Was popular Iowa television news anchor Jodi Huisentruit stalked prior to her disappearance almost 26 years ago?
If so, did a stalker become Jodi’s abductor on the early morning of June 27, 1995?
In our latest podcast episode, FindJodi’s Caroline Lowe and I explore what is known about a possible stalking element in Jodi’s case.
Listen to “Was Jodi Being Stalked?” on Spreaker.
Police have considered it likely that whomever took Jodi had stalked her previously, according to friends close to Jodi who were interviewed by investigators in 1995.
As the years passed, some investigators seemed to back away from possibility that an obsessed viewer or stranger abducted her.
Lt. Frank Stearns of the Mason City Police Department has indicated in media interviews that Jodi’s abductor was most likely someone she knew.
“An obsessive fan, would they wait around an extra hour hiding behind a garbage dumpster and possibly being seen? I don’t feel they would,” Lt. Stearns, now retired, told HLN in 2011. “We’ve got nothing showing there was a stalker; no gifts, no cards, no phone calls.”
But there are indications that Jodi may have been stalked in the months prior to her disappearance.
On the evening on October 8, 1994, Jodi contacted the Mason City Police Department after she was followed by a small, white pick-up truck. The incident report generated from the call was obtained and published by FindJodi in September 2020.
That was the only time Jodi ever called MCPD for assistance, according to existing police records.
On June 26, 1995, the day before Jodi disappeared, she spent several hours participating in a Mason City Chamber of Commerce golf tournament and awards dinner. Two members of her golf team told Caroline Lowe that Jodi said she planned to change her phone number the next day because she had been getting “nasty” and “naughty” calls.
To our knowledge, nobody has been identified in connection with any of the possible stalking incidents.
Anyone with information on Jodi’s case can reach out to the Mason City Police Department at (641) 421-3636. Information can also be provided to the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations at (515) 725-6010 or dciinfo@dps.state.ia.us.
You can anonymously contact the FindJodi team here.
Subscribe to the FindJodi Podcast for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
