Who was Jodi Huisentruit? Iowa news anchor abducted in 1995 back in spotlight with new docuseries

It’s been more than three decades since Jodi Huisentruit, a bright and ambitious news anchor, vanished without a trace on her way to work in Mason City, Iowa. At just 27, she was the face of KIMT-TV’s morning newscast, and then, suddenly, she was gone.

On the early morning of June 27 1995, Jodi phoned her producer to say she had overslept but was heading into the station. That would be the last time anyone ever heard from her. Hours later, police found signs of a violent struggle outside her apartment. Despite ongoing investigations, nationwide attention, and a growing number of persons of interest, the case remains unsolved.

Now, a new three-part ABC News Studios docuseries titled ‘Her Last Broadcast: The Abduction of Jodi Huisentruit’, streaming on Hulu and JioHotstar since July 15, re-examines the chilling case with fresh eyes, and new evidence.

Vanishing before sunrise

Jodi lived alone in an apartment complex just a mile from her workplace. On that June morning, after missing her usual on-air slot and failing to arrive at the station by 6 am, colleagues alerted police.

When officers arrived at the Key Apartments, they discovered her car still in the lot. Strewn around it were her belongings — a blow dryer, earrings, a pair of high heels, and a can of hair spray. Her car key was found bent on the ground. Investigators also uncovered an unidentified palm print on her vehicle, but no substantial leads emerged from the scene.

Although law enforcement initially considered the possibility that she may have simply gone missing, the evidence outside her home quickly shifted that theory. As one officer from the Mason City Police Department recalled in the documentary trailer, “Things went from we’re just looking for somebody missing to we’re looking for somebody that was abducted.”

Adding to the frustration, the building lacked security cameras.

Fears before her disappearance

Months before her disappearance, Jodi had begun to express fears about her safety. In October 1994, she filed a police report stating she was being followed by someone in a white pickup truck. According to ABC News, she even took up self-defence classes.

The night before she vanished, she participated in a charity golf event. CNN later reported that two of her teammates recalled Jodi mentioning she might change her phone number due to repeated harassing calls.

Leads that went nowhere

Over the years, law enforcement pursued several persons of interest. One of the earliest and most prominent was John Vansice, a friend Jodi had spent time with the night before she vanished. Vansice told investigators that she had visited his home to watch a videotape from her birthday party, which he had helped organise.

He provided DNA samples, fingerprints, and palm prints as part of the investigation. In April 2025, CBS News reported that a 2017 search warrant revealed authorities had tracked two of Vansice’s vehicles, a 1999 Honda Civic and a 2013 GMC truck, using GPS. One of them travelled through multiple states before stopping in Phoenix, Arizona.

Despite this, Mason City police stated that the tracking yielded no valuable leads. Vansice was never officially named a suspect. He consistently denied involvement and passed away on 6 December 2024, according to KTTC.

A new name in the case: Brad Millerbernd

In a more recent twist, a new person of interest has emerged: Brad Millerbernd, the ex-husband of Jodi’s childhood best friend, Patty Niemeyer.

According to the Daily Mail, tips began to surface connecting Millerbernd to the case. Niemeyer revealed in the documentary that Millerbernd resembled never-before-released police sketches. She also shared disturbing memories — including a chilling phone call on the 10th anniversary of the disappearance, where he allegedly asked, “Do you realise what day it is?”

“That always bothered me,” Niemeyer said, reflecting on Millerbernd’s strange fixation on Jodi during their marriage.

Authorities later confirmed that Millerbernd had dinner with Jodi the autumn before she went missing and had contacted her by phone in the weeks leading up to her disappearance. He also drove a white van similar to the one witnesses reported seeing near Jodi’s apartment that morning.

While Millerbernd has denied any involvement and cooperated fully with investigators — including submitting DNA and taking a polygraph test — the string of coincidences raised eyebrows. “Coincidences happen,” said Detective Terrance Prochaska in the documentary. “But this one, there’s a lot stacked up in June for sure.”

Declared dead, but never forgotten

In 2001, Jodi was legally declared dead at the age of 32. Her remains have never been found, and no one has ever been charged in connection with her disappearance.

The group FindJodi.com, composed of former law enforcement and journalists, continues to advocate for justice. They maintain a digital archive, follow leads, and encourage the public to come forward.

On the 30th anniversary in June 2025, the group issued a powerful public appeal to Jodi’s abductor: “Don't make Jodi Huisentruit's family and friends wait another year for you to come forward. They need answers and justice.”

Despite the passing years, police in Mason City and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation insist the case is still active.

The new ABC News Studios docuseries includes more than 20 fresh interviews and previously unseen material. In one notable development, a witness came forward after watching a 2022 episode of 20/20, providing authorities with information kept hidden for over two decades.