharing his findings and helping connect the dots between cases.

“I don’t believe in coincidences,” he said. “I called the authorities out there and gave them the information I had.”

Degase, who is featured in the documentary discussing the case, said both Williams and Huisentruit remain missing, a detail that still haunts him. He didn’t rule out the possibility that Revak could have traveled to Iowa.

“Obviously, [Jodi] wasn’t abducted from a bar, but I just thought it was odd,” Degase said. 

He added that Revak “had a dark side.”

“We’re dealing with what’s possibly a serial killer,” Degase told KY3. “During his day he’s doing his deed to society and helping people and saving people, but there was a dark side to Chris Revak.” 

Revak had also been a person of interest in the 1995 disappearance of Huisentruit, a 27-year-old morning anchor for KIMT-TV in Mason City, Iowa.

Huisentruit vanished around 4 a.m. on June 27, 1995, after calling a colleague to say she was on her way to work but never arriving. Police found signs of a struggle outside her apartment, including a pair of high heels and a bent car key near her car.

She was declared legally dead in 2001, though her body has never been found.

Jodi Huisentruit

Jodi Huisentruit was a TV anchor before she disappeared in 1995. (Findjodi.com)

At the time, Mason City Police said there was no evidence linking Revak to the case. However, in 2024, investigators from Wisconsin and Iowa reconnected to compare notes about him, according to FindJodi.com.

Authorities had also looked into whether Revak’s ex-wife once lived in the same house as one of the last people to see Huisentruit alive, but determined she moved out six months before the anchor’s disappearance.

Despite three decades of dead ends, then-Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley said in June the department continues to receive and pursue leads year-round.

Flyers publicizing Jodi Huisentruit’s disappearance are seen outside of KIMT-TV

Flyers publicizing Jodi Huisentruit’s disappearance are seen outside of her place of work, KIMT-TV on July 3, 1995. (Steve Kagan/Getty Images)

“We haven’t put this down, we haven’t stopped working, we have not stopped pursuing leads and information,” Brinkley told FOX 9 at the time.

In 2024, officers searched a property in Winsted, Minnesota, following a tip, though no new evidence was found. Earlier this year, part of a 2017 search warrant was also unsealed.

“We’re still hopeful the case will be solved and justice served — no matter how long it takes,” Brinkley said.

Huisentruit’s family continues to hold out hope for closure.

“The pain and anguish felt by us and all who loved Jodi are immeasurable,” her family wrote in a statement on the Jodi’s Hope Facebook page. “True peace will only come when Jodi is found and justice is served. We still choose to hope that one day soon it will happen.”

A $50,000 reward remains in place for information leading to answers in Huisentruit’s disappearance. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Mason City Police Department or the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Justice Department faces Friday deadline to release Epstein files investigation

Justice Department’s Crucial Deadline Approaches: Epstein Files Release Looms This Friday

The Justice Department is on the clock, facing a Friday deadline to…
Sports reporter’s 3-year-old opened door for grandpa who then found couple dead in home: report

Tragic Discovery: How a Child’s Innocent Act Led to a Heartbreaking Family Revelation

The tragic discovery of a beloved Alabama sports reporter and her husband,…
Albanian opposition lawmakers light flares, scuffle with police amid parliament chaos over corruption probe

Albanian Opposition Lawmakers Ignite Flares and Clash with Police Amid Parliamentary Turmoil Over Corruption Investigation

In an intense display of political unrest, opposition lawmakers clashed with police…
Drake Powell’s early exit compounds offensive woes in Nets’ 106-95 loss to Heat

Brooklyn Nets Struggle Intensify as Drake Powell’s Injury Exacerbates Offensive Setbacks in 106-95 Defeat to Miami Heat

Despite Michael Porter Jr.’s lackluster shooting performance, hitting just 10 of his…
FBI Leaked Memo Shows Building Domestic “Extremist” List

FBI Leak Reveals Secret Efforts to Compile Domestic Extremist Watchlist: Unveiling Controversial Tactics

Federal authorities under President Donald Trump are quietly building a domestic “extremist”…
Reclassification of weed: President Donald Trump signs executive order today that would reclassify marijuana as less dangerous

Trump’s Executive Order Reclassifies Marijuana: A New Era for Cannabis Legalization

In a significant shift in federal drug policy, President Donald Trump has…
'We Don't Dispute' It: Georgia 315k Vote Bombshell Blows a Big Hole in 2020's 'Most Secure Election' Lie

Georgia Election Controversy: 315,000 Vote Discrepancy Challenges 2020’s ‘Most Secure Election’ Claims

An investigation by the Georgia State Election Board has brought to light…
New 2026 Illinois laws address squatters, immigration status in schools, gun possession, opioid overdose reporting, K-9 retirement

Illinois 2026 Legislative Update: Key Laws Tackle Squatters, School Immigration Status, Gun Control, Opioid Reporting, and K-9 Retirement

CHICAGO (WLS) — A slate of new laws is set to take…
'Just heartless': Ponte Vedra grandmother scammed out of $200K she saved for grandson with autism

Heartbreak in Ponte Vedra: Scammers Steal $200K Meant for Grandson’s Future

In a heartbreaking turn of events, an 82-year-old grandmother from Ponte Vedra…
US civilian interpreter killed in Syria identified as devoted father of four

US Civilian Interpreter Tragically Lost in Syria Remembered as Dedicated Father of Four

The tragic loss of Ayad Mansoor Sakat, a civilian interpreter, in Palmyra,…
Alleged human smuggling operation exposed in Texas as 17 illegal aliens found inside residential home

Texas Authorities Uncover Suspected Human Smuggling Ring with 17 Undocumented Immigrants in Home Raid

Authorities have uncovered what they believe to be a human smuggling operation…
Magic, mystery abound as filmmaker James Cameron takes us back to Pandora for 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'

Return to Pandora: Unveiling the Mysteries of ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ with James Cameron

In a cinematic landscape often dominated by reboots and franchises, James Cameron…