MASON CITY, Iowa () Despite no arrests in the 30 years since Iowa news anchor Jodi Huisentruit disappeared on her way to work, local police are still confident they can solve the case.
“I think that the case is absolutely solvable,” Jeff Brinkley, police chief of Mason City, Iowa, told .
Brinkley wouldn’t get into specifics about what leads him to say he believes the case will be solved in the near future, but nevertheless, he seems confident.
The disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit
Huisentruit’s producer called police when she didn’t appear for the show. There were no signs of anything amiss in her apartment.
Her disappearance was ruled an abduction after items, including her hairspray and earrings, were found near her car in the parking lot.
The keys to her car were also there, bent, and investigators said there were signs of a struggle.
Little forensic evidence was recovered, though police did find a hair and a partial palm print on Huisentruit’s car.
Suspects in Jodi Huisentruit’s disappearance
After her disappearance, interest centered around two sex offenders who lived nearby, but investigators ruled them out.
Another person who interested law enforcement was John Vancise, a friend of Huisentruit’s who was 20 years older than her and who had recently thrown a party for her birthday.
He also called the news station asking if she was there before she had been reported missing.
Vancise said he cooperated with investigators and was not involved in Huisentruit’s disappearance.
Huisentruit had also mentioned being followed by a man in a white truck a year before she disappeared.
Her family had her declared dead in 2001, though no body has ever been found.
Investigators have not said what information led them to search a Minnesota property, but the case remains open.
Anyone with information on Huisentruit’s case should contact the Mason City Police Department or Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
‘s Steph Whiteside contributed to this report.
