Private investigator Steve Ridge says he has identified a possible suspect in the 1995 disappearance of Mason City TV news anchor Jodi Huisentruit and has turned over a packet of new material to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. His claim, built around a fresh witness account and supporting documents, is putting renewed attention on a case that has never produced a body or a criminal charge.
PI Says Witness Heard a Confession
According to KTTC, Ridge located a woman who says that shortly after Huisentruit vanished, the man she was dating in Minnesota appeared to be under surveillance by authorities. During one tense moment behind the wheel, she recalls him slamming his hands on the steering wheel and saying, “I did it.”
Ridge told reporters the witness backed up her story with dates, photographs, financial records, and handwritten notes, and that he has passed that material on to investigators, as reported by Men's Journal.
Vansice Still Looms Over the Case
A key figure in the case’s complicated history is John Vansice, long described as the last person to see Huisentruit alive. Vansice died in December 2024, and earlier this year a judge partially unsealed a 2017 search warrant tied to his vehicles, according to The Gazette.
Investigators and longtime advocates have repeatedly pointed to the haunting scene outside Huisentruit’s apartment, where her keys and other belongings were found scattered the morning she vanished. Yet nearly three decades later, no remains have been located and no one has been charged.
What Officials Are Saying
Ridge says he has delivered the new evidence to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The agency declined to comment on his claims, according to FOX 10 Phoenix.
Ridge has also said he will not publicly release the name of the man he considers a potential suspect, arguing that if there is a prosecutable case to be made, it should come from law enforcement and prosecutors, not from the media or private sleuths.
What This Could Mean for the Probe
Ridge has urged prosecutors to consider convening a special grand jury and has increased his reward for information leading to Huisentruit’s remains to $100,000, per KCCI.
Mason City police and the Iowa DCI, meanwhile, continue to stress that the Huisentruit investigation is active. The agencies have carried out periodic followups, including a 2024 search near Winsted, Minnesota, according to The Gazette. Whether Ridge’s latest lead changes the trajectory of the case is now in the hands of state investigators.
