Why new evidence could be unsealed in cold case of missing Iowa news anchor
MASON CITY, IOWA (AZFamily) — A major development unfolded in the cold case disappearance of an Iowa news anchor, Jodi Huisentruit, who vanished on her way to work back in 1995.
For decades, the main person of interest in the case, John Vansice, lived in Phoenix.
A court hearing Monday not only confirmed Vansice recently died but left the possibility that a key search warrant in the case could soon get released to the public.
Coworkers and friends knew something was wrong on June 27, 1995, when Jodi Huisentruit didn’t arrive for her morning news shift.
Though never seen again, she was declared dead in 2001.
But police haven’t stopped searching for her killer, now worried about what releasing crucial information to the public about the case could do.
“I don’t know why, when we have a difficult case, that it makes any bit of sense to open up these records that law enforcement are telling us will hinder their investigation,” the state said in court.
The two sides were in court this week in Iowa as the defense fights to unseal a 2017 search warrant of two cars belonging to John Vansice, a longtime person of interest in Jodi’s case.
Private investigator Steve Ridge brought the hearing on himself. Ridge forged a relationship with Vansice years after he moved from Iowa and settled in Phoenix.
“Have you had a chance to visit these two vehicles?” the judge asked Ridge.
“I have, out in Arizona,” Ridge said. “I made multiple trips to Phoenix area and visited the residence of John Vansice multiple times.”
Vansice had long maintained his innocence but claimed he was the last person to see Jodi alive. He told investigators she stopped by his apartment the night before she went missing to watch a video of a birthday party he had thrown for her.
For unknown reasons, detectives obtained a search warrant in 2017 for GPS data from a Honda Civic and a GMC 1500 that were both linked to Vansice, but a judge has ruled to keep those records sealed every year since.
“In this affidavit is case facts, case facts and circumstances that go all the way back to June of 1995. And they have very specific information about the case,” the state said.
They feel releasing the info could compromise their investigation.
But now, John Vansice cannot be charged with any crime because the attorneys said he died in December.
“The thing that’s changed is that Arthur John Vansice has passed away, but that doesn’t mean this investigation is over,” the state said.
In the past, the Mason City police chief said the warrant did not result in any useful information.
The defense said the Vansice family deserves to know what was discovered.
“The family needs closure on this, your honor. They need this opened up and unsealed so they can receive closure after his death, to know he is no longer being investigated with something he can never be charged with,” the defense said.
The judge asked both parties about the ability to release parts of the warrant, which indicated that might be the direction he’s going to rule so that information that needs to stay confidential does. The judge’s decision is expected within 30 days.
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