Iowa
Answers may still lie in Arizona in case of Iowa news anchor who went missing in 1995
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Iowa news anchor Jodi Huisentruit vanished 29 years ago on Thursday, and answers about what may have happened could lie here in Arizona.
Police and family continue to try to solve her disappearance, and there are still plenty of questions about what, if any, involvement the person of interest now living in Phoenix had.
The challenge in this case is there’s little to no forensic evidence and no eyewitnesses.
The beloved 27-year-old Jodi Huisentruit was a staple on Iowa television. Huisentruit was well-known in the Mason City community and even more admired by her family, especially by her niece Kristen Nathe.
“I had a very special relationship with her. She was also my godmother. I spent a lot of time with her, and that loss was very significant to me and still to this day,” said Nathe.
Nathe was 11 years old on June 27, 1995, and remembers the day well.
Huisentruit never made it to work that day. First, she was believed to have overslept her alarm, but then her news team realized something was wrong.
Police believe she was abducted while getting to her car that morning.
Longtime investigative journalist Caroline Lowe said there were only 30 seconds between Huisentruit leaving her apartment and getting to her car, so they believe she was targeted.
“There’s no way somebody driving by would have had time to get in, it was so fast. Somebody, we believe, was waiting for her, whether it was a stalker or somebody she knew. We don’t know,” said Lowe.
A man named John Vansice showed up at the crime scene. The nearly 50-year-old was good friends with Huisentruit and often went boating with her and her friends.
He claimed he was the last to see Huisentruit when she came over to watch a birthday video at his house the night before.
“They’ve interviewed me twice, but they haven’t made any indication that I’m a suspect,” Vansice said to a reporter at the time.
He became a person of interest and has remained so, but Lowe said Huisentruit didn’t leave any warning signs about Vansice.
“From Jodi’s journal she did a number of social things with him. She had a great time at a birthday party he hosted. There’s no indication in the journal they’re anything but good friends,” said Lowe.
Lowe is part of the “Find Jodi” team and website committed to Huisentruit’s case.
Their team uncovered court documents showing that Mason City Police executed a search warrant for GPS data on two cars linked to Vansice in March 2017.
The information is sealed.
On this 29th anniversary, True Crime Arizona went to Vansice’s Phoenix home to try and talk to him, but despite a TV blaring the news inside, no one answered.
Huisentruit’s niece said at this point, she has a personal message for Vansice.
“What I personally would ask is that if he has more information regarding Jodi or the situation, that he comes forward and shares that information, especially if he considered himself to be such a close friend of Jodi. Um, help us. Help us to solve this case,” said Nathe.
Vansice has maintained his innocence and has never been charged in the case.
The “Find Jodi” team honored her life Thursday morning and has kept billboards up in Iowa.
If you have any information on Jodi’s disappearance, you can reach out to the Find Jodi web page.
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Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Ben Kueter earns top-10 in return to Iowa men’s wrestling lineup
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Iowa
Semi-truck crash causes Iowa power outage impacting hundreds
TAMA COUNTY, Iowa — A pair of power outages left more than 700 people without power in Tama County Friday afternoon.
Alliant Energy says the larger outage, just north of Garwin, was caused by a semi-truck striking one of their power poles. That outages impacted 690 customers as of 5 p.m. Friday.
The smaller outage impacted roughly 36 people in Tama. The outage was caused by equipment needing repairs.
Alliant says crews are on site and working to fix both outages.
Iowa
Iowa Great Lakes businessman Butch Parks dies at 81
SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa (KTIV) – The Iowa Great Lakes community is remembering Leo “Butch” Parks, a longtime lakes-area businessman and founder of Parks Marina.
He died Tuesday, Jan. 6, at the age of 81.
Parks established the marina on East Lake Okoboji in 1983, growing it from a small fishing boat operation into a business with marinas, sales, service, rentals, storage, and popular destinations like the Barefoot Bar.
Parks and his wife, Debbie, also owned Okoboji Boat Works for 23 years.
Funeral services are set for Friday, Jan. 16, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Spirit Lake. It will be followed by a celebration of life at Snapper’s restaurant in Okoboji that evening.
Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app.
Copyright 2026 KTIV. All rights reserved.
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