A court hearing was held on Monday regarding the ongoing disappearance of an Iowa newscaster who vanished in 1995.
Jodi Huisentruit, 27, was reported missing after she failed to show up for work at KIMT in Mason City. The news station she worked for reported that Steve Ridge, a private investigator, has asked the court to unseal a 2017 search warrant regarding John Vansice.
The 2017 search warrant pertains to two of Vansice’s cars, according to KTTC.
READ: 4 Suspects in News Anchor’s Unsolved 1995 Disappearance [Report]
Ridge previously told the media that Huisentruit started dating a man about two weeks before she disappeared. He said the relationship, which was with a man from out of state, potentially led to Huisentruit vanishing under suspicious circumstances.
Vansice, who died in December, was a close friend of Huisentruit’s. He was never charged in connection with Huisentruit’s disappearance.
Ridge argued that the warrant could provide the public with crucial information as Vansice is dead and cannot be questioned. Cerro Gordo County attorney Carlyle Dalen said disseminating the warrant could jeopardize the ongoing investigation — even though Mason County police said no pivotal information came from it, according to KTTC.
“Every single law enforcement agency is telling me that providing the information in that search warrant is detrimental to their investigation of this case. That it will hinder their investigation. All of them are saying that,” Dayle commented.
Ridge’s attorney, Nellie O’Mare, responded, “Then why hasn’t there been an arrest made?”
Police discovered Huisentruit’s vehicle at her apartment complex. Beside her car were a pair of women’s dress shoes, a bent car key, a blow-dryer, a bottle of hair spray, and earrings.
Ridge said he believes a confrontation occurred in the parking lot of Huisentruit’s apartment which preceded her disappearance. He also claimed that he narrowed down the suspect pool to four people — including Vansice. All of them are alive, sans Vansice.
The judge will decide on unsealing the warrant in 30 days, providing both sides the chance to offer additional arguments.
Ridge has been investigating Huisentruit’s case since 2019. Amid the ongoing legal battle, he announced he is increasing the reward in this case to $100,000 until June 27 — the 30th anniversary of Huisentruit’s disappearance.
[Feature Photo: Handout]
