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who do you think did it?
August 6, 2013
7:02 am
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My money is on Cornseed.  The question is, how far could he go in the time between her abduction and when he showed up to talk to the cops.  Where were all of his properties?  Could he have stashed her somewhere and then came back later to find a better hiding place?  Lets face it, you cannot rule him out.  He was a suspect in far too many deaths (a lot of which were blunt force trauma).  I believe that they had some kind of argument, something that caused him to suddenly believe that she would never actually have the same feelings for him that he did for her.  He was maybe beginning to think that she was seeing someone else.  He felt rejected, but also used.  I think he was the one that showed up and was banging on her door the day before.  I think they had already had the talk before then.  Even when they had gone water skiing she brought a friend along (if they were going to have a romantic relationship she would have went alone with them).  She knew he had feelings for her, but didn't want to intentionally lead him on.  

 

I think he was angry and waited for her in the parking lot.  When she came out and unlocked her car, he grabbed her.  She saw that he had "gone purple" with rage and she knew she was in trouble.  She screamed and said his name and then "don't do this".  I think she fought hard for her life.  I think he knocked her in the head with something and took her to a close location.  He had hours before he came back and made the statement that he was the last person to see her.  I think he came back to find out what they knew already and wanted to include himself in the investigation.  I don't think she went to his house that night.  I think she had already started distancing herself from him.  

August 6, 2013
7:53 pm
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I think Retro laid it out exactly right. I also think the police might have focused on him more if not for Jodi's local celebrity -- that diffused their attention and allowed valuable evidence and witnesses to slip away through neglect over time.

I saw a picture of Jodi reading the news with a picture of OJ Simpson on the screen over her left shoulder. It made me wonder if the Huisentruit family ever considered a civil suit, instead of criminal, against the man. I understand there wasn't enough evidence for the police to make formal charges, but the circumstantial evidence against him is, imho, pretty convincing, especially as presented in Fade to Black. In civil court you just have to prove that it was more-likely-than-not that the person was involved in the crime.

 

 

August 7, 2013
1:55 am
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Thank you Tomahawk for your kind words.  I felt like I was rambling and not being very clear with my thoughts.  I have been reading this site for a while and always really enjoyed your posts.  

Another thought that I had about his story is that he told the police that she was at his apartment the night before to explain away any DNA or other evidence of Jodi at his home.  That makes me think that he took her there after abducting her.  

I feel like they thought there wasn't enough evidence because they didn't search his properties or his boat.  Where was he in the hours between 4:00 and when he went back to the apartments?  Did anyone see him during that time?  Who saw him in the days following her abduction?  Did he own any storage sheds in the area?  I would bet that he kept some item of hers as a trophy to remember her by.  He might still have it with him now.  Has anyone around him noticed anything like that?  Where are his boat and other vehicles now?  There are people that can answer these questions.  Even something small that they noticed could be what cracks this case open.  

Does anyone have any ideas of what we could do to kick start a new investigation?  Could we raise money to help with funding?  I read something somewhere about getting cold case investigators involved, but that they have to be invited by either family or law enforcement.  I can't remember exactly, but is there something we could do there?  I have a lot of respect for both her family and the police in Mason City, they want this case solved more than we do.  I fully believe that this case will be solved even after all this time.

 

August 8, 2013
8:49 pm
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Thanks to you, Retro :)

I also think the police and the other investigative agencies involved really blew it by not searching his personal property. I fear that oversight may have even cost Jodi her last chance at life. One theory is that Jodi lived for a short period after abduction and, if investigators had been more thorough and looked harder and more quickly at those closest to her, they might have found her in time.

During the time between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. on the day she was kidnapped, he allegedly cancelled his regular early morning walk with another female friend, called a male friend several times in rapid succession, nearly incoherent, about their regular early morning meeting at a local convenience store. In fact, it was to this same man that he allegedly made the very telling statement, at about 7 a.m., that Jodi was missing -- that she hadn't shown up for work that day. This was more than 15 minutes before the police were even called by KIMT. And there is anecdotal information that portrays the man as blathering and near hysterical when he showed up at the Key Apartments by 9 a.m. to insert himself into the investigation. He was clearly in panic mode for some reason.

Most of my information comes from Fade to Black, the really excellent play co-written by Gary Peterson. In fact, regarding fundraising, the last time I looked the administrators were taking donations for viewing Fade to Black to help fund this website. Personally, I thought it was well worth the money. Despite some criticism, I honestly believe that this website is one of the prime ways to keep this case alive.

November 12, 2013
2:07 am
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Agree with Retro. My experience tells me the last person to see the victim is often later proved to be the killer.

November 12, 2013
7:00 pm
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As for how kick start the case, well if I were the investigator I would try get
an undercover guy to befriend the suspect and get an admission on a wire.
Its not easy because it would take time to develop a friendship.
If the suspect gets arrested, the U C arrangement becomes even more plausible.
In these kinds of cases there are few alternatives. Voluntary confession or
admission caught by a wired UC.
If his associates are arrested, try to flip them and wire them. That's about it.

But these are pretty basic detective techniques. I'd be surprised if they
haven't been tried yet.

November 22, 2013
12:49 pm
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Over the past year I have been develping a quasi ethical profile. Although sifting through the facts has been challenge because you just have information that is posted. I think the person involved with this is someone that is was known to her. I know that living in an apartment complex can be difficult because you never know whom is walking in an unprotected parking lot but her actions tell me that she knew the person and knew them very well because thier was a conversation of sorts that ended with a thump and her vioce could not be heard. I think the thump was caused by her being pushed into the car and her head hiting something causing a laceration. When he grabbed her his hand came into contact with her blood from the laceration on her head. Not knowing that she had any cuts a palm print was left. With her mouth covered to keep her from screaming she was placed in the back of the van and her mouth taped to keep her quite. Being a fighter she treid to get lose and and the person whom did the crime had to stop to make sure she was tied up.

 

I think you have to look at the person's ethical decsion making as that of a Teologist. In Aristolean logic Ethics was process which produced an outcome, i.e a good table or a good car. The table or the car in themselves are not good but the good feelings were the resulting consequence of the production of the items. This was the essential aim of all living organisms.
In humans eudaemonia is the aim of existence. The word eudaemonia simply means doing and living well which was produced by the inward man working out through arête. Arete comes about by learning what the outcome that is produced is good for. I am of the opine that the person saw this as being the only way for the outcome to be in thier favor. I think that Kuhns has an idea whom it is but knows that if they have already taken one life they would do it agian.

 

I think the direction leads to one man. I also think he has some personal items kept as memento a trophy so to speak. This is just something I have been working on afterdoing research.

 

 

December 9, 2013
11:38 am
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A stretch - but I can't help thinking the van may be the smoking gun.

Obviously, she was taken in another vehicle (supposedly the mystery van), and that vehicle had to have traveled certain streets or possibly a nearby freeway as it left the apartment complex. What could have been a possible exit route?

 

Any banks or other businesses nearby with surveillance video stored in archive?

December 18, 2013
2:23 am
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Hi,

I am new to this site and want to comment on a few things.

First I think that Retro is spot on the mark and Tomahawk has added considerably by providing important information about how he was behaving at the time of her disappearance.  The Website states that Jodi came home from a golf tournament at around 9 pm on Monday, June 26th. As she starts work at 3 am, I would have expected that she would retire to bed soon after 9 pm (even 6 hours sleep is sleep deprived) but I was surprised to read that instead, she went to his apartment to watch a videotape. I initially read this as fact but now realize that was his statement. I understand that his statement has never been corroborated.

As he remains 'uncleared' and a POI for various reasons, his statement ought not be presented as fact. The statement may mislead.  

Did Jodi specifically mention her videotape-watching plans to her golfing buddies or did she indicate, in some way, that she planned to return home and get an early night as she was working the next morning at 3 am. 

She knew that going to this man's home alone, late in the evening, to watch a videotape and to discuss the content would not only encourage his desire for her (which she did not want to encourage) but also take a lot away from her important sleep time.  I think it unlikely that she went to his place alone at night.  Would she not want it to be a planned activity when other people are present. Did she put this date in her diary?

Is there evidence to indicate she did not go to his apartment after golfing but instead stayed home?

She telephone a family friend that evening and the friend said she sounded happy. Would she have sounded happy if she had spent an evening alone with him. My guess is that she would feel uncomfortable had that happen.  Did she tell her friend that she had watched a videotape of her birthday party earlier that evening?

Was there any telephone contact between Jodi and him that evening? Was there a dispute that left him angry or resentful? Did she decline his invite to watch the videotape?

The extent of his emotional attachment to Jodi is evident in the video clip interview. In the video clip he stated that she meant so much to him, he named his boat after her and said "you cant help but love that woman, you cant help but love her." He talks of others having strong and even uncontrollable feelings for her and yet, at no time does he explicitly acknowledge that he loved her. Instead, he distances himself from this and attributes his strong, uncontrollable feelings to others. He obviously feels uncomfortable acknowledging that he has strong feelings for her. He knows that his feelings are not reciprocated.  His repeated and excessive attempts to win her over have not worked. At some point, he is going to get angry or give up and move on. He clearly did not give up and move on.

What was his relationship like with his ex wife?

If he was waiting outside the apartment building early the next morning with plans in mind, he would also have planned what he was going to do with her after he knocked her unconscious and where he was going to get rid of her body. He would also know that the police would ask him questions about where he was at the time of her abduction.  He was a loner and had no alibi (other than he was at home alone) and he knew the police would not only want to question him but may also want to check his apartment.  He knew there was evidence of her presence in his apartment so what better way to protect yourself than to say "Jodi was in my apartment the evening before."  He also knew that the police would naturally raise the question "was he the last person to see her alive?"  What better way to preempt this question by making the statement "I was the last person to see her alive."  But how would he know if he was the last person to see her alive unless he knew that as a fact. It is possible she may have talked to a neighbor in her apartment building upon her supposed return home from his place. However, he knew that was not possible.

Where would you dispose of the body if you were him?  

December 18, 2013
7:47 pm
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Welcome PSY. I agree with everything you said. I would also like to add, why would "he" say that he was the last one to see her alive unless he knew she was dead?

 

I don't think she went over to see the video tapes that evening.  One of her neighbors heard a man pounding on her door that night, saying, I know you're in there Jodi.  I think that was cornseed.  She may have had a visitor from the golf tournament that night and cornseed knew it.  And he didn't like it.  So who do you think was waiting for her in the morning?

 

Everything that he did was strange that day after she disappeared.  I just don't think any of us know to what extent the police investigated him.  cry

December 18, 2013
8:11 pm
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To answer Psy's question, Incinerator or something to do with the hogs aroun.d the area.

Question:     In the book Dead Air. Didn't Jodi and a couple other friends go to his house after a boating trip got cut short due to rain?  His son was on this same trip.

 

The book read that she did not go to his house often if ever before.  IMHO, for her to go there after out drinking with others is outlandish especially if he were not invited or jealous of other men golfing.

Any other's feel the same way?

December 19, 2013
2:03 am
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Thank you Oldnews :)

and thank you Summer

Would the neighbor know what time he heard  knocking on her door and would that time conflict with Cornseed's police statement as to the time Jodi was at his place?

I assume that no one has come forward to say they were in her apartment that evening. If so, she may have been home alone and not wanting to answer the door to him. She may have let him in briefly to stop his pounding or he may have left angry when she told him through the closed door that she was not going to let him in.  Yet another rebuff! Either way his pounding sounds angry.

Sad to hear the police may have dropped the ball. It may be the case that they do consider him a very strong suspect but do not have evidence to prove it.  Perhaps that is why there has been little or no activity from the police for a long time.  No point in wasting man hours if the smoking gun points predominantly in one direction. I have a sense that the police are sitting on a pile of statements and collateral information that would benefit from a second look. Would they be willing to have a police officer with a set of fresh eyes look over it?

 

My guess is that he disposed of the body in a place that he was familiar with, not public land.  He sold corn seed. Would she be in a silo that he knew was empty and abandoned? Perhaps his work or access to resources through his work enabled him to get rid of her body.

My understanding is the white van that was seen at the the time of her abduction has not been traced and, as such, the owner is unknown. Did he have access to a similar van?

If Jodi was put in that van, finding the ownership of all white vans registered in the county may be worth the leg work. It is puzzling that the police did not find a registration for the vehicle. How hard did they search?

I wonder if someone can help. I read that he was implicated in another murder. Could you point me to a link please?

 

Many thanks 

December 19, 2013
6:58 pm
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Maybe my earlier attempt at a  post got lost in cyberspace, so I'll try again.

I'm new here, saw the recent cable show on Jodi and have ordered the book "Dead Air."

If you recall the Son of Sam case in New York in the 70s, the shooter, David Berkowitz, was caught because of a parking ticket.

On his last shooting spree in Brooklyn he illegally parked next to a fire hydrant. The very next morning police precints in the

area reviewed summonses that were issued by passing patrol cars on the beats in the general area. Bekowitz's car was ticketed

and he was then  traced easily.

If police in Mason City haven't done that , it would be a good idea to check parking or moving violations tickets  that were

issued in that 12-24 hour period in say a 1-3 mile swath, if by any chance the abducter's vehicle was ticketed.

 Who knows if these records are still extant , but it's just a thought.

I get this feeling that a clue is just barely, ever so slightly  beyond grasp. Hopefully a creative criminal investigator who can

think out of the box can be put on the case.

 

 

 

December 19, 2013
7:53 pm
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A friend of mine recalls traveling along a County Road (Cerigordo/ Hancock Co. area) around the time of the disappearance and a white/light colored van was pulled over along side of the road by police and guns were drawn. They were motioned to drive around by other police officers whom had also responded. This was NOT a typical routine traffic stop so it IS significant and it does stand out in their minds especially because Jodi's disappearance was a hot topic and a high alert for a white or light colored van was taking place.

I wonder who it was, if they found anything, or if they had the perp. and let him go, if they have record of the license plate of that van, who was the owner, registered in the area, who was driving, work or commercial van driven at night for personal use, searched, siezed.... All questions that could be asked around that one traffic stop.

Surely, there is a record saved for some period of time regarding traffic stops when guns are involved, yes?

 

December 19, 2013
11:23 pm
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Hi Derby

I think the police have a lot of interview material and other evidence sitting in storage waiting to be looked at with fresh eyes.

There may even be forensic evidence that could be looked at with new technology

A good investigator would be able to bring new light on this cold case but they would need access to that evidence.

Has the FBI been invited to look at this cold case?

Would the local police resist a new investigation?

 

Hi Summer :)

Probably the police were on the lookout for a white van and they were not going to take any chances when they spotted one. They pulled it over being prepared for the worst. If there was anything to suggest that particular van (and the driver/owner and other people that had access to it) was involved in the abduction, we would have heard about it. It was probably 'cleared.'

 

Was there any material at the abduction site that could provided DNA evidence?  

 

December 20, 2013
4:35 am
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Hi PSY--

I'm  sure you're right that the police have a lot of material, most of which we don't know about. A creative investigator will re-

work the material and think of different angles and leads to pursue again. A lot of opinions on this board are interesting but

sadly, as long as the case  remains unsolved, all kinds of theories will abound which may or may not be true.

 In my head , I do it myself; thinking of different scenarios, and of course they're only conjectures  because only the police have

the information they have so far garnered, not us.

 

I mentioned the Son of Sam case because living in N.Y. I clearly  remember when the police chief in a press conference told a

frightened public  that it'll take hard, routine police work to catch him, not fancy stuff or potluck. For example, he said, it could

be as simple as a  parking ticket.  

And by golly, that's exactly what happened. I just feel (conjecture again) that a similar clue is there waiting to be discovered.

I mean, the abducter was human and lives on this earth just like the rest of us. He's not an alien jumping out of a UFO.

The clue is here.......but where? and what  is it? That's what's driving us nuts.

 

 

 

 

 

December 26, 2013
10:45 pm
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Wow. I haven't visited the website in a couple weeks and I'm so impressed with the quality of the discussion on this thread. Good thoughts from PSY and Derby and forum regulars Summer and Old News. 

PSY, the information regarding other murders the main suspect was connected to can be found on this website, https://www.findjodi.com/copper-dollar-murders-anniversary-vigil/

Also, I love Derby's idea of checking police citations from that time, if they still exist. I'll add Timothy McVeigh to Derby's list of heinous criminals caught on technicalities.

I completely agree that someone outside the MCPD needs to look at ALL the evidence with a fresh eye. I bet some clue exists in their files that could provide the key to this case! I think the MCPD went early and forcefully with the Crazy Fan Theory and that myopia tragically hindered their investigation.

December 27, 2013
5:45 am
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Thanks, Tomahawk.

I live about a mile from Son of Sam's last shooting spree in Brooklyn.

As I recall, the policeman on his beat didn't notice the car at the hydrant initially. After another pass around the block at about

1:00 am, he noticed the car parked there and he ticketed it. The next morning the license plate number was run through

the Motor Vehicles department's data base. The sedan apparently was registered to someone who lived in Yonkers, N.Y. about 10-

15 miles away. The police were wondering why this person from Yonkers was suddenly in Brooklyn in middle of the night

for apparently a short period of time. The rest, as they say, is history.

This simple police work was the reason they got him. At the time, there were eyewitnesses who reported seeing a yellow

Volkswagon driven by somebody who looked like he wore a blond wig. Another person also came forward describing a

yellow Volkswagon driving at high speed in that area at that time. If you look at the police composite sketches based on

eyewitness reports made during after  the previous shootings , you'll be amazed as to how different each one looks like.

The bottom line is that Berkowitz did NOT drive a Volkswagon and he looked like maybe only  one of the sketches.

Therefore, I'm wary of even the reports of a "white van" in the Huisentruit case  though I hope it's true because this would be a

good lead. It seems here that very few people saw very few things. That's why I believe that an investigator with a good

eye and common police sense will come up with something, you can't always rely on JUST an eyewitness.

 

 

 

December 27, 2013
12:09 pm
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Apropos on what I've written about eyewitnesses of the white van, there's a video clip here on this site where an investigator says that they couldn't find any white van. What does that mean? That nobody in area in question   is registered as having owning one? Is it possible that it was from out of state? That the reports of it is not on solid ground? See what I mean?

January 5, 2014
5:45 pm
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Tomahawk said
Wow. I haven't visited the website in a couple weeks and I'm so impressed with the quality of the discussion on this thread. Good thoughts from PSY and Derby and forum regulars Summer and Old News. 

PSY, the information regarding other murders the main suspect was connected to can be found on this website, https://www.findjodi.com/copper-dollar-murders-anniversary-vigil/

Also, I love Derby's idea of checking police citations from that time, if they still exist. I'll add Timothy McVeigh to Derby's list of heinous criminals caught on technicalities.

I completely agree that someone outside the MCPD needs to look at ALL the evidence with a fresh eye. I bet some clue exists in their files that could provide the key to this case! I think the MCPD went early and forcefully with the Crazy Fan Theory and that myopia tragically hindered their investigation.

 

 

Thanks Tomahawk

I agree, Myopia and lack of training

The link was an eye opener if only for the fact that the police seems to have dropped the ball on this; the copper dollar murders. Is this a trend? Were the police incompetent back then? Is there a lack of skill and training for police in Iowa for murder cases?

 

What steps would need to be taken to get access to all the evidence in police storage?

Would they resist a fresh look at the evidence?

 

Is Jim Feldhaus' material that he collected on the case available?

 

 

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