An Iowa television news anchor had a “secret last fling” with a mystery man just 10 days before disappearing nearly three decades ago, according to a private investigator.
Cold case detective Steve Ridge has been investigating the mysterious disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit, a news anchor for KIMT-TV in Mason City, Iowa, who was 27 years old when she disappeared in the early hours of June 27, 1995.
Huisentruit, who was declared legally dead by authorities in 2001, told a colleague that morning that she had fallen asleep and was late for work.
“Through my investigations, I discovered that Jodi had a very secret ‘last fling’ with a man she met just 10 days before her disappearance,” Ridge, who has been investigating the case for years, told the US Sun.
Ridge tracked down the unidentified lover, whom police had cleared years earlier after first declaring him a person of interest.
He believes that “jealousy” was a factor in Huisentruit’s murder, as she “had great admirers” and that her new love interest could “anger other suitors.”
Jodi Huisentruit, a news anchor at KIMT-TV in Mason City, Iowa, disappeared in the early hours of June 27, 1995.
The morning of her disappearance, police conducted a welfare check at her home, where they found her belongings, including a red women’s shoe and a bent car key, scattered around her red Mazda Miata that was parked in front of her.
Police interviewed neighbors who heard screaming, indicating a fight had occurred, according to Ridge, who revealed information to the US Sun that was previously known only to authorities.
Among the new details was that Huisentruit’s love interest was a 27-year-old man who was from out of state.
According to Ridge, the two met at a bar and hit it off instantly. She said the couple talked “almost every day and she initiated the calls.”
Huisentruit, who was declared legally dead by authorities in 2001, told a colleague that morning that she had fallen asleep and was late for work.
Ridge said he met the man, who gave him a tour of the Mason City home where he stayed during their relationship.
“That house is the last place Jodi went on a ‘date’ before she disappeared,” Ridge told the US Sun.
Five days before her disappearance, Huisentruit and her boyfriend “sat on the back terrace having drinks overlooking the lake.”
The man told Ridge that he and Huisentruit had “an immediate attraction and bond.”
A private investigator says Huisentruit had a “secret affair” with a mystery man just days before her disappearance.
The private investigator said that “they both knew their burgeoning relationship could anger other suitors.”
Ridge added that he “has no doubt that jealousy played a role in Jodi’s death.”
“I am certain that his rapidly blossoming relationship with Jodi played a central role in his kidnapping days later,” Ridge said.
“I believe without a doubt that this relationship was clearly a factor in what happened because this was not a random act of violence, it was not anything like that, it was not a stalker that came out of nowhere.”
Law enforcement officials say the investigation into her disappearance remains open.
The Post has sought comment from the Mason City Police Department.
Last month, Ridge doubled the reward to $50,000 for information leading to Huisentruit’s remains.
“Money can be a powerful incentive to motivate someone who would otherwise be reluctant to come forward,” Ridge said, according to KCCI in Des Moines, Iowa. “Time is not on our side and we need to heat up this case without solve”.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn