Private Investigator Identifies Suspect in 31-Year Jodi Huisentruit Disappearance Case

It has been more than thirty years since Jodi Huisentruit failed to show up for her shift as a morning news anchor in Mason City, Iowa. The 27-year-old KIMT-TV reporter was running late that June morning in 1995 after oversleeping. She told a producer on the phone that she was on her way, sounding completely normal. She never arrived at the station.

Signs of a struggle appeared near her car in the apartment parking lot. Her personal belongings were scattered across the pavement. Investigators quickly concluded she had been taken against her will. Despite years of tips, searches, and public appeals, no trace of her was ever found. In 2001 she was declared legally dead.

A private investigator who has spent the past seven years working on the case with the blessing of Huisentruit’s family now says he has identified a suspect. Steve Ridge shared his findings with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation in early June. He turned over photos, receipts, tickets, and love letters that he believes point to one person. Ridge has not released the name publicly but says he gave it to investigators along with more than two dozen pieces of circumstantial evidence.

Ridge spoke with a woman who dated the man in the months after the disappearance. She told him that police were keeping close watch on the suspect at the time. During one conversation in a car the man grew agitated, slammed the steering wheel while repeatedly denying any involvement, and then suddenly said he had done it.

Ridge told local reporters he feels confident in the lead and hopes the Mason City Police Department will bring in the Iowa Attorney General’s Office Cold Case Unit to help pursue it. He pointed out that the same unit played a key role in solving another long-cold homicide earlier this year. So far authorities have not issued any public response to the new information, and the case remains open with no arrests.