A hair dryer, a bent car key, red heels — all scattered across the parking lot. Jodi Huisentruit was gone.
Jodi Huisentruit, a 27-year-old news anchor at KIMT-TV in Mason City, Iowa, disappeared in the early morning hours of June 27, 1995, on her way to work. Three decades later, despite multiple named persons of interest and a growing reward, she has never been found.
Building a Career
Huisentruit grew up in Long Prairie, Minnesota, where she excelled at golf and developed an early interest in broadcast journalism. She earned a mass communications degree from St. Cloud State University in 1990 and eventually landed a morning anchor position at KIMT, describing herself to colleagues as happy and energetic despite the demanding early hours.
The Morning She Vanished
A KIMT producer called Huisentruit around 4 a.m. when she hadn't shown up for her shift; she answered, said she'd overslept, and promised to be in soon. She never arrived. When police went to check on her, they found her car still in the parking lot, surrounded by her scattered belongings — a hair dryer, a bent car key, red high heels. A palm print was later found on a nearby pole, though early reports that it came from her car itself were inaccurate.
An Early Warning Sign
Months before she disappeared, Huisentruit had reported to police that she believed she was being followed by someone driving a white truck, a detail investigators have continued to weigh against the circumstances of her disappearance.
John Vansice
The first person of interest was John Vansice, an older friend Huisentruit had visited the night before to watch a birthday video, and who arrived at her apartment complex while the scene was still being processed. Investigators later obtained a 2017 search warrant for GPS data from his vehicles, though the effort produced no charges. Vansice died in December 2024 without ever being charged in connection with the case; a judge partially unsealed some of the 2017 warrant documents the following year at a private investigator's request.
Additional Persons of Interest
A 2022 television special prompted a friend of Huisentruit's to point investigators toward her ex-husband, Brad Millerbernd, after recalling an unusual phone call from him on the disappearance's tenth anniversary. Separately, investigators have examined a possible connection to Christopher Revak, a man later tied to two other women's deaths in Wisconsin and Missouri, who died by suicide in custody in 2009; his then-girlfriend lived near Vansice's home at the time, though Mason City police have said they found no direct evidence linking him to Huisentruit's case specifically. A 2025 documentary series examined these individuals along with a fourth, a convicted rapist who lived near the television studio, without any of the four being formally elevated to suspect status.
Where Things Stand Now
Huisentruit was legally declared dead in 2001, though her remains have never been found and no one has ever been charged. Investigators searched a wooded site in rural Minnesota in October 2024 following an anonymous tip; it produced no results. A reward, expanded over the years through private contributions, reached $100,000 as of late 2025. Huisentruit's family has continued to advocate for the case's resolution while also urging caution about publicly releasing sensitive investigative details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Jodi Huisentruit ever been found?
No. She was legally declared dead in 2001, but her remains have never been located.
Has anyone been charged in her disappearance?
No. Several people have been named as persons of interest over the years, but none have ever been charged.
Is there still a reward for information?
Yes, up to $100,000 for information leading to the recovery of her remains.