When television news anchor Jodi Huisentruit failed to arrive at work on June 27, 1995, the first person to notice something was wrong was one of her colleagues.
On this episode of the FindJodi podcast, former KIMT-TV producer and reporter Amy Kuns is interviewed by team members Caroline Lowe and Scott Fuller.
Listen to “Amy Kuns” on Spreaker.
In June 1995, Amy was a producer for Jodi’s “Daybreak” morning show on KIMT.
Amy says she called Jodi to check on her at about 4 AM that morning. In the process, Amy would become the last known person to speak to her.
Jodi was abducted from the parking lot of her apartment complex a short time later.
Amy Kuns with FindJodi team member Caroline Lowe.
285 Comments
Great interview. I was so happy to hear the topic brought up about how she gets accused on the internet. That’s a trend I’ve noticed over the years and it seems to be people’s off-the-cuff reaction when they first learn about Jodi and see Amy’s early interviews. There seems to be something about Amy’s overall vibe in those interviews that people don’t like. I agree that it’s ridiculous.
It’s only ridiculous if Amy had nothing to do with Jodi’s abduction. She was the last person to know when Jodi was leaving for work, and she could have easily relayed that information to someone else, especially if this case involved a conspiracy, more than one person involved. Remember, Jodi was running over an hour late for work. Amy was the only one who knew that. Although it doesn’t tie her to the crime, it does tie her the timeline of the abduction unlike anyone else.
I thought about Amy being the last to talk to Jodi. I also considered whether she could have called someone else that morning when she was late. But if she was going to relay this information to someone else wouldn’t they have had to have a cell phone if this was a conspiracy. I think the police should have put a trace on the news station phone and figured out who was making the annoying calls. That wasn’t difficult to do. You just keep track of the times and dates the calls come in. This could have been done on Jodi’s home telephone too.
Fuck off you idiot.
Amy said she feared she would be fired if she didn’t get the morning show on the air when Jodi didn’t show up. Was she responsible for filling in for Jodi? Did she ever do the morning report before. Did she think to call her manager and ask if this is what she should do? Or did she want to show him what she was capable of doing. After Jodi went missing did Amy continue to do her morning report.
Amy did what she had to do under the circumstances. She said she didn’t even have time to call the police, someone else did. And remember, Amy said her starting salary was only $13,000 a year. It makes me wonder what Jodi was making, as she had dreams in her journal of making $100K in the future.
Yes, it’s completely ridiculous. Also malicious. Conspiracy theorists never care who they hurt.
I think Amy shows a lot of courage in this interview, with all the rumors there have been. She candidly shares the impact of Jodi’s abduction on her life as the last known person to speak witIh Jodi. I wish her all the best going forward.
I’d listen to it again.
Boy, Amy sure looks a lot different than her previous picture when she worked at the TV station. That’s the first thing I noticed. Not to be judgmental, just an honest observation. I don’t think Caroline looks all that enthralled either with Amy’s hands on her. Oh well, another podcast to ponder. And yes, Amy was the last person to speak with Jodi.
Paris, don’t make me come down there! None of us are as young as we once were, right?
Calm down KAP, no need to get so emotional.
My emotions are just fine. I’m proud of them.
I don’t look like I did in 1995 either. I was going to the gym then regularly. That’s why I asked if Jodi went to one. I hope they checked this out. I had a guy follow me who worked out at the one I did. It’s been 26 years!
I was referring to your “don’t make me come down there” comment.
Well I was attempting a light-hearted rejoinder. “Don’t make me come down there” is similar in tone to “We need to have a Come to Jesus moment” where I come from. Not overly serious but at the same time asking, “What’s up with that?” Women get so much crap about appearance. I hope I can say crap. But mea culpa, Paris. I enjoy interacting with you and hope we can continue web sleuthing.
Appearance is everything. LOL! I mean really, KAP. Amy’s picture at work years ago and her picture now are like night and day. I noticed the same thing with Ani Kruse. Just an old guys observation. No shame blaming, just an honest response.
What I notice is the strength Amy talks about, how this is part of her story and how she thinks it will be part of how she helps people in the future. She has gone through a lot and to come out with that kind of resolve is amazing.
or it’s her guilt complex coming forward.
She said that she has survivor’s guilt and I would expect that after being so close to such a terrible crime. She has sought to come to terms with what happened and said she has turned a corner in terms of mental health. She said she understands now that what happened is part of her story and she has become stronger as a result of it. She has integrated her experience towards understanding in order to help others. Pretty impressive, I think.
She looks happy and she did do the interview. After she was attacked I’m sure she never wanted to speak about it again. Who could blame her? Everyone had a theory. I was one of them.
I recall reading the interview Amy gave right after Jodi’s abduction. This interview provides more information. It’s true people react differently to tragic events. I do think Amy was targeted for her earlier comments. It was good to hear her answer some looming questions. She said she had to get the news on and couldn’t take time to call 911. As a journalist that’s understandable since Jodi had been late before. Her feeling angry at first also seemed reasonable because she was left to do the job alone. The comment she made about maybe Jodi fell back asleep also seemed reasonable. However, the comment about her maybe having fallen and hit her head stood out. Wouldn’t you immediately call 911 if you really felt this. She probably didn’t put thought into this comment. I think Amy was honest that she, Jodi’s assistant, wasn’t treated very well by her at times. Then Jodi showed up missing. That had to be difficult to come to terms with on a personal and professional level. I’m happy to hear she sought therapy to move beyond her feelings of grief and guilt. One thing I had wondered about before listening to this interview is whether Jodi was using medication. She was oversleeping and Amy mentioned her up and down moods. Medical records are private, but if she wasn’t getting a prescription for sleep, was she getting medicine somewhere else. Is that why she asked if Angela Johnson was working at the country club that day. Did JVS or Ani know anything about Jodi using drugs? She believed in positive thinking, but as Amy observed, she had mood changes. Was she depressed and self-medicating? She was drinking and if you add drugs to this it would explain some of her behavior. JVS said he threw her the party to make her happy and she wrote in her journal it did. But as others have commented it seems she may have been struggling with clinical depression and needed professional help. Maybe she was seeing a therapist and taking medication which would cause her to oversleep. Once a week is frequent.
“However, the comment about her maybe having fallen and hit her head stood out”. Yes it does, and it also possibly shows how she was killed, smacked in the head by someone. Now you mention drinking and drugs. Marihuana? Cocaine? Meth? Prescription psychotropics? Of the 4, and as far as I know, only weed will help you sleep. If she was seeing a therapist, it is imperative that MCPD, and/or the FBI, get these records by way of a subpoena, in hopes it may shed some light, as this is a homicide and under those conditions the MCPD or the FBI might be able to get these medical records.
Caroline Lowe asked Amy if she was aware of any police escorts to work. She said no. This contradicts what Frank Stearns said. Even Amy said this would have been important, yet she was never made aware of this. Perhaps the MCPD chief and the FBI need to revisit this contradictory testimony.
Paris, if Jodi was taking medication for depression it could have made her drowsy. But I think a therapist would have warned her about drinking and taking medication. Jodi had written in her journal she wanted to lose weight. I was thinking she may have been taking something, prescribed or not prescribed for this. That would explain what Amy was describing about her mood swings at work. There’s no mention about her belonging to a gym or working out except for walking with Ani and roller-blading. Gyms were popular places to work out. Did Mason City have one where she would have had a membership? Amy also mentioned she hadn’t heard anything about a white truck. But wasn’t Jodi harassed by some guys in a white truck. They yelled things at her. She also has changed her story about JVS calling the station. Now she isn’t sure it was him but thought it was someone named John. That’s a big revelation. JVS would have had to have seen the crime scene before he called which would have only been a window of about 10 minutes, and he was supposedly walking with LDW, then meeting a friend at Casey’s. Amy showed jealousy and irritation toward Jodi. Competitive workplace annoyance possibly. JVS showed jealousy about Jodi and other men. LDW made snarky comments about Jodi and defended JVS. Both JVS and LDW pointed a finger at his friend at Casey’s for being obsessed with Jodi. We don’t know what the woman JVS was dating thought about Jodi because she’s a mystery. My question is, did Jodi realize that any of this was going on? Did someone put the young guys following and harassing Jodi up to it to scare her. When this didn’t work did they try something else? Or were they acting alone?
Jodi golfed and waterskied, and she was in good shape. Regarding your comment “She (Amy) also has changed her story about JVS calling the station. Now she isn’t sure it was him but thought it was someone named John. That’s a big revelation. JVS would have had to have seen the crime scene before he called which would have only been a window of about 10 minutes, and he was supposedly walking with LDW, then meeting a friend at Casey’s.” I thought about the same thing. When were the police called by the station, and when did John V call the station inquiring about Jodi? A 10 minute window period? You might be on to something here, Anonymous.
There is another possibility. He could have turned on the TV and seen that Amy was doing the morning show instead of Jodi and called the station to ask about Jodi. If they had watched the birthday tape the night before he would have known Jodi was planning to work the next morning. But the timeline doesn’t work if he called at 7:20 when he would have been on the walk. The police were called at 7:13 a.m. and arrived at 7:16 a.m.
Didn’t Amy said that “John” called about 5 minutes BEFORE she went on the air? (I could be wrong. I’d have to listen again).
She said he called at 7:20 and yes that was 5 minutes before she went on the air, but that was the second time she went on the air that morning. She also went on at 6 a.m. and got off shortly after 7 am. And that was when she told someone to call the police. At 7:20 someone identifying himself as John called, about 5 minutes before she had to go back on the air again.
I know Jodi was athletic and physically fit, but she did write in her journal she wanted to lose weight. That’s why I thought about how she was going to do that. It didn’t look like she needed to but she thought she did. Amy mentioned how she would fall asleep and then sometimes clap and say positive things. This went along with the positive thinking philosophy she embraced. But it seems for someone who had to be up at 3:00 a,m. she was burning the candle at both ends. Even Robin Wolfram commented on this when Jodi wanted her to go out and she said she had to go home and sleep. Jodi said you’ll have plenty of time to sleep after you’re dead. Today is for living. People criticized Amy for saying Jodi often came to work late. The newsroom manager said he didn’t know this but he came to work after they did. Amy obviously never told him Jodi was coming in late some days. It sounds like Jodi was able to cram at the last minute to get her report on the air and get dressed for it.
If it wasn’t JVS who called the station that morning who was it? Did John Lessard come to her place that night and she didn’t answer the door to him. Did he call the station to try to get her to talk to him that morning? Was he the person Jodi referred to in her journal as someone she went to a concert with or was there another John in her life? Was there something unresolved about the car purchase?
I’m also a little skeptical of this John Lessard guy. Perhaps the FindJodi team can interview him for a future podcast. Also, has the MCPD or the FBI subpoenaed the phone records from the TV station where Jodi worked? Or from Jodi’s phone? In either case, we need to know which John this is that called the station in such a short “window period” after her abduction, and who this psycho was making the weird calls to Jodi’s home phone. I think this case can be solved with that information.
If Tony Jackson lived only two blocks from the news station he could have easily observed Jodi coming to work. If he had planned an attack he would’ve known when to do it. But that morning Jodi was more than an hour late. So what if Tony Jackson went to her residence instead. He wouldn’t have had a way to break in there. He would have had to wait outside. Even if he had gone to her door earlier she didn’t open the door to him. His numerous attacks on women the following weeks and on his girlfriend seemed to be precipitated by some event, Was this the abduction and assault on Jodi? Was he unable to stop himself given the excitement of it? He does claim he never raped the other six women. Maybe his only redemption is to confess and tell where Jodi is if he did this.
Were there attacks in the following weeks? I thought they were a couple of years later in the Twin Cities.
You’re right, the twin cities rapes were in 1997. But the abuse of his girlfriend happened when he was living in Mason City, Iowa. She left him. She also looked like Jodi. He was known before these attacks as having a violent temper. It was reported he had to leave college because of it. He tried to meet Jodi according to what someone in Mason City said when interviewed, even though Jackson denied it. He did show up at one of his victims’ doors as a means of gaining entry. He used a gun to threaten her. He silenced her by stuffing something in her mouth. Did he do the same to Jodi? It’s possible. I think they need to interview his girlfriend again about where he was that morning. Often girlfriends or wives change their stories or remember something helpful to solving a case once the perpetrator is in jail and can’t harm them.
or it’s possible this is the person who went to Steve Ridge. Seeing that Tony J is now locked up for life, perhaps she felt more secure going to Ridge, and now the feds, to turn on him. She may have also destroyed or thrown away Jodi’s rings, as Ridge indicated this person destroyed crucial evidence in this case, and it’s possible Tony J gave her these rings.
Or it’s possible this is the person who went to Steve Ridge, Anonymous. Seeing that Tony J is now locked up for life, perhaps she felt more secure going to Ridge, and now the feds, to turn on him. She may have also destroyed or thrown away Jodi’s rings, as Ridge indicated this person destroyed crucial evidence in this case, and it’s possible Tony J gave her these rings.
I wondered if it was Jackson’s girlfriend too. If he gave her jewelry she would know the timeline and would know about when he got it. I know of two cases where a girlfriend and a wife came forward and changed the alibi they gave for perpetrators of violent crimes. Both perps were incarcerated at the time they came forward. One girlfriend had received jewelry. They both had children and this can be a motive for not turning the perpetrator in at the time along with fear of what will be done to them. It takes courage to overcome that kind of fear.
“I” hear ya.
Tony J said he never met Jodi. He’s a narcissist and enjoyed getting attention for being a possible suspect because it gave him some jail cred but that’s about his only involvement.
Some say he did meet Jodi at a bar and he wanted to get into broadcasting like Jodi. He lived two blocks from where Jodi worked. Tony J is also a liar, not just a narcissist. He was convicted of 6 rapes and denied involvement in any of them; typical loser. He’s also a stalker and a violent man, so he didn’t need to even meet Jodi to abduct her, rape her, choke her like he did to his other 6 victims, and more than likely, kill her. So, I definitely think Tony J is the “cat in the bag” we have been looking for. I have to disagree with you Mark.
“I felt like he was there to scare me and he accomplished what he set out to do.” That is troubling. She is talking about an encounter at the laundromat with JVS about two weeks after Jodi’s disappearance.
Maybe that’s why she said now she’s not certain it was JVS who called the station that morning. She said it was a man named John and he asked questions about Jodi. She wasn’t the only one who questioned why Jodi was seeing JVS. That made him mad I’m sure.
Too many Johns in the house.
Yes. Wouldn’t it be interesting if the unnamed friend he met at Casey’s was also named John. When they met there JVS supposedly said Jodi is gone. If he had been on a walk how did he know? LDW later said it was the friend who told JVS that Jodi was gone. Then they went to the crime scene. There still is not an answer to how they found out Jodi was missing and what time did they find out. The crime scene tape would have gone up immediately wouldn’t have it? That would be around 7:19 or later. Did JVS call the station before this? If he drove by Jodi’s before he went for the walk the police cars wouldn’t have been there yet. LDW said when she called him at around 6:30 a.m. he was really groggy and he said he was too tired to walk. Then she said they walked and she called the woman he was dating to meet them on their walk. If they did all this they definitely know when they found out Jodi was missing.
I’m almost certain the Casey’s friend’s name is not John. There is another way that JVS could have known Jodi was gone, or at least not at work. He could have turned on the TV to watch Daybreak and found that Amy was giving the newscast, not Jodi. But if he did, it presents a series of new problems with the morning walk. LDW said she woke him up. She said he was tired and talked about Jodi coming over to watch the birthday tape the night before. If he had checked the 6:00 a.m. news and noticed Jodi was not on the air, surely he would have said so to LDW right then. But she didn’t report that he said anything about it on their walk.
If JVS was keeping track of Jodi’s comings and goings at the very least he was driving by her place. If he did this the morning she disappeared he would have seen her car was still there. He knew her work schedule so he maybe called her and didn’t get an answer. Then when he saw police cars there he called the news station. I don’t think he would have told anyone this because they would wonder why he was driving by her place. I think the police think the only one stalking Jodi was JVS. He may have and this is his only crime.
Or he saw another man come out of her apartment, got angry, and waited for her to come out. He then assaulted and abducted her. Maybe calling the station was going to be part of his alibi that didn’t quite work out unless it was another John that called that morning. Amy changing her story is troublesome. She seemed sure before it was him. And she did know he was seeing Jodi. Did they ask to talk to Jodi?
That’s why I think LDW’s account of that morning is off. What is she not saying? She seems to want to protect JVS, but why does she have to if she believes he has nothing to hide. I think JVS knew Jodi was gone before the walk unless he was told at Casey’s. Then how did the friend find out. Was it on the news by then? Supposedly JVS called him. Where did he call him from if he was on a walk? Didn’t he take him to the crime scene?
There was No walk. JVS called earlier that morning and cancelled. It states that in the book.
Yes, it does state that the walk was cancelled in the book. And also Fade to Black, which says it is based on interviews, portrays a version of the morning walk where LDW arrives for the walk and JVS asks her to wait outside. These versions are significantly different and even opposite from the accounts LDW gives on Up and Vanished and the Frozen Truth podcast. Until these competing versions are reconciled or explained, this so-called alibi is not credible. If LDW’s alibi is the reason JVS was not indicted, it is such a flimsy reason that it frustrates me.
I wonder what investigators know. Both Lieutenant Stearnes and Captain Halverson did not believe this was the crime of a stalker.
“We don’t rule anything out, but I really don’t think this is a case of stalking,” Stearns said in the Globe Gazette, June 27, 2010.
Police Captain Halverson said, “I don’t think it was a mystery person who came here and stalked her and then grabbed her. I think the responsible party has been lucky so far.” Globe Gazette June 27, 2007.
What did they know? What will it take to bring charges? Whatever has held it back, please don’t let it be this half baked “alibi.”
I think the author of the book and these crime shows have taken some poetic license to create drama. They are not factual. The walk, however short, according to LDW did take place. LDW didn’t take a lie detector test after she said she would. She had her reasons I’m sure.
Maybe this is a question for the next FindJodi Q & A episode. Beth Bednar, a journalist, wrote that book and she has written articles for this website. I don’t know if she’s a member of FindJodi or a contributor. But I will ask if we can clarify Bednar’s source for the version of the morning walk in her book, which says the walk was cancelled without explanation.
Maybe interesting information for some of you but I can tell that the photo above was taken at Green Mill Restaurant & Bar in Albert Lea, MN.
That is interesting. I wondered where they had met. You must have a good eye. I don’t go into Albert Lea proper but I drive past it sometimes and stop at the Trail’s Travel Center there on the Interstate.
Why would LDW lie? She is very specific about the details of that walk. If it’s a lie then JVS and she got together and made up a story about when she called him and when they went for the walk. She also claimed to have called his girlfriend from a payphone while on that walk. Did the police talk to the girlfriend to verify this? LDW said the police could trace the call she made from the phone booth. This is a lot of lying on her part if it didn’t happen. Did JVS know something already about Jodi and they were calling the girlfriend to find out what she had heard and to get on the same page about the walk? What did the police find out about the supposed walk? They certainly know whether it took place or not. Would LDW lie to a grand jury?
I thought she called Carol, her boss, from the pay phone. If she arrived at JVS’house and was told to wait she could have gone to the pay phone to make a call. There doesn’t have to be a walk to use the pay phone. She might have needed to call her boss for any number of reasons. But even if the walk took place as she says, the Casey’s friend who met him that morning has a timeline that contradicts LDW’s. My question is why is LDW’s story more important than the friend (and his brother) at Casey’s? Why weren’t they called to the grand jury? He and JVS arrived together at the Key Apartments that morning. And where did the three versions of the walk come from?
Why on the Frozen Truth podcast did LDW say that the FBI wanted her to take a lie detector test after the grand jury and she said, “Sure, let’s do it. I have nothing to hide.” And Scott asks, “They gave you a lie detector test after the grand jury?” She replies, “They wanted to but I didn’t do it.” So she said, “Sure, let’s do it” as if she agreed but with a follow up question said, “I didn’t do it” in the same breath.
Also Bednar’s book said that someone who looked like LDW (I’m not sure if she actually names her) was seen with JVS and lived in AZ for some time after this happened.
I just listened to that part of The Frozen Truth episode again and LDW said that they had walked less than a block when she called her boss, Carol, from a pay phone. She said, “We started walking and we just picked an area that was around his house and then all of a sudd– we had went less than a block and there was a pay phone.” So all of a sudden there was a pay phone. Listening to that I’m thinking that the “we just picked an area…and all of a sudden there was a pay phone,” sounds like the explanation was put together. I don’t doubt there was a pay phone and that LDW made a call from it, but why didn’t she call Carol from JVS’ house? Could it be because he wouldn’t let her in? It’s like the overly detailed explanation of why she didn’t go in when JVS invited her in after the walk. As well as the almost tortured explanation of how close she and JVS were without being romantically involved in the least. So close that she would know “without a shadow of a doubt” if JVS had a romantic interest in Jodi. And, according to LDW, he did not.
KAP, is Carol her boss, the mystery girlfriend JVS couldn’t be seen in public with because he was protecting her? Didn’t LDW in this explanation say she needed to call her because she didn’t want her to think she was walking with JVS without her? She also went into detailed information about her being married and not going into the house because it wouldn’t look right. The more she talked the more it seemed like she was trying to convince everyone there wasn’t anything between JVS and her. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was seen in Arizona with him. You don’t defend someone if there’s nothing to defend. And you don’t spend that much time with a single man when you’re married if nothing is going on. Just saying. What did her husband have to say about all this? There was also a detailed story about her bicycle and why she left that at JVS’s house.
If John V was seeing this mystery woman that no one knows about, then why would he abduct Jodi if he was already seeing someone?
Why would he throw a huge party and have it videotaped for another woman and go on water skiing weekends with her if he already had a steady partner. Why was he fretting about the Miata and saying that Jodi would give it back? Why did he say it was a gift from a boyfriend? Who were these secret girlfriends/ boyfriends that apparently were okay with their partners spending all their time with someone else? It just doesn’t check out.
This whole case doesn’t check out.
I am curious about the Miata. After Jodi was abducted, follow the money trail. If the car wasn’t paid off, where did it go back to, the bank? Where’s the connection to John Lessard here? If he owned it, who financed the deal with Jodi to purchase it? Was it John L? Who had the pink slip?
John Lessard had a car dealer sell it for him according to the son of the dealer. Noone seemed to know who paid for it. But Jodi’s sister said she thinks her mother helped her buy it. The car went back to her mother who kept it for a while and then sold or traded it to a local dealer where she lived. So obviously nothing was owed on it at the time of Jodi’s abduction unless the police know something different and haven’t said. I agree. Follow the money but in this case, there is an unknown. And then there is LDW and JVS saying she got it from a boyfriend and was going to give it back. Maybe that’s when she decided to ask her mother for the money to pay for it.
Because he was a womanizing cad who enjoyed having a harem as you pointed out. Jodi was the prize he couldn’t get. She thought he was a fun-loving guy with a boat who saw her as a daughter. She obviously trusted him. So did all the other women in his harem.
Paris, have you noticed that JVS seemed to only have close women friends?
No I haven’t, nor do I feel it’s relevant.
Anonymous, that is interesting to note, that he seemed to only have close women friends. From at least a couple of accounts that we have he seemed to view other men as competitors, at least when he was out with Jodi.
Good point , Anonymous. It’s the “unknowns” that keep me wondering, thus my question. Thanks for your excellent research and providing answers.
Also KAP, why would JVS talk LDW into coming into the house to meet his girlfriend, who giggled when she saw her if it was her boss! How well did she really know JVS if she didn’t know this? He had a lot going on and a lot of secrets. It seems there were many women trusting him when he didn’t appear trustworthy. Maybe he had something on LDW and that’s why she was so quick to defend him, or maybe she was duped by him too. There are three women feeling obligated to him, LDW, his girlfriend Carol, and Jodi. And taking care of his feelings. What did Carol have to say? Why wasn’t she talking to the grand jury or his friend from Casey’s? These are all important questions you raise. One thing is certain JVS had a way of getting into these women’s lives. I wouldn’t be surprised if LDW spent time with him in Arizona. And I’m not surprised he found a wife quickly either to defend him.
He had a lot going on and he had a lot of secrets. And it seems, so did she.
And it’s still a secret as to what happened to Jodi Huisentruit. All we need is one person to come forward, just one. Furthermore, one would have to rationalize why these women would even defend John V, if they did at all. With that being said, if in fact John V had anything to do with Jodi’s disappearance, perhaps one of John’s devotees from his “harem” will come forward.
I don’t think Carol was the secret girlfriend. But maybe. The question I would want to know is if this was the only time that the morning walk occurred in a different location. LDW said, “We’re not where we regularly are.” So the usual witnesses to their walk, which I believe took place at a mall, could not verify seeing them or at what time. Was June 27 the only time they walked in a different location? Did anyone see them on their walk? Did they pass anyone? What about that bridge, no one else was out and about at 7:00 or 7:30?
I am not sure why I thought Carol was the unnamed girlfriend. I guess I thought she wouldn’t want her upset about not calling her to walk with them. But that makes sense too if she didn’t want to upset her boss. There are just so many things LDW has said to make it seem like she is on the up and up that she loses credibility with me. It sounds like a tangled web to me. Why did she need to call from that phone booth as you mentioned KAP instead of his house? Who was at his house? If Carol and the girlfriend are the same, was she making sure to clear it was okay with her because of their friendship. Or was the telephone call a way to provide an alibi that they were on that walk because LDW knows more than she is saying and she was helping JVS out? She also provided a reason he couldn’t have driven to Jodi’s because they probably drank the night before and he was an alcoholic so he would have to blow into a breathalyzer to start his car. Is this why he called his friend and asked twice if he was driving to work when he said JVS already knew this. The friend says JVS called from his home. LDW says he went home after the walk. No one knows if someone was at his home during this time. If he did do something this could have been his help. When he gets to Casey’s he knows Jodi is missing, but he hasn’t called his good friend LDW who she claims are so close that they share secrets. That’s why she knows he wasn’t romantically involved with Jodi. But she didn’t attend the birthday party he bragged 300 guests attended and he tells her Jodi and he watched the tape of the night before. How close were they? JVS doesn’t call LDW about Jodi being missing and when she calls him much later, he says he doesn’t want to talk about it. To his close friend? He says they are pointing a finger at him though. She doesn’t know anything more until her husband tells her she has to go talk to the police right away when she comes home from work. Interesting? Still, LDW is adamant that she has told the truth about everything and that she believes JVS has nothing to do with Jodi’s disappearance. I believe LDW believes she is telling the truth. But she’s leaving out a lot. Therein lies the truth. One thing for sure is she tried very hard to convince herself and everyone else who may have been listening to her account of things that she wasn’t involved with JVS. She went from saying they met every morning to work out to say they didn’t walk much in June. So she just happened to walk with him that morning Jodi went missing. That’s as convenient as that telephone booth that was there to call her boss. LDW wouldn’t be the first person who was taken in by a con. She also wouldn’t be the first married woman to get involved in something she had to keep defending she wasn’t involved in. Did you catch how many times she said she was married, had kids, and a farm. She said it before she went to the bar when she first met JVS. That’s when she provided another alibi for him saying he seemed more interested in her than Jodi. Or was that wishful thinking. She also said Jodi was notorious for always being late to work and liked to drink. She said she danced on tables at the birthday party according to JVS, who said she should watch that tape sometime. Sounds to me like she was jealous of Jodi. Why, if she was just a friend to JVS would she say all these negative things about Jodi. No wonder the FBI thought she was lying. Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. She wouldn’t be the first woman to get taken in by a man like JVS. She needs to come forward and tell anything more she knows. If she believes it will incriminate her she needs to get a lawyer and make a deal. If her best friend who was dating him knows more she needs to come forward too. They could solve this case. If they’ve been keeping secrets for JVS that’s a long time to carry that burden. Think about Jodi’s family. Her mother died not knowing what happened to Jodi.
Did the police ask LDW’s husband what time she left for work that morning? Was it earlier than usual?
Tangled web is a good way to put it. I did notice that she said Jodi was “notorious” for being late. I thought that was a pretty strong term for that. I think LDW had feelings for JVS. Working out with him sometimes twice a day, asking to keep her bike in his garage. When she said he wasn’t romantically interested in Jodi, she had to have been lying to herself, refusing to see the obvious. I guess she wanted to believe him. Even her belief in the depth of her friendship with him was sadly mistaken because he wasn’t telling her the truth. I think she’s covering for him to this day. Maybe she believed in his innocence but still worked up or altered an alibi for fear he would be charged. She probably hoped for a future with him.
It’s a conspiracy.
Which bridge are they referring to? The one by key apartments?
I’m thinking they mean the Meredith Wilson footbridge, a few blocks from where JVS lived. It’s a pedestrian bridge that would probably be popular for a walk. I would think that someone would have seen them or passed them as they walked that morning.
Yes, how did he get these women to take care of his feelings? He was a playboy or party boy from the look of things.
Is the answer to this case that one of John V’s girlfriends or acquaintances became jealous of Jodi? Or how about one of Jodi’s co-workers? Or was it one of Jodi’s men she was seeing? Or someone from the golf course and clubhouse? If this wasn’t a random abduction, then there must have been a reason for her abduction, thus her disappearance. As jealousy is one of the main reasons (besides money) for homicide in the US, I feel this is what this case is about. The reason for her disappearance is where we will find the answer to this case.
It seems clear LDW was no fan of Jodi’s. The green-eyed monster shows up in everything she has to say about her. Maybe it’s unfair to say this, but if she was only working out with JVS, why was she jealous of Jodi? And she mentioned her kids, husband, and farm many times, but was meeting JVS every morning for their walk or workout. I know a little something about kids and farming and it’s a pretty good work-out.
Perhaps she (LDW) was jealous because Jodi was better looking than her.
One thing I picked up on from this podcast is Amy mentioned her husband took her to work because it wasn’t safe to go in alone at that hour in the morning at 3 am. Yet Jodi drove in alone? Apparently, it wasn’t safe for her either. So in essence, this tragedy could have been averted had Jodi had the same protection Amy had. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions, but perhaps her employer, or other co-workers, could have been more helpful to Jodi in getting her to work safely.
And crimes caused by jealousy happen all too frequently, especially to women. Because Jodi’s body hasn’t been found, people seem to think the perpetrator must have been an expert at hiding bodies. But which of the possible suspects we’ve discussed here would be that expert? Exactly none in my opinion. I think it’s like Halverson said, the person has been lucky. So far. But luck can run out. There’s a severe drought in the Midwest. They’re talking major rivers starting to run low. People in the MC area might want to keep their eyes on bodies of water that are shrinking.
She has to have been put in a remote enough place that her body hasn’t been discovered. That could be water, but often bodies wash up in the water unless they are weighted and still they can surface. If the crime was planned so was the disposal of the body which could be why it hasn’t been found. Maybe that’s why the police and FBI think this was not a stalking crime. Maybe that’s why JVS was so tired that morning when LDW called him. He knew Jodi’s apartment deck and windows so he would know when her lights when out she would be leaving for work. He would have waited even if he thought she was running late. If it was planned he still would have had two hours, even more, if LDW isn’t providing correct information to carry out his plan. Maybe it’s unfair to blame him. Maybe someone else planned it. Would have Honken and Johnson’s victims ever have been found without someone making a deal to reveal where they were. Maybe Jodi’s burial place was planned ahead too. Someone knows where she is and they need to tell.
Like a foundation or patio? Many years ago a woman in my neighborhood went missing. Months later authorities found her. Her husband had put her body inside a wall of their home. I think one of the relatives was suspicious and tipped them off. I used to walk past the house with my dog. How do people do that?
Well KAP, they say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, right? Seems these days everyone is burying their victims close to home, or literally right at their home like you experienced in your neighborhood. Must be the economy.
Anonymous, according to Tony Jackson’s rap song, Jodi was buried at a silo. But when they got there, she was gone. Remember, 2 of the 3 cadaver dogs picked up the scent of human death there, as they alerted to it. That is the only scent they are trained to smell for. In other words, or as their trainers say, they (the cadaver dogs) are never wrong. That is why it is so critically important to take several or more cadaver dogs when searching for human remains; one dog not being interested isn’t as important as 2 that were. And as we are all aware in the Kristin Smart case, the prosecution is alleging her body (Kristin’s) was moved as well. Unfortunately, like in Jodi’s case, her remains have not been found yet.
Yikes! That sounds like an Edgar Allen Poe story I read when I was a kid. It creeped me out. Today they aren’t just stories.
I know, it’s 48 Hours or Dateline, Anonymous.
I hope MCPD puts another GPS device on John V’s vehicles if the lakes and rivers are running low. By the way, and with regards to water, it didn’t take long for Scott Petersons wife Laci and her unborn baby to surface and float to shore. If Jodi was buried in the water, they must have done a better job, as she hasn’t been found yet.
I agree it’s time to break out the GPS again. As for bodies of water, some people have suggested that Clear Lake could be a site while others say it’s not deep enough. The thing about Clear Lake is that he’d be able to check the site. You see him going out on Clear Lake with Ani again on 48 Hours as if nothing had happened. Could he have been checking then? Not that Ani would realize that’s what he’s doing.
How do we know Ani wouldn’t realize what JVS is doing? It takes 2 to tango, KAP.
I don’t think she knew anything and at the time she believed there was no way JVS could have been involved. Thus if there was anything she could have picked up on that seemed odd in his behavior or in something he said, she probably missed it. I am in no way blaming her for that. She did correct his reference to Jodi in the past tense back to present.
and she (Ani) changed her story years later as we have already discussed. So, correcting the past to present, changing her story from “he (JVS) couldn’t have done it to he could have been rebuffed by Jodi, being Jodi’s best friend (they met before they met JVS), puts her (Ani) in my radar. In fact, so much so, that I personally called MCPD and spoke to them about it.
Recently?
Paris, and you and I have circled around what constitutes a discrepancy in facts vs. what constitues a change in perspective. Probably no need to revisit it.
There was a case in St. Paul a few years ago where a young wife went missing during the winter. Her husband claimed she never came home from work. Friends said she was planning on leaving him. Her uncle came from Wisconsin to search for her. I met him in the library when he asked if I knew the area and lakes near her home. I helped him locate a lake close to her home and maps of the area. He went there looking for her. Even though the lake was frozen he believed she was in that lake. He checked all the recent fishing holes. Then someone came forward and said they had driven by that lake and saw two men walking across it in the early morning hours around the time she went missing. They said they were carrying what looked like a rolled-up rug. Investigators couldn’t find anything but a pillow with some blood on it. I immediately thought the pillow fell out without their being aware of it. Her uncle was convinced her husband killed her and had put her in that lake. He continued to search for her checking the creeks and banks that ran from that lake to the river. Finally, when the ice was out, someone found her body caught in debris along the river bank by the damn. They were able to charge her husband with murder. Her uncle was sad but relieved that his niece was brought home to her family and her husband finally held responsible for her murder. I was in awe of his dedication in trying to find her. He had been right all along. Sometimes it works out that way.
Damn! No pun intended, but what a story, Anonymous. Thanks for sharing, looks like there is hope after all.
For those of us who have been discussing JVS’ secret girlfriend in this thread: I was going through some Frozen Truth episodes this morning and surprised myself by finding comments regarding the secret girlfriend from Ridge, speaking himself on the episode.
–He confirmed the relationship with three sources that knew them both
–She couldn’t be seen in public with JVS because an abusive former boyfriend was still living in the area
–He has spoken with her himself
He also said he’s been looking into whether Jodi might have been dating someone and he is not releasing details on whatever insight he’s gained at this time. He is also reserving comment on the last time JVS was in Jodi’s apartment. He said he did ask JVS that question.
For me, this still raises more questions than answers. If JVS had a girlfriend, his behavior toward Jodi is even more startling to me. And his girlfriend must have been a saint or a martyr if she knew about it and was okay with it.
Also I felt it was standard Ridge disclosure: kind of breaking news with little in the way of actual information.
The episode is Frozen Truth, Season 3, Episode 5 and the Ridge interview starts about halfway through the episode.
Dating someone? This is what I have been asking all along. She must have been. Also, an abusive former boyfriend living in the area of JVS’s mystery girlfriend? Perhaps abducting Jodi was payback to JVS because of the relationship JVS was having with his ex. Remember, I have indicated jealousy may be involved as the primary motive in this case. A saint or a martyr? How about ignorant and naïve. Ridge certainly has a way of getting our attention, doesn’t he? Well, as they say, the proof is in the pudding. In other words, if it’s vanilla pudding, there better be some vanilla extract or vanilla flavoring in it.
Okay maybe naive rather than saint or martyr. Or maybe she and JVS did not have an expectation of exclusivity and each were okay with that. Overall, the secret girlfriend adds absolutely nothing to the case unless she has contributed anything at all to the investigation. It’s not like the MCPD is going to say, oh! Since he had a girlfriend we’ll cross him off our list. So unless the girlfriend comes forward or Ridge offers more, I see it as just obfuscation, as in
“the action of making something obscure, unclear, or unintelligible.”
“when confronted with sharp questions they resort to obfuscation”
Someone wants to keep us in this ninth circle of hell for another 26 years, asking these same questions.
I think you are referring to “open relationships” I’m not into it, it’s immoral. “Overall, the secret girlfriend adds absolutely nothing to the case unless she has contributed anything at all to the investigation”. I disagree. She was in the inner circle of JVS’s life, and like I said before, her ex may have been jealous of her seeing JVS. So he took out Jodi to teach them both a lesson. Had he taken out his ex, it would have been obvious who did it. Speculation yes, but I wouldn’t leave anyone out of the realm of possible suspects until this 26 year old cold case is solved. Also, I consider your use of the word “obfuscation” to be both irrelevant and distracting. Just the facts.
Obfuscation is extremely relevant. And I was just following your lead of supplying words and definitions, which I’ve rather liked. But hey, never mind.
Whatever. Obfuscation is the word of the day.
KAP the fact that they all knew about Jodi and JVS’s relationship by way of JVS is key. What do they really know? What he told them. They must have accepted what he told them his relationship with Jodi was until Jodi showed up missing? That would definitely make them wonder if what he told them was true about his relationship with her. Don’t you think? Even if they told themselves and others they didn’t think he could possibly have been involved you would think they might question it with more information. Think of the number of criminals who did these things that friends and family members said they didn’t think they ever could be involved. Since the sleuthing is focused on JVS then every one of his girlfriends or associates should be contacted for information they may recall now. I’m sure there was some lying or withholding of the truth going on from him. Or all the focus on him is unwarranted and unfair.
True, these women would only have known what JVS told them. And I agree, when Jodi goes missing and JVS becomes a person of interest, they might wonder about the actual nature of his relationship with her and with them. I agree his associates should all be contacted again. But here’s why I think the secret girlfriend is a ruse (I’ll leave aside obfuscation for now). I think she’s a ruse whether she exists or not. Why? Because here’s how JVS explains it, via Ridge:
“For the first time, John Vansice revealed to me that he had a steady girlfriend his age the entire time he knew Jodi. Vansice says simply that in the interest of her safety, they were never seen in public in Mason City. Vansice feels the absence of this disclosure may have fueled speculation that he had romantic intentions with Jodi. Mr. Vansice told me, “absolutely not, she was like a daughter to me.””
It’s not the absence of the girlfriend’s disclosure that fueled speculation, it was the behavior of JVS that fueled speculation. The disclosure doesn’t change anything; in fact it makes his behavior even more questionable if she actually existed. What is going on with this guy even now that he would announce a secret girlfriend and think that reinforces his claim that he only thought of Jodi as a daughter?
The great Russian novelist, Tolstoy, said that there are only two plots in all of literature: a person goes on a journey, or a stranger comes to town. Well, a stranger came to Mason City and within a few months there are secret relationships, a new boat named Jodi, a red sportscar causing talk, a lavish birthday party that he boasted about to People magazine even after the abduction (about 300 guests he told them).and there’s a video that – let’s face it – recorded some pretty steamy antics with the woman he only thought of as a daughter. And sure, you could say that was just light-hearted high jinks jacked up with alcohol. But suddenly she goes missing. All this makes my head spin. It doesn’t mean he did it, but if he wants to address speculation I don’t think throwing a secret girlfriend into the mix does it. Too many secrets already.
This definitely sounds like obfuscation to me, KAP! Great quote from Tolstoy too. You’re on a roll.
Ruse: an action intended to deceive someone; a trick.
Also, I want to add that it’s no crime if JVS had a romantic interest in Jodi. If he said, I fell for her, I lost my head, I did crazy things like buying a boat, hoping to impress her — well, that’s not a crime. I think all of us can understand that. It’s the constant father-protector theme he was throwing out while onlookers testified that he acted jealously and as Ani said, “wanted everybody to know Jodi was his.”
I have wondered if she had always been on his radar. There’s no mention he knew her while living at the Key Apartments. I wonder what he had to say about this. He sure got involved in her life fast after that encounter with Ani and her in the bar when he bought them drinks. How did it go from his not knowing her to “Jodi’s mine” in such a short time? Ani said they just started seeing him again and again. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
KAP has indicated before there are no coincidences.
I was quoting Scott Fuller, I believe. I think he said on one of the podcast episodes that it is said there are no coincidences in a homicide. I do think there are many coincidences in life, generally speaking. In a homicide investigation the chance that something is coincidental is far smaller and needs to be looked at.
Good point, KAP. And as I said before, a crime of passion for the perpetrator is possibly a lot less severe than that of pre-meditated 1st degree murder, kidnapping, rape and unlawful transporting of a body out of state, especially if the feds are involved. And the feds have the power to enforce the death penalty, whereas Iowa does not. Thus, I am encouraging the perpetrator(s) to turn themselves in. Of course, law enforcement and the DA would make the final call on any deals, although it hopefully remains a possibility, especially if they want to get someone to confess, or come forward with information.
“He (Ridge) also said he’s been looking into whether Jodi might have been dating someone and he is not releasing details on whatever insight he’s gained at this time. He is also reserving comment on the last time JVS was in Jodi’s apartment. He said he did ask JVS that question”. In other words, stay tuned, news at 11.
Stay tuned at 11 and for the next couple of years. I’m skeptical of Ridge and if I try to think about this more charitably maybe he just gets excited and dramatic only to realize there isn’t much he can or will say. And if I try to think about this more straightforwardly I feel like I’m being played. Which impulse should I go with?
Your gut instinct. Might have been dating someone? Is Ridge referring to John Lessard? Reserving comment about the last time JVS was at Jodi’s apartment? KAP, is Ridge a “ruse”, or is he the real deal? Which impulse should I go with?
Paris, if I go with my gut instinct I don’t think Ridge is an objective reporter. I think he’s an apologist for JVS.
If Steve Ridge is turning over information to investigators he should just say so and not keep the open-ended information going on, The only reason if it’s not this is to create drama. The case has enough drama. It needs to be solved.
Thanks, KAP. I thought it must have been a problem with a jealous ex she was afraid would hurt her. I think JVs was a guy who picked up women. After all, that’s how he met Jodi and Ani. And LDW. Today I believe they call it “friends with benefits”. He didn’t have a sexual relationship with Jodi, but he probably did with other women. I have also wondered if Jodi was seeing someone. She was guarded about her private life and feelings so I doubt she was sharing this. Even though Ani said they talked about everything, she may not have talked about this. Maybe there was a reason. Maybe he was married. Maybe he asked her to keep it private, or maybe she asked him to keep it quiet. Then there’s the comment JVS and LDW said about her having a boyfriend who gave her the car. Maybe that was just paranoia on JVS’s part because he heard she had dated Lessard and was now driving his car. Or maybe she dated Lessard before his divorce and they arranged for the salesman to sell her the car so no connection was made between the two of them. Lessard did say he only met her once when he gave her the keys to the car. Then he later admitted he had dated her a few times. They were both professional people in small cities. They wouldn’t have wanted their personal life out there for gossips. It was probably gossips in Iowa City who saw her and said she had a big ring on and was driving a sports car. They knew he was recently divorced and that would get their tongues wagging. I too think Steve Ridge seems to titillate with information he doesn’t back up with fact. Maybe that’s his intention. I know the investigators on the case must be holding all evidence in the case close so as not to give anything up. It has been a long time since they said they were “close” to solving the case.
“Lessard did say he only met her once when he gave her the keys to the car. Then he later admitted he had dated her a few times”. Hmmm. Another liar, or just another “discrepancy” in this case? I think they need to talk to Lessard again. Put him under the microscope. Perhaps Jodi called it off (their relationship), he came over to her apartment banging on the door “I know you’re there”, she didn’t answer, and voila, a crime of passion was in the works. Remember, as I stated before, a crime of passion means someone flew off the handle in a violent rage. And in my eyes, a very good reason (motive) to wait that extra hour to get Jodi. He was fuming mad. He wasn’t going to be rejected. He wanted to be in control. Poor Jodi, whether a flirt or a confused woman when it came to relationships, she didn’t deserve this. But unfortunately, these cases often reflect our true character as humans; we are flawed, and may God have mercy on our souls. I forgive whoever did this to Jodi, but they must turn themselves in now, and seek salvation. Or if someone knows who did this, set yourself free, and come forward. As my dear mother who is in heaven use to say, “know the truth, and the truth will set you free”.
KAP, to answer your question, I called MCPD a long time ago, and spoke with Caroline about it on the phone. We are all in this together.
You are correct KAP, no need to revisit discrepancies of facts vs. change of perspective. What I am looking at is the “totality of facts”. And yes, discrepancies do raise red flags, and they should as well. Ani did in FACT change her story, new perspective on life or not. And yes, in FACT she did change the past to the present right in front of John V and the 48 Hours interview. But when you might be considered an accessory to a crime, nobody is coming forward, are they? And that’s a fact too.
I was reading information on leads in this case from the beginning. They had a drawing of a golf trophy they were asking anyone to come forward who had seen one like this. Was that ever explained why they were looking for it. I know the tournament was called for rain so I don’t know if they gave out trophies. But I was wondering if they thought there may have been one in Jodi’s car that went missing. Did she give someone a ride who may have left it in her car? Does anyone know anything about this?
Never heard of a golf trophy before. But the golf course and golf club were the last places she was at before her abduction, with the exception of John V’s house, if in fact she went there. If you look at one of the interviews with John V, he has quite a few beer stein mugs at his home. Kind of like trophies. And speaking of trophies, perhaps whoever abducted Jodi has her hidden somewhere as a trophy. Or they have kept some of her belongings as a trophy, or reminder of their kill. There’s a lot of sick puppies out there who have done this before.
Perhaps the FindJodi team can interview Robin Wolfram. I am curious if she knows more than what she is willing to say. I have been a little skeptical of her from day one. I am wondering if perhaps she was the one that was jealous of Jodi, or knew of someone who was. Or, perhaps they were both involved in a relationship with someone where Jodi got in the way. Longshot yes, but occasionally a longshot comes in at the racetrack. I should know, I was born across the street from Santa Anita, and I worked in the horse racing business for 30 years.
Robin did say in one of her interviews that she and Jodi had the typical competition you have in their careers, both looking at larger markets in the future. She said they were friends and did socialize together some. I had an uncle who spent a lot of time at Santa Anita. My mom took my youngest brother with her to California one year. He was five. One day my uncle said to him tell your mother what you did today. He said we went to see horse races. My aunt scolded him for taking a five-year-old to the track. My brother thought it was great.
Your brother was right. I’m glad he got to see the magnificent thoroughbreds.
That’s why I always liked to go to the track. I like to see them up close. I was able to see them in Galway, Ireland one summer. Their races are something else. And in Puerto Rico. I can’t remember the name of that track. My great grandfather was from Galway. He used to be asked to help choose horses for buyers. They said he had a gift for spotting the best ones. And my dad said my brother had a gift for picking the most loco ones. He called them spirited. He was the only one who could ride his. He’s 85 and still getting up on his, with a little help.
KAP one thing I would find interesting is if all the women who knew JVS when he was in Jodi’s life and theirs would comment on their perception of things now. Sometimes looking back you see things differently and more clearly. I wonder if they would learn something from one another that could lead to a new look at things. Except for Ani, most of them only knew Jodi through what JVS was saying. But they all had spent time with him. I’m curious how they saw him separately and collectively. Sometimes revelations come out of these meetings. I wonder if Find.Jodi podcasts have considered such a meeting and interviews.
Anonymous, yes, it would be interesting to hear their perceptions now. As Emerson said, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds…. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day.”
It’s natural for people to change their perspective as a result of experience, maturity, understanding, or additional data. I think again of Laci Peterson’s mom, Sharon Rocha, believing that Scott couldn’t have done it to her statements at his sentencing: “There is unbearable sadness in my life. The Scott I knew is the one Laci loved and I entrusted him with her….I keep going back to New Year’s Eve, the vigil in the park where everybody is crying, looking for Laci, and you’re on the phone, telling your girfriend you’re in Paris….You Scott are proof that evil can lurk anywhere. You don’t have to look evil to be evil.”
Great quote from Emerson, KAP. And very relevant. And great quote from Laci’s mom too. Listening to Scott tell Amber Fry he was in Paris was pathetic. It shows what a loser he is, a psychopath, and the reason for him being on death row in California. When Laci and the baby washed up on shore, this turned out to be a double homicide. And Laci’s mom was right, Scott is pure evil.
Amen to that KAP.
The Laci Peterson case is a good example of a girlfriend who came forward and was willing to help investigators see who Scott Peterson really was. You’re right, Laci’s mother supported him at first. Amber’s recorded phone tapes of him showed he wasn’t the grieving husband and father he was pretending to be. Then tracing his steps and activity after led investigators to be able to bring murder charges against him. If Conor and Laci’s bodies hadn’t washed up to the fishing spot they knew Scott revisited he may have gotten away with it. That’s why finding Jodi’s remains is so important if that is still possible.
Great points about Scott Peterson’s girlfriend, Amber Frey, Anonymous. She did come forward, and even went to the extent of helping law enforcement do a recording of her and Scott during their phone conversations. Scott acted like a teenager, acting all in love, yet his wife and unborn son were murdered and rotting in Berkeley Bay. More that diabolical; pure selfishness indeed. But the real irony is Amber had a child. Makes you wonder about the mentality of people like Scott Peterson, a wanna be mastermind, who turned out to be nothing but an absolute buffoon.
I am sure the podcasts will continue, Anonymous. 18 so far. Kudos to the FindJodi team for keeping the search alive, and to all the web sleuths chipping away at this case. A collaborative effort will help solve this case, or someone will confess or come forward and do the right thing for all of us.
I’m willing to bet Jodi is buried at, or near, the perpetrators house. As I have seen so many cases lately where this is occurring, this remains a good possibility in Jodi’s case. The Kristin Smart case is only one of many where I have seen this happen. KAP, one of the top web sleuths in these podcasts, has pointed out there was a woman missing from her home. Her husband was later charged with murder, and she was found buried in the walls of their home. And how about that loonie tune Lori Vallow (aka Lori Daybell) who married her 5th husband, Chad Daybell? They buried her 2 kids right on Chad’s property, and bragged about it when they texted each other later, something like he shot a squirrel and buried it on his property. Her daughter was burned on a barbeque or a fire pit like a steak. Her son had a disability, and was killed anyway. Merciless. Then they went off to Kuai and got married, tried to allude the authorities, and later got arrested. They are both in jail. Chad and Lori are some of the stupidest and diabolical people I have seen. To think they would get away with this crime makes me wonder how stupid they really are. I mean like, buffoons. Perhaps that’s the real crime society has to pay for these criminals; utter stupidity. With that being said, who is dumb enough to take Jodi and think they could get away with it?
Scott Fuller wrote an excellent recent article, “What Didn’t Happen?” as a way to think about this case. What might the fact that Jodi’s body hasn’t been found indicate about the abductor? Does it mean the attacker was local and familiar with the area? Does it indicate planning? I think it indicates that the attacker was local and familiar with the area. I don’t think it was planned, at least not for more than a few hours in advance. I think it’s likely the person snapped and there was no planning but there was a familiarity with the local area. I agree that Jodi’s body may be very close to the attacker’s home or past a previous residence, perhaps somewhere on or within a property. As Captain Halverson said, the person has been lucky so far. Sheer dumb luck that is going to run out.
Excellent, KAP. It sounds like we’re on the same page. So let’s find Jodi.
“Sheer dumb luck that is going to run out”. I hear ya, KAP. Kind of reminds me of Paul Flores, who was recently arrested on April 13th along with his father, and accused of raping and killing Kristin Smart. His dad Ruben was charged with accessory after the fact. And these two “co-conspirators” got away with this scheme for 25 years.
If they knew JVS was the last to see her, wouldn’t they have wanted to search his cars, boat, and home for evidence. Did they? Or is that one of the things that didn’t happen? Who’s dumb luck would that be?
Ouch! You hit that right on the head. I don’t know what the official story is on that but I do recall reading somewhere that they searched his residence several days later. But nothing on cars, boats or other properties. And if they didn’t do a search sooner and then only his residence, why? They asked him to bring the birthday tape to the station when he drove up to the crime scene and informed them that it existed. Someone must have filmed him right about then saying that he was the last person to see Jodi alive because LDW said she saw him say that on the 10:00 news that night. Dumb luck on whose part is right.
Note KAP says other properties. This issue was brought up earlier, and it does raise concern and suspicion.
When a guy, who later ends up a person of interest, shows up at the crime scene and says I was the last person to see Jodi and I can prove it with the birthday tape we watched at my house last night, shouldn’t the red flags go up to the police. You don’t send the guy home to retrieve it, you accompany him. And you don’t wait several days to search his home. Did they ever search his cars and boat. It seems to me they were operating like small-town cops treating him without suspicion. A guy who approaches the police and says let me help you may be trying to hide the very thing he’s posturing that he has nothing to hide. Then there’s the fact they didn’t keep the car. Was the FBI in on this. It seems they would have kept it.
Is it possible Jodi was pregnant, and the perpetrator abducted and killed her for that reason? Speculation yes, but has this avenue ever been explored? Perhaps it was Jodi who had a secret boyfriend, not John V who had the secret girlfriend, or as KAP says, may have been a “ruse” by John V. This obfuscation is now starting to make sense after all.
I have used this word, so here’s the definition of buffoon: clown, fool, idiot, ignoramus, moron, numbskull.
It appears Jodi spoke with a friend on the phone after she came home from John V’s house, if indeed she went there (I should note that I personally find it odd Jodi would have gone to John V’s house alone. If this was the case, then perhaps John V was allowed at Jodi’s place too). Can this, or did this friend that Jodi spoke with that night, verify with law enforcement that Jodi mentioned to her that she went to John V’s house that same night earlier? This may be the only person who could corroborate John V’s versions of events that Jodi went to his house to watch the video, unless someone else was there that is a “mystery person”. Otherwise, perhaps the “ruse” John V used was that they watched the video, but it was at HER place, and not his place. That may explain why the toilet seat was up in Jodi’s apartment. It might explain the beer cans seen in the kitchen and dining room table. It might explain why he was the last person to claim to see her as well. And if he made a move on her and he was rebuffed (as Ani indicated it was a possibility), he may have left and came back and abducted Jodi when she left for work. The question is, was he also the one banging on her door, and if so, at what time? If this was after he was rebuffed and left, then that would give CREDENCE (belief in or acceptance of something as true) to the crime of passion theory; he was fuming mad, in a rage, and hell bent on revenge, or just had extremely hurt feelings. Perhaps they had a few beers at Jodi’s apartment, and after being rebuffed, he went home and got slightly drunk (that may explain why Jodi didn’t open the door if he came back knocking on her door). When he abducted Jodi, he may have been drunk and irrational by then too, as we know he did have DUI’s, which is a FACT. And if he was drunk, and with DUI’s already under his belt, perhaps he didn’t drive very far at all, perhaps only as far as his house, or somewhere close by. Perhaps he didn’t intend to kill her, she may have died from an accident, or otherwise, and now he has to cover it up. Now there’s a discrepancy (the time frame of the walk and whether they even went on the morning walk) in that walk with that woman everyone keeps harping on, which is extremely relevant, and important. Then, when he sobered up, he put her in that body bag I pointed out earlier and dumped her in the lake or took her somewhere else. Ani was probably so stunned (or she didn’t know John V had done this at this point) as she didn’t think John V was capable of doing this, right? Well, they were friends, right? She even said he couldn’t have done this, only to say years later he may have been rebuffed, which is indeed a FACT. And Ani corrected him to the FACT that she (Jodi) was in the present, and not the past like a dead person, right? Bingo. Or as they use to say on Hawaii Five O, “book him, Danno”. Or in this case, if my theory is correct, perhaps the correct quote is “book THEM Danno”. Unless of course, someone wants to come forward now, and tell the truth.
Quite plausible. I think it could have been accidental. Alcohol would have likely played into it.
KAP, you said previously “Paris, if I go with my gut instinct I don’t think Ridge is an objective reporter. I think he’s an apologist for JVS”. If that’s the case, the perhaps Ridge is the ruse, or obfuscation, you have been referring to. A distraction. Diverting attention elsewhere. A nuisance. Now that word obfuscation is becoming more and more relevant, let alone extremely important. It’s interesting how we all share information, yet Ridge holds most of his revelations close to his vest, giving only subtle hints, if even that. But then again, that’s why he’s a “private investigator”, right?
Right, and it might be a subconscious thing on Ridge’s part, or maybe he sounds like an apologist because he’s presenting JVS’ statements and they, of course, are defensive. But when he went into the Alzheimer’s diagnosis (alleged until proof is provided) and making statements that JVS will likely never be able to testify or answer any questions again and then I saw a related article that Ridge had linked to somewhere where with exactly that scenario about a crime that couldn’t be prosecuted due to Alzheimer’s, I grew skeptical.
Of course, law enforcement or the courts would have to determine the state of John V’s health or medical diagnosis if he is arrested and/or prosecuted. And back to the ruse. If John V can’t testify because of Alzheimer’s , is that a defense, or just an excuse to look at other suspects. In other words, are we back to obfuscation again?
Did anyone see this? I just read it on Podcast #2. “Well maybe Cheryl was trying to give a hint as to “hey my husband is involved” I’m not saying the police were involved, but in saying it’s a possibility. Maria ohl was threatened to leave mason city after what she said about the police involved. Why would she ruin her own job if it was a lie. She was onto something. And all I think about is that cryptic message on that bored of Jodis. Someone was trying to give a hint possibly. Instead of looking over it, I think that should be looked into. So much focus is on John. And maybe he did it, but why is his name in every article. Plus a mother who’s son was murdered in jail and case was never looked into as a murder posted on your website saying something about police. I messaged her and she said her son overheard police talking and said “they raped and choked her, then cut her up and threw her in three different dumpsters” all because she was going to make a statement about how police were treating prisoners. After her son spoke up he was found dead. This also happened with another man who’s name I forgot. I don’t think Jodi was writing about mistreatment. I think she was going to say something about the mason city police department and their undercover drug operation. This is all a theory but it seems it’s never looked into. All I can say is that guy who also killed a bunch of people related to drugs who is about to be executed, interview him. Even if he’s lying. That could be the key to the whole thing. Maybe he doesn’t know anything. But maybe he does. Interview him. Say you want answers. I don’t know if he’s been interviewed or not. But if he hasn’t, then that’s bad. This case needs to be solved. Start digging. Use dogs. Nobody’s came forward. There was also a woman who said she was a hitchhiker who was picked up and she was taken to a shed by a police officer where Jodi was seen hanging naked on a meat hook. They then cut her up. They let this woman go. She names several police officers but nothing. These officers have came up many times. It’s all to suspicious for me”.
Regarding the last storyL there was a woman who recanted her story about multiple people involved in Jodi’s murder. She pleaded guity to filing a false report.
Really KAP? That reminds me of that buffoon who said he killed Jon Benét Ramsey. I think his name was John Mark Karr. And he was a school teacher somewhere in Thailand. What a loser. That story about Jodi being raped, choked, hung on a meat hook, cut up into 3 pieces like a filet mignon, and disposed in 3 dumpsters did sound a little gory, and seems a little far fetched too. However, we must remember Amy did say Stearns said Jodi got a police escort to work, whereas Amy was unaware of that. Perhaps Jodi was escorted somewhere else? Who knows. Back to inconsistencies in statements; I’ll let you draw your own conclusions. In the meantime, if you are interested, Google Jon Bonet Ramsey on Wikipedia. Interesting case. And a cold case too. Like this case, it hasn’t been solved either, yet there was a ransom note and the police thought the Ramsey’s staged the event. Even her brother and mom were suspects. Some thought her dad may have done it. She was strangled to death. But the DA wouldn’t press charges, and no arrests were made. So my point is, if the police are involved or not cooperating in Jodi’s case, and the DA wouldn’t press charges because he knew the Ramsey’s, then these cases will never be solved. The buck stops there.
Every case attracts its share of unbalanced people. The rumors about Stearns and the MCPD keep reappearing. But what would their motives have been?
I don’t always know how to separate the illegitimate theories from legitimate ones, but I agree with you that a story that excessively gory is suspect.
I believe the Ramseys did stage the ransom. I did in fact read up on some analysis of that ransom note and everything points to… dare we call it a ruse? I think JonBenet was killed accidentally and they were protecting someone in their immediate family.
I don’t think Chief Brinkley would be into a police cover up. He does refuse to talk about specifics of the case but I think it’s for the reason he said, to protect the integrity of the case. I saw an interview in which he said the case is not up for public discussion or something to that effect, which I found annoying and admirable at the same time. Maybe he’ll make a statement on the anniversary in six days. I do hope he will consider opening the files to some new sets of eyes. I think there is hope in that approach and not a lot to hope for otherwise.
I want justice for Jodi. I want the perpetrator to stand up and answer to Jodi’s family and community for what he or she did.
No one responded to her cries that morning. I’m not trying to shame the apartment residents because most of them thought it was noise from the campgrounds or an argument. But the fact remains, she cried out and no one answered. We can’t go back and change that. But we can find the perpetrator and make them finally answer for that terrible morning.
KAP, Chief Brinkley is the good guy. I can tell by listening to him and his body language. But look at what he inherited, and he has the reputation of his department to uphold. Jodi is still crying out, and we are listening. I also agree with you on the cover up of Jon Benet Ramsey. Here’s the real deal on that case from Boulder, Colorado. Ex-police chief Beckner said: “The FBI told us they’d never seen a 2.5 page ransom note. No note has ever been written at the scene, and then left at the scene with the dead victim at the scene, other than this case.” I have always wondered why there was a ransom note, yet no effort was made to pay it. That says the note was probably written after she was killed. And the pad of paper it was written on came from the Ramsey’s home. I read the ransom note; only someone who knew John could have written it, and I think it was Patsy, the mom. Just read the content, calling John a southern boy, etc. She later died from cancer (I guess you can’t convict a dead person, but if you can, they won’t be serving any time, as they apparently received the death penalty by way of Karma or died from “natural causes”). No brainer case, yet the DA wouldn’t sign the indictment that came down from the grand jury. The buck stopped there, KAP.
I think the drug kingpin guy was executed a few months ago. And the lady with the “shed story” was found to be schizophrenic or mentally ill, I think. She saw 5 or 6 of everything, even if there was only one. For instance, if 1 person was walking down the street, she saw 6. I can’t recall where I heard that…it was a few years ago.
She had cancer when Jon Benet was killed. She made the comment I will be with you soon Jon Benet. Her cancer did return. She died from it. The Boulder police did clear her and him, but after she died I believe. I recall they never could completely eliminate her from the handwriting in that ransom note. One thing that stood out to me is she said, “I loved that girl”. (Not Jon Benet). I could never hurt her which made me wonder if she was distancing herself from the crime. Her son was her only other child, so if she covered it up it would have been for him. Whoever did that crime, they had been in the house, knew where to find a writing pad and pen, and knew how much Mr. Ramsey had received as a bonus. They also knew where to find a flashlight. I always thought they needed to look at all the people who toured the house during the Christmas open house. Also, Patsy had so many contractors and workers in that house and they do work over a period of time so they would see Jon Benet often, and all the pictures of her. Then there was the Sanat Claus who was fixated on her. He came to the house. What if he whispered in her ear she should meet him in the basement that night. What little girl wouldn’t want to meet Santa and would keep a secret. When they couldn’t get the suitcase with her out of the basement, they left her there. They had all day to write that note. It used a lot of movie references which made me think it was the young man who was a suspect and committed suicide. He was in his 20’s and was aware of Jon Benet and had child pornography. JVS also said of Jodi, I loved that girl. Again creating some distance. He didn’t say I love Jodi.
The person could have been a maid or carpenter who learned about his bonus when they heard Patsy talking about it. They could have told someone. The tone of the ransom note was taunting and angry about the bonus. It was someone who seemed resentful of their wealth or wanted it to seem that way. It reminded me of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping where the baby was killed before the kidnapper got very far from the house. Some said it could have happened accidentally when he was carrying it down the ladder, but others believe they never intended the baby to live. I recall the nurse was investigated over and over thinking she knew the kidnapper and helped with the kidnapping. Bruno Haughtman who was put to death for it had been a carpenter. But not at that house. Someone had to know what room the baby slept in and told him because that’s how he was taken. Jon Benet’s killer had to know what room she slept in and they had time to go through the house all day because the Ramsey’s weren’t home. Remember Elizabeth Smart’s kidnapper went right to her room and took her with her sister sleeping next to her. He had done work at the house.
Paris, I’m a Chief Brinkley fan, having watched his TED talk and his two part interview on the Iowa Civil Rights History broadcast. I still wish he would give us a bit more insight into what’s going on but I agree he’s the good guy. And he does have to protect the integrity of the case.
Correction: Iowa Civil Rights History podcast, not broadcast.
KAP, I am confident Chief Brinkley will bring a conclusion to this case, whether the perpetrator is dead, incarcerated or announcing an arrest. With law enforcement, you have to give them all the time they need to make an arrest, and then the DA has to take it, or not. In Jon Benet’s case, even with a grand jury indictment, no one was arrested (except for that loser John Mark Karr, which turned out to be a false confession). The Boulder DA refused to sign the grand jury indictment. You also have a guy in prison now who is admitting to killing Jon Benet Ramsey, Gary Oliva. He was homeless and visited places near the Ramsey’s house. You might want to Google that twisted pedophile and see what his connection might be to Jon Benet’s case.
Bruno Hauptmann I believe is the correct spelling of his name. He said he was innocent right up to his execution and said he died without malice and was at peace with his God.
What I gleaned from the analysis I saw on the Ramsey case is that it looked like a molestation case at the same time as a kidnapping for ransom and the analysts said, those two things don’t go together, so it appeared to have been staged. Some people have wondered if Jodi’s abduction was staged to look like a stranger abduction so the actual perp wouldn’t be suspected. The problem with that theory is that Jodi answered the phone when Amy called at 4:10 am or so. Why would someone stage an abduction and then do the real abduction 20 minutes later? I’ve thought about that theory but I can’t make it work.
I think I meant that the other way around: To me it would only make sense if the perpetrator had killed Jodi the night before and then tried to make it look like a stranger abduction. But she answered the phone at 4:10 a.m.
I think she made it from her apartment door to her car and was grabbed from behind. I have wondered if she had her red shoes in her hand and other shoes on. Or did all the things fall from her bag that they found scattered on the ground. The bag hasn’t been found. Did she hang on to that. If she was hit then was that possible. She got a scream out then probably was hit or something was put in her mouth so she couldn’t scream anymore. The reason I thought it was two people is that one dragged her and the other grabbed her bag and purse. It makes you wonder if the intention was to kill her or she was just hit too hard to survive.
Or it was just another violent monster like Tony Jackson who was out and about looking for another victim at 3-4 am like his other 6 rape victims he was convicted of. Something just as simple as that. His MO matched this crime. No one else’s does. But would Tony J wait that extra hour for Jodi if he was just randomly driving around looking for his next victim? That extra hour is directly related to the motive, or reason for waiting so long to abduct Jodi.
So in listening again to the podcast episode on JVS (episode 9), Stearns asks whether an obsessed fan would wait an extra hour behind the garbage dumpster and so this is the first time I realize that’s where they think he was hiding. Behind the garbage dumpster. I didn’t catch that before. I did wonder why Scott Fuller asked Jodi’s downstairs neighbor during the interview with him (episode 17) whether he noticed anything different about the dumpster at that time. I thought it was because that’s the area where they found beer cans that stopped appearing after the abduction. So this minor but sort of major detail — behind the garbage dumpster — is something I never heard or perceived until now. So Jodi comes out of the door and he waits until she walks past and then moves out from behind the dumpster and comes up behind her. It’s terrifying to even visualize this. It’s every woman’s nightmare. Could two people have waited together behind that dumpster? Maybe, but if the individual was strong enough — say they worked out twice a day — they could have handled a petite female.
Beer cans, KAP? JVS.
I read somewhere that an African American teenager and a white teenager had been seen that day or night by the apartments. Maybe they looked like teenagers but were actually older. If they knew what kind of car Jodi drove they would have known if she was home.
You also have to take into account the possibility of a weapon (gun). Put one in a persons face and SILENCE just washes over you. Man, I really hate thinking of the scene of that moment. ‘Cause I can imagine a GUN. I can also imagine the possible impact to her body (head). Something stopped her screams. I doubt one hand, the other carrying her, could have done such a good job given Jodi having Two to fight with. There were either two Perps, or there was a gun in her face or she was incapacitated after that scream. Haven’t heard the Amy Podcast yet. Strange, I feel an odd nervousness at the thought of hearing her voice now, and I’ve heard it before. By the way, I really Like seeing and reading all the thing you all have to say about this case. Keep it up. All of your thoughts are very interesting.
Tony Jackson showed up at the front door of one of his victims with a gun. He obviously had watched his victims and followed them to where they lived coming back to commit his crimes.
Exactly, Anonymous. Tony J is a monster, locked up for life, thank God. JVS et al are as free as a bird.
Maybe there was no van. Maybe that has been the red herring and the abductor(s) had been there before drinking beer and watching Jodi. Then abducted her that night. She had been gone that weekend so they may have been watching her coming and going. It could have been someone from the campground who drove their vehicle to the apartments that night in a place where they could easily get to it. Some said it was a brazen crime. But Jackson committed his crimes in neighborhoods and apartment buildings. He was only caught because one of his victims had seen him where she worked and identified him. Obviously he wasn’t afraid of getting caught. I know he didn’t abduct his other victims, but then he may not have had an opportunity to do it. He may have waited for Jodi knowing she didn’t always leave for work at the same time. He then took her away from the apartments to attack her. She would have identified him so he had to kill her, or maybe she died when she was hit.
Good theory. I’ll buy it. But Tony J didn’t abduct anyone else? Hmmm. Furthermore, we don’t know if Tony J like consuming beers. Maybe the police do, or his former girlfriend. But we do know both Jodi and JVS liked consuming beers, right? OK then, who else liked consuming beers that we need to know about?
Things I’m thinking about in regard to Tony Jackson: What are some reasons Tony Jackson might have bought a car a day (or days) before? He and his girlfriend had broken up five days before. Did that leave him without transportation? Did she move, say back to the Twin Cities, and he wanted transportation to try to go see her? Could that explain the mileage he put on in two weeks before the car was taken back?
Things I’m thinking about in regard to JVS: One of the major reasons some of his associates, such as LDW, say that he didn’t abduct Jodi Huisentruit is because he wouldn’t have done it there in the parking lot. It is more of a protest over WHERE he would have done it, but not THAT he would have done it. I’m not hearing, “No, he couldn’t have done it,” but rather, “No, he wouldn’t have done it there.” And that says a lot, I think, that the location is the bigger part of the argument than whether he was constitutionally capable of doing it. None of these people had known JVS for more than a few months.
Tony J is bad news, including his car. Didn’t his check bounce, or something like that, which caused them to take the car back? Tony J is like Tiger Woods; he felt “entitled”. The difference was, Tiger was cheating on his wife, and Tony J was stalking and raping women because he thought he could. Well, Tony J got caught. And this “cat” still won’t admit to his crimes. Psyco, or what? Jay Alberio calls him a monster. I think he is a bragging buffoon. Just listen to him brag about how good looking he is and his ego. This guy is a loser, a convicted criminal. An idiot. A violent rapist. Perhaps judgment day is coming for this “cat in the bag” soon. Or in his case, the “cat in prison already”. With regards to JVS; I think LDW was referring to how “bold” it would be to abduct Jodi there in the parking lot because JVS use to live there, and people could see what was going on in the parking lot, and could have recognized him. Too risky. However, with the beer cans by the dumpster, well, it has to be JVS, or someone who liked consuming alcohol. Or, perhaps it was someone else from the bars she was visiting.
To clarify I don’t know for a fact that the beer cans were near the dumpster. When Scott asked O’Mara if he noticed anything different about the dumpster, that’s what I thought Scott might be looking for. We do know that three other people confirmed seeing beer cans in the parking lot prior to the abduction but not after. In one description they were “lined up.” Where though? On that gate area around the dumpster? JVS would have a reason to leave beer cans behind. He had a breathalyzer in his vehicle. Doesn’t want a bunch of empty cans in there in case he’s stopped. Maybe he drinks beer while checking on Jodi and he is not worried about evidence because he’s not planning something in advance.
“We do know that three other people confirmed seeing beer cans in the parking lot prior to the abduction but not after”. If I was a prosecutor, I would only need one person to testify that they saw beer cans by the dumpster, or in the parking lot, not three people to testify. 2 others testifying to the same thing would be duplicative.
I don’t know why the investigators have eliminated Tony Jackson as a person of interest. Maybe that’s just what they are saying while they put together a case on him. As far as the car he was driving at the time, it was years later it was looked at. That’s a long time for evidence to still be in it. He probably was driving back and forth to the twin cities as KAP said. Remember a witness saw a newer model car leave the parking lot of the Key Apartments that morning going so fast it almost hit her. If Jackson did kidnap Jodi he would have been able to put her somewhere in Minnesota. The check he wrote for the car was probably on his girlfriend’s account who fled because of his violent abuse of her. His rapes were the result of his obsessions and rage against women. He was raging against his girlfriend at the time Jodi was taken. I wouldn’t rule him out. He told his friend he wanted to meet Jodi and he was watching her. His MO was to act on it when he wanted a woman. The Rap he wrote was an in-your-face taunt. Who does that? Someone who thinks they got away with something.
Tony Jackson also wanted to be in broadcasting. Maybe he tried to approach Jodi at some time and felt rebuffed. For a guy like him, that’s all it would take for him to go after her.
Good point Anonymous, plus his girlfriend looked like Jodi. Tony “Cat” Jackson liked the white girls. But they weren’t his to stalk, rape and choke, and that’s why this loser, this low life violent sexual predator monster, is in prison where he belongs. Perhaps his real justice will come in prison, and hopefully sooner than later.
“If Jackson did kidnap Jodi he would have been able to put her somewhere in Minnesota”. Didn’t most of Tony J’s rapes he was convicted of happen in Minnesota? You have a valid point though, Anonymous. I am hoping whoever abducted Jodi did take her to Minnesota. Guess why? I’ll go ahead and tell you, which is what I have been saying all along: the feds can seek the death penalty, as crossing state lines with a kidnapped, raped or even dead woman would give them (the feds) jurisdiction to do so. Iowa doesn’t have the death penalty, not sure about Minnesota. If Tony J did do it, and with his criminal background, he would surely be a prime candidate for receiving the death penalty. In fact, that’s the main reason (if he abducted Jodi) that he needs to come forward now. Otherwise, the feds will more than likely seek to fry this “cat” if they can convict him of Jodi’s crime, and especially if he killed her and took her across state lines. So here’s my advice to this cat named Tony J: if you abducted and killed Jodi, come forward now. Admit to your other rapes you were convicted of that you are still in denial about. Try and get a plea deal to take the death penalty off of the table, but you need to tell us where Jodi is, and what you did to her. Then, you need to seek salvation and ask for forgiveness. Leave the rest up to law enforcement and our heavenly father. You will be healed and relieved of this crime, because with confession and finding Jodi comes redemption, and if you’re lucky, you will still live and see another day, unlike Jodi. That’s what I would call a “lucky cat”.
Wasn’t Honken put to death in Iowa? Did they do away with the death penalty since then?
Iowa first abolished the death penalty in 1872, but after citizens began to take justice into their own hands, it was reinstated in 1878. It was again abolished in 1965 and remains so today.
I just learned that Honken was executed because he was tried and sentenced to death in a Federal court case. So they could apply the death penalty. He was executed in Indiana. I wonder if he or Angela Johnson would have given up any information on their victims if they didn’t think it would gain something for them. They were merciless in killing the innocent mother and children of the guy they didn’t want testifying against them.
Exactly, Honken was given the death penalty by the feds because they can. Iowa can’t alone, as a state, administer the death penalty, because Iowa abolished it. But if Jodi was transported across state lines, like Minnesota, the feds can go for the death penalty. In Indiana, the death penalty is available only for the crime of murder and is available for murder only if the prosecution can prove the existence of at least one of 18 “aggravating circumstances” identified by the Indiana General Assembly. So Honken could have received the death penalty either by Indiana or the feds, but since you mentioned it was federal case, the feds had jurisdiction.
Careful, Paris, you say “CAT” too many times you’re gonna start to make it sounding COOL. That SLIME doesn’t deserve that. Come up with something more befitting the sickness inside him.
Past Dreamer, did you miss my previous comment about Tony J “and that’s why this loser, this low life violent sexual predator monster, is in prison where he belongs”? It isn’t slime like you’re suggesting, but I already came up with something that describes this POS. Furthermore, perhaps I’m mocking the 48 Hours episode where Jim Axlerod asks Chief Brinkley if there is even a “cat in the bag”. Now, with that being said, isn’t it obvious by now who I think the “cat in the bag” is? Tony J is my #1 suspect, although there are other losers, or as you suggest, “slime” to consider as well. No cool cats here, Past Dreamer.
The retired insurance investigator thought it was two young men from the community I think he was thinking about the beers. And there had been a previous kidnapping by two men. One went to jail when the other turned on him. I don’t know if he thought these were the same guys. I don’t think so. He just put together the information he gathered and came to this conclusion. Maybe because Jodi had been followed and harrassed. He thought it was they kidnapped her.
Slang term for cat: The word “cat” can refer to a spiteful (mean) woman, and also a man.
We’ve heard from Amy. Now I want to hear from Ani, LDW, and JVS’s girlfriend. And JVS’s son if he would be willing to be interviewed since he spent the weekend waterskiing and partying with JVS and the girls that weekend. Did Jodi drive or did she ride with JVS to Iowa City?
Great ideas. Let’s move on to new territory. I want to hear from John Lessard and Robin.
I also wish we could hear from the friend JVS met at Casey’s that morning. He appeared on Up and Vanished with his image and voice altered. He could appear on the podcast and keep his identity concealed. He met JVS every morning and probably has more perspective on what was happening those last few weeks prior to the morning of June 27 when JVS called him asking, “Where are you at?”
All good recommendations. I wasn’t aware JVS was meeting with this friend every morning. I would like to hear from him too. Was that question “Where are you at?” like a “Are you sitting down?” type question. I wonder if they are still friends. Did they work together?
I’m unclear about whether they worked together because JVS was a sales manager for Pfister Hybrid Seed Company and the Casey’s friend seemed to have been in a business that had to do with constructing wells, I believe. They met every morning at Casey’s and it sounds like JVS worked with him at least sometimes because JVS kept asking him, “Where are you working at this morning?” and the friend answered, “Where do you think I am? The same place I was yesterday.” He told Payne Lindsey on Up and Vanished, “We went there every morning.” I’m not clear if he meant they met for work or just for the meeting at Casey’s at that point. When JVS got to Casey’s he told his friend, “Jodi’s gone,” and asked him to drive over to the Key Apartments. And that’s when JVS told police, “I have the birthday tape and I can prove it.” The police asked him to go get that tape and bring it to the station. The friend told Payne that at that point he was thinking, “Holy s**t.”
They are probably not still friends. LDW said on Up and Vanished that the friend was actually the one who was obsessed with Jodi and is responsible for the crime. This was when Payne pressed her on her timeline for the morning walk. I believe it is this friend that JVS and his wife have claimed (through Ridge) is hiding behind a “veil of obscurity” and when the true identity of these perpetrators are revealed JVS and his wife will sit beside Jodi’s family at their sentencing.
Another person I would like to hear from is Chief Brinkley. I know he’s not going to let any cat out of any bag but from interviews I’ve heard on other topics he’s well-spoken, thoughtful, he grew up in a small town in Iowa, he could speak to investigations in a general way without giving up any specifics. Maybe he would talk about the possibility (or not) of bringing in some fresh sets of eyes. I’d like to know his thoughts on that.
I think the next time we hear from Chief Brinkley is when an arrest is eminent, or it has already been done. I think he is meticulous, patient, and thoughtful. He will wait for that right moment to execute either an arrest warrant or a search warrant. Unless of course, someone comes forward before that happens, or the FBI does it instead. It’s all a matter of jurisdiction.
So John V had a mystery girlfriend, and now John V has a mystery male friend with his voice and image altered? Oh boy.
Paris, LOL. I don’t think the friend (now former friend) is a mystery to the people of Mason City. JVS threatened to sue someone that he said is feeding lies to the police. I think it could be this guy.
Thanks KAP, it was meant to be a joke, or parody of the situation. The question is, who is this guy?
Paris I got that it was a parody; that’s why I laughed. Good one. The mystery theme is apt and it continues. But this guy actually did appear in public in Mason City is what I’m saying, unlike the secret girlfriend, although he did keep his anonymity on the show. So he is a mystery to us.
A conundrum, KAP. That’s the word of the day!
A well business. An excavator would be used for that. Right. That gives me pause. How many sites did they work at together? And they are blaming one another for Jodi’s abduction. Maybe that’s why JVS asked where are you? Sounds like a place a body could be buried. Did the police check this out?
The information about his business came from unsubstantiated sources (reddit, I think), which is why I said I believe that is what he does. But I think it checks out with a friend mentioned in Bednar’s book. People have asked these same questions and speculate that JVS was asking his friend where he was that morning because he was looking for a burial site. They say that JVS is pointing the finger at him in case the body turns up. I don’t know if police checked this out.
I doubt these allegations against the friend have any merit. He was obsessed with Jodi? Was everyone obsessed with Jodi? There is one person whose actions indicate that he was, all the while telling everyone it was a father-daughter relationship.
With an excavator and 26 years, I doubt her remains will be found, unless one turns on the other (which is what hopefully will happen) and law enforcement and cadaver dogs are taken to the scene of the burial. I wonder if this mystery friend with the excavator is a man of religion, or for that matter, a man at all. I wonder if he has a conscience, any feelings for Jodi’s family, let alone any consideration of the numerous people diligently working on this case for 26 years. If he is, he should bring this information to law enforcement asap, seek a plea deal, and testify against JVS.
No pun intended, but oh well, here we go again. Putting the pieces together for law enforcement and the FindJodi team. No problem, I enjoy doing this. Now, this sounds like a co-conspirator theory to me. Anyone else on board on this? Or is this just someone who was an accessory after the fact who happened to have an excavator and a well business? Another “coincidence” (a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection) ? Anonymous may have hit the nail on the head with this one. Home run in baseball. Touchdown in football. Or another dead end (no pun intended)?
Paris, I think it’s another dead end, or more obfuscation (c’mon, you know you wanted me to use that word again!). To me it looks like another attempt to cloud issues (occlude maybe?) by pointing at someone else. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. That man behind the curtain is pretty busy telling us that it’s someone else who is hiding behind a “veil of obscurity.” Those are his words, or Ridge’s words. It’s also the name of a pop rock band.
Occlude: stop, close up, or obstruct. Conceal.
Obscurity: a thing that is unclear or difficult to understand. The state of being unknown, inconspicuous, or unimportant. Mysteriousness.
JVS may be smarter than his friend gives him credit. He has two and one-half hours to dispose of Jodi’s body. He tells LDW he is too tired to walk, but then goes anyway. She says he’s really tired and groggy. He then finds out Jodi is gone. We don’t know how or when. Then he calls his friend he meets every morning to ask where he’s at. He goes to Casey’s to meet him. There’s disagreement about who said what, but what is certain is that he get’s the friend to drive him to the crime scene. He makes it a point to tell the police he saw Jodi last and has a birthday tape to prove it. They tell him to go get it. So he’s been able to keep the police away from his properties for days. If he did do anything to Jodi he succeeded in keeping the distraction going. Where did his friend go after this? Did he go to his work site? Were any of his vehicles checked? Did he have a white or light-colored van?
Anonymous, I think you’ve got it here! JVS was able to keep the distraction going long enough to keep the police away. The way you’ve laid this out makes complete sense. This is a compelling scenario.
“So he’s been able to keep the police away from his properties for days”. Could you clarify that please, Anonymous.
He went to the police. They didn’t go to his properties, boat, or car to collect evidence because they saw him as a cooperative acquaintance instead of a person of interest as he is now classified.
But the opposite would have been for John V to remain quiet, or as they say, remain silent. Let John V sink his own boat, no pun intended. The fact that he never shed a tear, volunteered to the police he was the last to see her, had a van, seeing the video at his house the night before with Jodi (supposedly), and everything else that incriminates him. No arrests though. No body either. No confessions. No one coming forward. Weird, man. Perhaps they are waiting for that “smoking gun” or “yahoo moment” to arrive.
But there is a sealed search warrant.
My other theory is that the person who abducted Jodi was first window peeping. He sat where he could see her. Drank beer. Then grabbed her when she left for work. Remember the Golden Gate killer was a window peeper first. It could have been two people watching her or one strong one. I just don’t know how they were able to get her with her purse and bag not falling. If it did fall, they had to pick it up. Why would they take time to do this?
I don’t know anything about the Golden Gate killer but others might have some feedback on that. Regarding her briefcase or bag being taken, it could be that the perpetrator grabbed it unintentionally during the struggle and took it so that potential fingerprints wouldn’t be left behind. It was described as a canvas tote bag by people who knew her. It might have had a long shoulder strap so that it went along with her as she was dragged, with some items falling out.
Or the tote bag was on her shoulder, and it went with her when she was unexpectedly abducted.
Or, it was Tony J, a big dude, a guy who we know raped 6 women, who came up behind a petite Jodi and abducted her alone, sped out of the parking lot, raped her, killed her, and disposed of her somewhere yet to be determined. JVS doesn’t quite fit the mold like Tony J does.
I’m wondering what’s going on with the Wikipedia article on Jodi’s case. It’s interesting to me that the only potential suspect discussed is Tony Jackson. It reads like this, “One of the few main ‘persons of interest’ investigated (though not named a suspect) was…Tony Jackson.” After Jackson, the article goes into a discussion of the copy of the diary sent to the Globe Gazette and Kooiker’s attempt to establish a Jodi Huisentruit Day, which was declined, and the allegation of a cover up by the Mason City officials. No mention of JVS as a person of interest, only a very short sentence, the second to last paragraph in the article, noting a search warrant was obtained on his vehicles. And there is one short mention of him at the beginning of the article in a brief summary of the day before the abduction; it mentions that after the golf tournament, MC resident JVS said Jodi came over to his house to view the birthday tape.
Who was agitating in March about a lawsuit against Google? Steve Ridge and JVS.
It’s time to get “really real” as Past Dreamer would say. Ridge is doing a lot of things behind the scenes that leads people to ooh and aah over “pivotal” breaks that never materialize and then recently this potential Google lawsuit. That’s fine, he can do whatever he wants but I am treating anything he says with great suspicion.
The Wikipedia article as it stands now seems gutted. By whom? I know multiple people can add things. Can they also take them away?
Regarding Tony J, even Wikipedia and Jay Alberio agree with me! More than likely, the Wickipedia article is incomplete because no one has been arrested. Hopefully, it will be updated as time goes on.
I guess even Wikipedia does agree with you, Paris! The main person of interest was relegated to what amounts to little more than a footnote while Tony J. and the MCPD were the big features of the investigative portion of it. Someone wrote it “slant” as the saying goes. It should be fixed but I really do have to take care of my regular life now and then so I hope someone else might consider doing it.
Perhaps JVS being relegated to a footnote was a result of what Ridge was referring to, a lawsuit with Google. But the beat goes on, and sooner or later, justice will be served in this case.
Conundrum: a confusing and difficult problem. Perplexity, mystery, puzzler, quandary, question, and dilemma.
It is a conundrum. I think the biggest part of the mystery may have to do with a mundane possibility: the failure to secure evidence from the getgo. Chief Brinkley did mention DNA testing in one interview, speaking about how the testing will continue to advance and he sounded halfway hopeful. I’ve heard him say that this case is solvable.
He may be referring to the hair they found, and they do have the palm print. That could be why he feels it is solvable. I’m sure they are looking at all DNA banks or ancestry DNA if they have enough to use this as a source.
Exactly, Anonymous. Plus I am sure there is a lot more Chief Brinkley knows about, or has, that needs to be kept secret for right now, or as KAP says, protecting the integrity of the investigation. Timing is everything. Sometimes, albeit 26 years, patience is a virtue.
Mundane: lacking interest or excitement; dull. Of this earthly world rather than a heavenly or spiritual one.
Solvable: capable of being solved, as a problem.
Well, if this case is a conundrum, as KAP agrees, then this case could be a “problem”. However, I remain optimistic that one day this case will be solved.
Maybe we can guilt the perp out. This might not be realistic but what’s a conscience for? What is guilt for if not to trouble you when you have done something wrong? In the Wikipedia article footnotes there is a link to a 1996 article from the Eugene Register-Guard. JoAnn is quoted. She says, “We know death comes and no matter how hard it is, you know it can happen. But this, little Jodi didn’t deserve this.” JoAnn was 18 when Jodi was born, so of course Jodi was “little Jodi” to her. I hope the perp reads this and as well as any one who is withholding information that could solve it. Think about it. “Little Jodi didn’t deserve this.” The anniversary is in four days. Do this thing that will take courage and will give you back a measure of dignity so that you don’t end your days hiding, a coward to the end. Call the MCPD on June 27.
I’m with you 100%, KAP. Unfortunately, if Jodi’s abductor was a sociopath or a psychopath, there might be little room for empathy, if any at all. But if they do have a conscience, they might come forward. And if Ridge has what appears to be a confession, then maybe the 27th is the day for an announcement. News at 11.
Amen to that KAP. Perhaps it’s time to clear your conscience and save your soul while you still can and Jodi’s family is still waiting.
Did somebody say something about an EXCAVATOR a while ago. Can an Excavator be use to dig a Bunker? Don’t know if anyone here believes in “Remote Viewing” but I knew a guy nearly 2 years ago who talked about seeing a wooden Bunker in a small wooded area when he focused and looked at this case. I’m sure he’d like to stay anonymous due to the fact that not too many people believe some of the things he see’s. Or believe in Remote Viewing for that matter. He even drew a diagram of what he saw, and a lot of other stuff. FREAKED me out when I saw it. But it also made me feel a little hopeful.
If I were you, I would contact law enforcement with this information, including any diagrams or other useful information that might help them.
What is remote viewing? Is it the same as being a psychic?
Thanks for bringing that up, KAP. Wasn’t there another psychic that worked on this case?
Psychics have worked on this case. You can find it in the files on FindJodi. I can understand why people consult them. I become impatient though with their methods. If they say they can see the numbers 6, 2, and 1, I want to say well can’t you see the whole dang address then? Why is everything partial? How many cases have they solved? I would want to know that up front.
You sound skeptical of psychics, KAP. Me too. But if it helps…
Actually, I passed it along to some one I believe was and is connected to the FindJodi site. I assumed that this individual would have shared it with the people at the site and with Law enforcement. Now I almost feel like I’ve made an Oops-Oops by bringing it out on this site. REMOTE VIEWING: As far as I understand it is apart of the PSYCHIC family but they both are inherently distinctive. Psychic ability has a more Spiritual/Emotional/Physical/Soulful aspect to it. Things move and you can sometimes feel the Visions. where as Remote Viewing is more or less like looking at a picture as just that, a picture in your mind. Yet it’s no less Psychic. I can’t prove that the individual whom I share this with took the info to the Police I was just going on FAITH that they did. This person saw things in the life of some of the suspects we chat about, because he focused on them as well, not just Jodi. He just doesn’t know though whether he saw anything relative to that “X” marks the spot thing. I sort of feel guilty now sitting on this for so long. It could be something or it could be nothing. Who knows. When the mention of an Excavator came up so to did the memory of those images. I haven’t looked at them for some time now. I always thought that if some one from Mason City were to see them they might strike a cord of recognition. Which is why I passed the along.
Thanks for the explanation. I had not heard the term before. You probably didn’t give anything away by posting about it so hopefully you won’t worry.
Thanks for the explanation. I had not heard the term before. You probably didn’t give anything away by posting about it so hopefully you won’t worry.
I have a few questions re: the timeline: (1) I just listened to the Frozen Truth podcast for the first time where LDW was interviewed (“The Morning Walk”). She said she called JVS at around 6 a.m., then they walked until around 7:45 or after. If that’s the case, then how could he have called Amy at around 7:20? He was with LDW, & wouldn’t have heard yet. Maybe it really was a different John?
(Also, LDW said that when she first tried to reach him that evening & he didn’t answer, even SHE thought for a split second that he could’ve done it. I thought that was interesting, considering she has staunchly defended him otherwise)
(2) On the Oxygen episode (which I no longer have access to), LDW said JVS had told her that after they walked, his friend came to his house & informed him about Jodi. But Payne said the “friend” told him it was the other way around…Was this the friend from Casey’s? Was he saying that JVS told HIM about Jodi? And when did they meet at Casey’s?
Oh, and the other thing that pops out…I keep seeing where people viewed JVS as Jodi’s father figure and protector, because that’s how he presented himself. But Amy said (in a different podcast) that JVS was the only suspect in her eyes, partially because Jodi had told her that JVS was interested in more than that, and she said no.
Honestly, if JVS had nothing to do with this, I do feel kind of bad for him. He really has been vilified from the very beginning. But..I don’t feel THAT bad. He brought it on himself by his own behavior.
Josie, the John who called at 7:20 may have been a different John. On the Up and Vanished episode, however, Amy identifies him as JVS. On this episode of the FindJodi podcast, Amy only provides a first name.
The friend from Casey’s said JVS called him at around 7:00 am that morning, asking him repeatedly where he was working that day, even though this was information JVS would have already known. They met at Casey’s at 8:00 that morning, and JVS said, “Jodi’s gone,” and asked him to drive over to the Key Apartments. This does not mesh with LDW’s timelilne for the morning walk, because JVS would have been walking at 7:00 am when the friend from Casey’s said that JVS called him. LDW told Payne on Up and Vanished that JVS told her it was the other way around, that the Casey’s friend informed JVS that Jodi was missing.
When LDW talks about the grand jury, she says, “They were about to indict JVS.” She seems to imply that her alibi was key in preventing that. My question is whether the friend from Casey’s was called to the grand jury. From what LDW has said, it sounds like only she and JVS were called. I don’t understand why her alibi trumps his account.
I want to know if this date, June 27, 1995 was the only time the morning walk occurred in a different location. I want to know if there were any witnesses to this walk. If LDW and JVS typically met each morning to walk at a mall, was it her routine to call him first each time they met to walk? If she hadn’t walked with much in June, why did she call him to ask about a walk? Did she call him every morning at 6:00 am?
On Up and Vanished Amy said Jodi had told her that she had told JVS she just wanted to be friends “and he was pretty upset.” Regarding his portrayal of himself as Jodi’s father and protector, those are his own and LDW’s words. She and JVS have claimed the father role several times in public statements that can be substantiated. The “checking” statement that he makes directly to JoAnn (and shown on 48 Hours) raises red flags to me. He says it very casually: “check on her…see if she’s okay…not a lot.” I would like him to explain what checking on Jodi meant. What did that look like?
Also, although often overlooked because it’s a brief statement, Doug Merbach says on 48 Hours: “[JVS] wanted to be interviewed.” It’s in the portion where he and Robin Wolfram are being interviewed by Jim Axelrod. JVS was putting himself out there, seeking the spotlight. Why?
You know, if LDW lied to the grand jury, well, she’s up that creek with a stench. “Amy said Jodi had told her that she had told JVS she just wanted to be friends “and he was pretty upset.” Ani indicated years later John V may have been rebuffed. Now is this the precursor to that rage I was referring to earlier; a crime of passion? A motive? Certainly a reason to wait that extra hour. But the curve ball here is John V would have had to be careful drinking and driving with a breathalyzer in his vehicle. Thus, the beers do seem odd, and perhaps suspicious. So perhaps he wasn’t drunk, he may have used a different vehicle, or someone else drove. Or was it someone else who abducted Jodi? But the “rebuffed theory” has now been confirmed twice; once by a co-worker, and the other time from a friend.
I don’t know what LDW told a grand jury. Those proceedings are apparently confidential forever, never to be revealed to the rest of us. What we know is that in terms of alibis and accounts of that morning given in various interviews, the timelines don’t coordinate among the people reporting them. Payne gave LDW some room to work with to try to reconcile these accounts and she rejected it. He offered the possibility that the morning walk occurred at a slightly different time. She said, “Absolutely not.” She is adamant that she is right and then accuses another person of being obsessed with Jodi and committing this crime. Where do you go from there?
You find out who this other person is, and then investigate it. Or has this already been done?
Exactly KAP. There has to be a reason he was in Jodi’s life so much even after her abduction he is putting himself front and center as her protector. Why would LDW change her story even though she insists she hasn’t. She took a short walk with him in a different area that day. She made sure to tell them she made a call to her boss or friend or both if they’re one and the same from the pay telephone. Why not from JVS’s house. She says they can trace the call from the phone booth. Maybe they did. But this is suspect because the call could be part of the alibi. If JVS didn’t do anything why does he need an alibi? She overloads her explanations with details that alone seem suspect. Her timeline doesn’t sync with anyone else’s. I just don’t think she can be trusted. But the Grand Jury couldn’t evidently find anything to catch her on or to indict JVS. Unless she would come forward and say she lied, there’s little they can do. She could be prosecuted for lying so I don’t think she’ll change her story. Even if she thinks he may have done something to Jodi. I’m curious about what JVS said about that walk. They seem to be relying on her statements. That’s why I think they turned on the friend at Casey’s account. They couldn’t get together and come up with a story with him. And who told JVS Jodi was gone isn’t certain and what time he heard it. Just too many questions given they were all friends supposedly and should be able to come to a consensus about that morning unless someone is hiding something. How hard is it to tell the truth? Someone has a very bad recall or they’re lying.
Another question I would like to know, leaving LDW and her saying the friend from Caseys’ was obsessed with Jodi out of it, is what did you and JVS talk about on your drive to the crime scene. Did you both stay there to tell the police whatever information you had. We know JVS told them about the birthday tape and was told to go get it. What did the friend do? Did he go to work or over to JVS’s house with him to get the tape. And when did they differ on the timeline and events of that morning? That’s not that hard to verify. Who called who and when is what they are disputing and how they learned she was gone. How could they forget this? It concerns me now that JVS was so adamant in asking where his friend was working. What is this connection to Jodi’s abduction. Did he think his friend took Jodi and why? Was this a way to blame someone else and take the focus off himself? It seems LDW and JVS were putting so much information out there that benefitted JVS only. It certainly hasn’t helped to solve what happened to Jodi, which should be the primary reason to provide information. He was so eager to talk about the birthday tape. For his benefit or for Jodi’s?
When LDW can accuse the Casey’s friend of being obsessed with Jodi while claiming JVS was not romantically interested in Jodi, it strains credibility to such a degree that I find it hard to take anything she says as reliable. I agree, there is way too much detail in her alibi, “overloaded with details” as you put it is a good description. The phone booth call seems conspicuous in the account, but it is portrayed as a casual, last minute thought — “suddenly there was a phone booth.” The phone booth just appeared on a route that they just picked, randomly.
It would be good to know what JVS and his friend did for the rest of that day, if either went to work, and when this accusation against his friend materialized. Was it right away because if JVS suspected his friend had done something to Jodi, why is he telling people that Jodi will come back, we just have to have patience, she wouldn’t want us to be down?
JVS placed himself at the center with both police and media coverage and seemed, strangely, to be enjoying the attention at first.
And yes, all the information put out by JVS and LDW are to benefit JVS.
I struggle to understand what his appeal was. He appears to me juvenile in his responses. It’s not a good look on a 49 year old man. He has so little emotional competence that he doesn’t know better than to start talking to JoAnn about his shirts in Jodi’s apartment, about how much fun they all had. It’s like she’s already dead to him and he’s not even mourning, he’s just recalling the good times.
“Also, LDW said that when she first tried to reach him that evening & he didn’t answer, even SHE thought for a split second that he could’ve done it. I thought that was interesting, considering she has staunchly defended him otherwise”. Ani Kruse years later indicated John V could have been rebuffed. “JVS had told her that after they walked, his friend came to his house & informed him about Jodi. But Payne said the “friend” told him it was the other way around”. Sounds like John V needs to get his story straight. On that note, Ani had to correct John V on national television that Jodi was still in the present, and not the past. And now we got Amy saying Jodi told her that she had told John V no more than a father figure and protector (now Amy and Ani have confirmed John V being “rebuffed” by Jodi). So where was Father John to protect Jodi when she was abducted? He failed his “job”.
Regarding Jodi’s birthday party; this was John V’s idea, right? Ok, I’ll buy that. But whether it was 50 people, or 300 as John V claims, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is there were a lot of people at her party. I think this is where Jodi may have possibly met her abductor, if it wasn’t JVS or Tony J. The party was prior to her abduction, and perhaps someone else was rebuffed for trying to dance with her, or was rebuffed for some other reason. I wonder who all those people were at her party?
The invitation stated that the party was given by JVS and friends. At such a party the honoree would likely dance with anyone who asked. I would think the MCPD asked some questions about who was there once the video was in their custody.
I noticed one guy in the video tried to ask Jodi to dance when she was dancing with John V at her party. She put her hands up around John V’s shoulders and neck like she was with him exclusively. Who was this guy that got rebuffed by Jodi while dancing? I wonder if MCPD talked with him.
I interpret that moment completely differently. That guy said something to Jodi that made her laugh so hilariously that she started to double over and lifted one arm to point at him. She grabbed onto JVS to steady herself. That guy is laughing himself.
Perhaps they were drunk.
I assume they were. I think just about everyone was at that point.
Interesting how different people read an event differently. I saw Jodi laughing and smiling and then reaching to embrace JVS’s shoulders to dance with him. I saw her showing him affection and attention because after all he threw this party for her and she was giving him some love and appreciation back.
It is interesting how we each interpret things differently. Whatever was actually going on with that moment in the birthday video, I think the guy was laughing back, not feeling rebuffed.
Then why would Jodi rebuff John V with all that “affection” being displayed in public and on the video?
Exactly. And perhaps someone became jealous of John V’s and Jodi’s relationship that appeared to be “blossoming” right in front of everyone. Maybe the angle here is someone took Jodi because of John V. Yes, jealousy, but is it someone else we need to consider?
I think Jodi felt safe with JVS because she wasn’t romantically interested in him and he was showing her attention. That’s all she wanted from him. That made him someone in her life who was easy to be with just for fun. But she lacked the experience to read what was really going on with him. He was a superficial guy, showing her only the caring, fun person, but there was something brewing below the surface. I think he was emotionally immature and not able to express his intimate feelings like an adult would. He was hiding something, even if it was just deep insecurity and immaturity. Those feelings have to go somewhere when they are finally revealed. In my experience, it’s like rage. He’s thinking I’ve done all these things for you and now you don’t want me, but I deserve to have you. And she’s thinking, where is the fun-loving, caring friend. Really he’s saying I want to control you. I’m not letting you go. If this happened the night before at his house, he would go to her apartment and want to talk with her. Because now he has to fix it so he can remain her fun-loving friend again. When she doesn’t let him in he gets even more out of control and waits for her. All the things he does afterwards are about the superficial, nice fun-loving JVS again. He walks with LDW even though he’s tired and groggy. He asks the friend at Casey’s to drive him to the crime scene. He offers the birthday tape to the police. He gives interviews as the nice father figure who loved Jodi and knows Jodi wouldn’t want her friends to be sad. He makes inappropriate, Juvenile comments, as KAP wrote, to her family. These were all to address the scenario he’s playing out in his head that has nothing to do with finding Jodi but everything to do with the image he wants to portray. It serves him. He involves his friends in this, LDW being the most prominent. But he has Ani, the woman who drove him home from the crime scene and stayed with him that night. He has his friend at Casey’s driving him to the crime scene. And later points the finger at for an unexplained reason. All the while Jodi is gone. How about Jodi? I’m not saying JVS took her, because I don’t know, but I am saying this is one adult male who doesn’t reveal his true self. I think the investigators needed to talk to his ex-wife to ask about what happened when he didn’t get his way. I think he needs to explain how he found out Jodi was missing and why he kept insisting his friend from Casey’s tell him where he was working that morning. That’s a piece of the puzzle that needs to be answered. There’s something there and it needs to get cleared up. Did he drive by the workplaces looking for him? What time was that? Does it sync with LDW’s story. I bet not.
KAP you mentioned JVS seemed emotionally immature and juvenile for a 49-year-old man. I believe he was. He had a problem revealing his true self and needs. He was hiding something. Perhaps deep insecurity kept him emotionally stunted. So he presented the superficial person who was this fun-loving guy to Jodi and her friends who just wanted to hang out with them. And it didn’t hurt he had a boat that he could take them water-skiing. But there were other motives beneath the surface. Jodi liked the attention without emotional complications that went along with a romantic relationship. I believe she lacked the experience to know how to deal with him. She believed it could be a friendship, but he wanted more. I think he started letting her know at the birthday party. He became more possessive after this. It wasn’t protection anymore. If she let him know this wasn’t how she felt he would have felt he was losing his control over her. If he did go to her apartment that night to try to explain and get in his protector/friend role back again, she didn’t answer the door. This would have made him feel like he had lost her and his need to keep her turned to control and rage. I can’t say with certainty this happened. But he went right back into his nice guy, friend role again after her abduction. He talked about what Jodi would have wanted. How he loved her and how she was like a daughter to him. He used friends as an alibi for where he was. And when one, his friend at Casey’s challenged his and LDW’s story about what happened that morning they accused him of being obsessed with Jodi. Why? His friend said JVS had called him and wanted to know where he was working that morning? Why? I think that’s significant. Who is blaming who and why.? Then JVS uses all his friends to meet his needs that morning. Instead of focusing on finding Jodi. He has an image to uphold to everyone as the father figure and fun-loving guy to her. He makes inappropriate comments to her family. These things are about JVS and have nothing to do with finding Jodi. Then he backs away completely going into hiding again. He’s no longer the fun-loving guy. It would be interesting to learn what his ex-wife had to say about his personality. Who was the real JVS? He played a lot of different roles at least in the lives of his women friends. But who is he really?
Anonymous, I think these analyses are spot on. I think JVS was emotionally immature and insecure. The way those last couple of weeks played out could have been a roller coaster for him. First, the birthday party bash looks like a huge success. You can see it on the birthday tape; it looks like he’s won his prize. It plays out in front of all his associates; he picks her up in his arms. Jodi is his. Then everything crashes. She explains to him that she just wants to be friends. A red Miata appears in her life and whatever the truth is about how she got it, he is forced to explain the car to himself and others: he tells LDW that Jodi doesn’t want that car and is going to give it back. During that last weekend in Coralville, Jodi leaves his boat and is seen dancing and being videotaped by another man on his boat. It could be taken as a flagrant declaration that she is not his. On Sunday on their way back to Mason City, they stop and pick up the birthday tape. If Jodi watches it with him, it’s a replay of how he pulled out all the stops for her in front of everyone. How she reacts to it is critical. He tells us that they chuckled, laughed, hee-hawed – once again everything is about fun. But if she tells him again she just wants to be friends, or there is an argument and she leaves and then refuses to answer her door, shuts him out, he goes into a rage, as you’ve pointed out, Anonymous.
I don’t think most of us can understood this level of rage. It’s more than jealousy, it’s humiliation. He goes from the man of the hour in front of all his friends at the birthday party to a man scorned. For an insecure person it cannot stand.
Maybe he is telling the truth – that the last time he saw Jodi she was looking back at him, laughing about the birthday tape. When Payne asks LDW on Oxygen if Jodi went home after watching the birthday tape, she replies. “I have no idea.” Because she wouldn’t have any idea, right? She wasn’t there. She’s going by what JVS told her about watching the birthday tape. But the expression that comes over her face when she says it makes me think she does have an idea. I think there was more to what happened that evening and LDW may have found out something of what happened. She said on Frozen Truth that JVS and Jodi would have been drinking as they watched the tape. She offers that to show that JVS was virtually grounded that night because of the breathalyzer in his van. Even there she seems to be providing an alibi, a cover.
It’s possible that Jodi walked down the stairs of the duplex laughing and smiling and within a few hours a stalker with no relation to these other events got into position behind the dumpster to wait for her. It’s possible. It would be coincidental. Maybe there are coincidences in homicides? What is certain is that someone knows what happened or has some information that would help the MCPD to find it.
Many of us in the Midwest grew up hearing a parable of a prodigal son who had gone so far from home and so debased himself that he thought he could never come back. That’s not how his father saw it. His father saw him coming from far off and began to weep because his lost son was found. It’s time for a prodigal son or daughter to come home. And it’s time to let Jodi come home, too.
Yes KAP. Let’s all send a collective prayer out tomorrow, the 27th of June that this happens.
Regarding the birthday video, why would Jodi or John V need, or even want, to see a rehash of her birthday party after the fact? And alone with John V at his house? That in itself seems rather odd. Or should I say strange. And if she was so affectionate towards John V in that video, what really went on at his house, if she even went there? And if any beers were involved, whether at her place or his, where did that lead to? Something doesn’t add up here. When people get together, it’s usually for a reason.
Good questions. What else is on the video? Jodi danced with others at the party. We see that in at least one clip. Jim Clemente, retired FBI profiler, has seen the entire video and he said, “We noticed that every time Jodi would dance or spend time with another guy [JVS] had laser focus on Jodi and whoever she was talking to.” Perhaps watching the birthday video together wasn’t an entirely fun experience.
KAP, I think Jim Clemente would be an excellent person to interview on this podcast. His background as a FBI profiler, plus the fact that he indicated previously he could build a prosecutors case against JVS for abducting Jodi.
It would be very interesting to hear from Clemente and why he built the case that he did.
Perhaps after watching Jodi dance in front of the young boaters that weekend, and viewing the birthday tape, this was JVS’s way of saying, “Look how you come off to others Jodi. I mean that in a fatherly way.” But he was really angry and it was a way of shaming her. He did talk about what they said they would cut out. He’s using a controller’s method of keeping her close. Maybe it backfired and she stood up for herself, left, and refused to see him.
In Caroline Lowe’s new article, “26 Years, 26 Facts,” I noticed that she writes that sources say the video was given to JVS the day before Jodi disappeared. That caught my eye because that would have been Monday. Bednar’s book says on the way back from Iowa City they stopped in Clear Lake to pick up the video and then had to retrieve it in Mason City. That would have been Sunday, at least for the Clear Lake stop. Seems it was actually obtained Monday. Does it matter if JVS got the tape on Sunday or Monday? Maybe not, except that if JVS got the tape Monday that’s really soon if he wanted Jodi to wach it that night. Maybe they were both surprised by some of the things caught on tape? Maybe she laughed it off and he didn’t. He announced the existence of the tape to police the next morning in the category of proof, saying, “I can prove it,” according to his friend. There’s a lot going on with that tape. Maybe when we ask the question why then, why there? the birthday tape is key to the puzzle.
Perhaps it is the key, KAP. But I think the key to the puzzle is what is contained in the video. Like Jodi’s diary, the birthday video has a lot of information in it.
I read somewhere because it was raining Sunday they couldn’t water ski so some of the group got together and watched the birthday tape. That would mean they picked up a tape in Mason City after the woman who taped the party told them she didn’t have it and they could pick it up there. Were there two copies or did JVS have the only copy? I think Ani would know this and if they watched it Sunday afternoon. It was questioned why Jodi would go watch it again Monday night with JVS. Was this out of obligation to him for him having the party for him? I’d like to hear from Ani or others who watched the tape and when they watched it.
Anonymous, I’ve read that somewhere too. Ani would be able to verify whether they watched it together on Sunday. Caroline Lowe’s account says “sources say” and maybe the sources didn’t want to be named. If JVS didn’t get a copy until Monday maybe he watched it while Jodi was at the Country Club dinner and then he wanted her to see it. No one knows how they connected to make a plan to watch it. I would think she’d be tired after a long day but maybe she did feel an obligation.
Podcast #19 ready, 26th anniversary of Jodi’s abduction.
Does anyone know how old JVS son was at that time? Questions and information has mostly been focused on JVS these years, however, my understanding of the story is his son also was around that weekend, and came and went from university visiting his father. I thought I read somewhere he also had friend(s) who came too. I believe his name is Trent?
I don’t know Trent’s age at the time but he was in college. Jodi and friends had spent her last weekend with JVS in Iowa City, where Trent lived. Trent went boating with them that Saturday and they stayed at his apartment.
Thanks, Yes, that’s the same I had understood. I was just wondering if it was known if he and his friends had been investigated too, or if any of them left Iowa for a year or longer years after she disappeared.
Paris, yes, it’s what is contained in the video as much as it is the timing. But the two go together. This case is a damn shame on so many levels. I feel like it’s acceptable to talk about Tony J, Corscadden or anybody in the category of sex offender/stalker until the cows come home but we can’t talk about the reality of the kind of situation a greater majority of women will face, have faced, and very possibly Jodi faced. There’s more in Bednar’s book but those sources remained anonymous, so is it fair to go into it here since I can’t say it’s been substantiated? Maybe not, but those people should for sure testify on the record if they haven’t.
Women are taught to be too nice. I think it cost Jodi. I, for one, have had it with being nice. I admire Robin Wolfram and Amy Kuns and Ani Kruse for saying outright what they saw and suspect (and there is probably someone I’m forgetting here).
Bednar, and her sources being anonymous, seem to go together. In addition, Jodi wouldn’t have faced this situation if she had someone drive her to work like Amy did. I find that somewhat ironic. But Jodi also had her name, address and phone number listed in the phone book. So, without being rude, yes, women do need to be more careful. In Jodi’s case, unfortunately, she was a sitting duck.
I’m pretty sure Amy said her husband started driving her to work after it happened.
Double check that.
I did.
I did.
Thank you. Thank you.
Paris, LOL for the record my double response was not intentional. The website did the repeat, not me. I admit it looks suspect, though.
Here’s my theory on the time Jodi was abducted. Everyone, including myself, has been wondering the same thing. She was late for work, and the only person that knew that was Amy. That extra hour has had me baffled for a very long time. Then it dawned on me: the person who abducted Jodi wasn’t aware of her being late, or even that extra hour we are all wondering about. To them it was irrelevant. Especially if it was someone just out driving around and prowling at 3-4 am like Tony J’s MO, and just happened to see her at the time she was leaving for work. Jodi may have been taking extra time to find her car keys in the dark, or putting something in her tote bag that made her venerable to give Tony J enough time to spot her and then come in for the kill, so to speak. And he did it quickly. We heard of a car speeding out of the parking lot from a witness which can be verified, so forget about the van, at least for the time being. Assuming Tony J didn’t know where Jodi lived, and even if he did, he might have just been driving by, saw her, and “bam”, bun and run. Just as simple as that. The fact that he lived two blocks from where she worked, merely indicates it was too risky to abduct her there. I will definitely leave open the possibility he waited that extra hour at her apartment, but that wasn’t his usual MO of driving around in his ill-gotten car prowling, stalking, and looking for his next victim. And especially if Jodi was only a short distance to her car from her apartment, it might have been pure luck when he was driving by and saw her. But like in horse racing, sometimes luck is all it takes.