WINSTED, Minn. — Investigators from Mason City, Iowa recently trekked to a rural community outside the Twin Cities after receiving a tip regarding the 1995 disappearance of news anchor and Minnesota native Jodi Huisentruit.
In an article published Nov. 1, FindJodi.com reporter Caroline Lowe wrote that Mason City Police Department (MCPD) detectives searched a construction site in Winsted, about 45 miles directly west of Minneapolis, in mid-October. They were assisted by law enforcement from Minnesota. The heavy police presence and Mason City tie prompted one Winsted resident to contact FindJodi.com about what was going on.
In a brief statement, Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley confirmed the search to FindJodi.com.
"MCPD recently worked with Minnesota law enforcement officials to follow up on a lead in Winsted. MCPD continues to receive, evaluate and follow up on information it receives related to Jodi Huisentruit’s disappearance on a regular basis," Brinkley said. "Information gleaned from this effort will be used in the ongoing investigation."
Brinkley did not share specifics about the tip or its status in the Huisentruit investigation.
Lowe - a veteran crime reporter who worked with WCCO Television for years - has been a dedicated supporter of the effort to learn what happened to Huisentruit and bring her home. She regularly contributes to FindJodi.com as part of that quest.
"FindJodi welcomes news of any new investigative activity involving Jodi's case and we are always hopeful it will lead to answers to what happened to her," Lowe told KARE 11. "For Jodi's family, friends and former KIMT-TV colleagues, reports on new tips and searches are part of an emotional rollercoaster journey they have been on for almost thirty years. We hope anyone with information about Jodi's abduction will come forward so her loved ones don't mark another anniversary not knowing what happened to her. It's time to bring Jodi home to Long Prairie, Minnesota."
Huisentruit was a morning anchor at KIMT when she disappeared early the morning of June 27, 1995. Evidence found in her apartment parking lot indicates the Long Prairie native was abducted. Despite decades of extensive police work on Jodi's disappearance, the case remains unsolved.
Jodi's sister JoAnn Nathe says new tips and searches are part of the emotional roller coaster her family and friends have been on for nearly 30 years while waiting to learn what happened to her.
“They need to follow up on everything,” Nathe told FindJodi. “You never know where they might go.”
Anyone with information on the disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit or the person responsible is asked to contact Mason City Police at (641) 421-3636 or Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Ryan Herman via email.