A (1:53)

Vernon Forward. Jumped out at our highest level.

B (1:56)

Well, I'm glad you're not going backward. Ford.

A (1:58)

Caleb Hockenberry.

B (1:59)

Ah, Hockenberry is the famous Hockenberrys.

A (2:02)

Gary.

B (2:02)

Hey, Gary.

A (2:03)

Annie. Garcia.

B (2:04)

What's up, Garcia?

A (2:05)

It's just Maddie.

B (2:06)

Oh, Maddie. You can't fool us.

A (2:08)

Arlene McDonald.

B (2:09)

Hey, McDonald.

A (2:10)

Cece Lemon.

B (2:11)

I'd love some Lemon.

A (2:13)

Tim Cosgrove.

B (2:14)

Hey, Cosgrove.

A (2:15)

And last but not least, Michael Kelly.

B (2:17)

Hey, thanks, Michael.

A (2:18)

Yeah. Appreciate the new support. And then if we go back into the vault this week, we selected Debbie Duffy.

B (2:25)

Hey, Duffy.

A (2:26)

So appreciate the long term support as well. We also had a couple of great PayPal donations from Amanda Stewart.

B (2:32)

Thanks, Amanda.

A (2:33)

And Jennifer Brunswick.

B (2:34)

You're awesome, Jennifer.

A (2:35)

So, Gibbs, right now on True Crime all the Time, we have an episode out on Mark Latunsky and there is a lot wrapped up in this episode. We're talking about a man who kind of lured, if you want to use that word, other gay men over to his home where he kind of had a dungeon slash kill room. He did set up. And there's cannibalism and some other, you know, really horrible things involved in Kevin Bacon. And Kevin Bacon. All right, buddy, are you ready to get into this episode of True Crime, all the time unsolved.

B (3:14)

I am ready.

A (3:15)

We're talking about the disappearance of Jody Husintrude. Jody Husintrue was a popular anchor at a local news station in Mason City, Iowa. She went missing early one morning while rushing out the door for work and has never been found. Jodie Sue Husntru was born on June 5, 1968. She was just 27 years old when she went missing. Jody grew up in Long Prairie, Minnesota. Her friends told 48 Hours that she always wanted to be famous and knew by high school that she wanted to be a news anchor.

B (3:50)

You think you make a good news anchor?

A (3:52)

Well, if Ron Burgundy can do it, I think I can do it.

B (3:54)

Well, that's something I would say, but.

A (3:56)

I will read anything that is put on the prompter. And by anything, I do mean.

B (4:05)

Yes, you would be. You would be good.

A (4:08)

Jody attended Saint Cloud State University, where she anchored for the school's TV station. I think it's not uncommon for people growing up to say, you know what? I want to be famous.

B (4:23)

Sure.

A (4:24)

Whether it's a baseball player, an actor, an actress, whatever it may be an astronaut. I don't know how many kids say, you know what? I want to be Dan Rather. I want to be Walter Cronkite. I want to be Jane Pauly, or, you know, whoever it is.

B (4:46)

Yeah.

A (4:47)

I don't know how many kids think that way.

B (4:49)

I don't either. I think maybe they. If they want to be famous, they want to be Instagram famous. Today.

A (4:54)

Well, today, yes, absolutely. There was no Instagram in the early 90s.

B (5:01)

If there was, it meant something differently.

A (5:03)

But she not only wished it, she made it happen.

B (5:07)

She sure did.

A (5:07)

Which is kind of amazing. She worked at KGAN, a station based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from February 1991 to April 1992. The Des Moines Register reported that she started off as an intern and was promoted to its Iowa City news bureau. Jody worked at a news station in her hometown before she moved to Mason city, Iowa, in October 1993. She was hired by local CBS affiliate KIMT TV. She anchored the 6am Daybreak show and the noon slot.

B (5:44)

You can never do a Daybreak show.

A (5:46)

No, no. I remember when my wife and I were watching the morning show on Apple, and they had to get up at like, 3 o' clock in the morning or something to. To get in to start the. The early morning show. No, that is not me. That's about the time I'm rolling into bed.

B (6:04)

I'm gonna say that's about your wind down time.

A (6:06)

Exactly. But Jody soon became a public figure in Mason City. Mason City Mayor Carl Miller said about Jody per the Des Moines Register. This young lady is a true celebrity in this city. She's athletic, water skiing and golfing. She really has gotten involved in the community. And I watched a couple of things about Jody. Who's intrude. One of the things that did come out was that she was a. An amazing golfer.

B (6:35)

Yeah.

A (6:36)

One of the guys said anytime like the they went to some celebrity golf outing, she was like their anchor, their star.

B (6:45)

Oh, really?

A (6:46)

That's how good she was.

B (6:47)

You wanted her on your team, your poor person.

A (6:51)

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Director Doug Murbach recalled that it took Jody two hours to shop for groceries because she stopped to talk to so many people.

B (7:02)

Oh, that is definitely not you. You do not like to have conversations with people while you're out.

A (7:08)

No, but I'm also not a celebrity. You know, you think about a news anchor in a smaller city, they are true celebrities. Especially, you know, in years past where a lot more people watched the local news.

B (7:25)

Yeah.

A (7:25)

Now there's a lot of options for news.

B (7:27)

Sure there is.

A (7:28)

But back in the day you had about three, you know, and those people were celebrities. Then when you looked at the national news, those people were national celebrities.

B (7:40)

Right. I remember seeing some of the local news celebrities around town here when I was younger.

A (7:45)

Sure.

B (7:47)

You're like, oh, that's what's his name, or that's what's her name.

A (7:51)

And of course, because you could never remember their names.

B (7:54)

Yeah. That was always been a thing with me.

A (7:55)

Right.

B (7:56)

Or, or you see the weatherman. Because around here the weathermen were always pretty popular back in the day. And some of them seem friendly. There was a few that I remember thinking, that's not very nice of them. Not wanting to stop and talk.

A (8:11)

Not so friendly.

B (8:12)

Yeah.

A (8:13)

Robin Wolfram, the evening News anchor, told 48 Hours that Jody dreamed of being on national television one day. However, Jody seemed content to stay in Mason City and was eager to renew her contract, which expired in October 1995. Director Doug Murbach told the Des Moines Register, she's very popular with our viewers. She's effervescent and lively. She wakes you up in the morning. I'm not saying she was perfect. There were times that she's been in my office.

B (8:44)

Oh, I've had times like that.

A (8:46)

There were times where you were in my office.

B (8:48)

Yes, there was.

A (8:49)

And maybe some tough conversations were had.

B (8:52)

Maybe so.

A (8:54)

But what he is saying, and nobody's perfect Right. But what he is saying is that she was very popular. People adored her. Now, I mentioned Anchorman jokingly, but you know, you do kind of get the sense of the character that Christina Applegate plays. There are some parallels here.

B (9:15)

Sure.

A (9:16)

You know, local news. She's striving to one day be a national anchor. But first she's got to be a local anchor. But her ultimate goal is to be. Is to go national. Jody's assistant was a woman named Amy Coons, who did an interview with the group Find Jody years after she went missing. Amy said in this interview Jody had been really up and down before her disappearance. She would fall asleep in edit bays and later in the day be really perky. I wondered what was going on with her. I would not be surprised if drugs were involved.

B (9:53)

You know, when you're getting up at 3 o' clock in the morning or 4 o' clock to be at work and on air by 6, that could be tough, I would think.

A (10:00)

Yeah. And when she says drugs, no idea what type of drugs she's talking about. It could be like uppers or something that would keep you awake. I remember when I was younger, and maybe they still do because I don't go inside the gas stations very often anymore, but when I was younger, they used to sell a menagerie of different pills at the counter.

B (10:21)

No do.

A (10:22)

No do. But not even that. Like these, what were they called? Like white crosses. They came in this little pack.

B (10:29)

Yeah.

A (10:30)

And they were supposed to like energize you. There was just all kinds of. I'm sure none of this was FDA cleared or not. It was made in somebody's basement and then packaged up. Amy was also asked about Jody's working demeanor. She said, I was Jody's assistant. She was very demanding. She would often snap at me, then she would turn around and clap, stand up at her desk and proclaim, I loved life. I could never figure her out. And I'm sure everybody listening has worked for someone who's been extremely demanding.

B (11:05)

Yes.

A (11:06)

A lot of times those people are very successful. It's true, because they are so demanding. But they can be tough to work with.

B (11:14)

I mean, they're not only demanding of you, but you, you learn that they're.

A (11:18)

Demanding of themselves and probably why they're successful. Yeah, but they can be real a holes. Some, some, some people can. Yeah.

B (11:26)

I worked with one of those people before.

A (11:28)

Let's not name any names. In October 1994, Jody was jogging on a trail when a man in a white truck followed her. Jody filed a police report, but the man was never found. She discussed this incident with several people, but she didn't seem overly worried about it. And I can understand that. Right. You know, things happen to us on a daily basis. Some things we might find a little bit suspicious or we think that doesn't seem quite right. But are you sitting around worrying about it? You know, that you saw what you thought was a truck following you? Do you really think someone's out to get you? And I would say, for the most part, no, people aren't thinking that. On June 25, 1995, Jody returned from a water skiing trip to Iowa City with several friends, including a man named John Van Sykes, who was in his late 40s. John was a recently divorced seed salesman. He once lived in Jody's apartment complex in Mason City. But she and her friend Annie Cruz met him at a bar. Annie told 48 Hours that he offered to buy them a drink. She and Jody spoke to him throughout the evening and weren't sure how to feel about him. But they continued meeting him and they developed a friendship. The two young women often water skied off John's boat. You know what's a great way to get some women to go out to the lake with you?

B (12:59)

Have a boat.

A (13:00)

Have a nice boat. I know that's why you bought one. I've yet to hear about any adventures you've taken on it.

B (13:08)

But it's a fishing boat, not a ski boat.

A (13:12)

Why are you doing air quotes with your fingers?

B (13:16)

I don't know.

A (13:17)

According to 48 Hours, Jody befriended John at a difficult point in his life. On top of the divorce, he had been arrested for drunk driving and was ordered to install a breathalyzer in his vein.

B (13:30)

Nothing. Nothing says, hey, you want. You need a ride? Come on, get in with me. Let me blow this first.

A (13:38)

You mean the breathalyzer? As soon as you said it, you started laughing.

B (13:44)

I can't stop.

A (13:46)

No, but I understand what you're saying. I mean, you know, especially if you're meeting somebody for the first time and they get into your vehicle and, and you've got one of these machines in your car, it's not going to look great.

B (14:00)

We're probably not going to feel too comfortable.

A (14:02)

No. Yeah. No. Annie Cruz told the show she brought so much joy into his life and he didn't have a lot of friends. And, you know, all of a sudden now he's kind of accepted, you know, he's hanging out with us. We're having fun. She did say she knew. She knew he had an interest, but just Blew it off. You know, he's like a father to me. She made that mention quite a few times. So I'm getting the sense here, Gibbs, that he's older than Jody, but he is interested in her. He finds her attractive. She's interested in being friends with him, but nothing more. Jody's friends cautioned her about her friendship with John. They thought it was strange that he named his boat after her, but she laughed it off.

B (14:51)

Okay, if a guy names his boat after you, I think you have to have some concern.

A (14:57)

Yeah. He wants more than tea and crumpets. Yeah.

B (15:01)

Yeah.

A (15:02)

He has designs or interests that go beyond the friendship that you think you have. John later told Kimt, I have named my boat after her just because she's Jody. You can't help but love that woman.

B (15:18)

Yeah, but somewhat of an obsession, don't you think?

A (15:23)

Maybe. But you know, the word love can be used in a lot of different scenarios. It can be, you know, there's romantic love, there's friendship type love, there's brotherly, there's brother sister type love. You know, I don't know what you make of the way that he's using it, but I do believe that he had designs on a romantic relationship and she did not.

B (15:52)

You think maybe more than just like you love the McRib?

A (15:56)

Yes, but I do love the McRib.

B (15:59)

You do? It looks like you're drooling right now.

A (16:02)

Jody returned to work on June 26, 1995 and anchored the morning news from 6 to 7am at 9am Jody attended the Mason City Chamber of Commerce golf tournament fundraiser. She played until they were rained out. Jody spent some time socializing at the clubhouse before she went home in the mid afternoon to get ready for an awards dinner at the Mason City Country Club. Okay. There's a lot of time spent in country clubs and at golf outings, apparently in this line of work. At 3:30pm Jodi rejoined her team at the country club and had dinner. Two of her golf partners said Jody mentioned she'd been getting annoying phone calls and planned to change her phone number. And we talked about her not making all that much out of thinking maybe this truck was kind of following her. I think back in the day a lot of people got annoying phone calls. Now annoying can mean a lot of different things to me. Any phone call is annoying unless you're telling me something I really need to know.

B (17:12)

Yeah, that's true.

A (17:13)

But most phone calls are annoying because it's somebody wanting to sell me something or tell me something that I don't care about. But annoying could also stray into kind of the sexually deviant side of things.

B (17:29)

Yes.

A (17:30)

And maybe that's sugarcoating it a little bit by using the term annoying. At 8pm Jody said goodbye to her golf partners and news director Doug Murbach before heading home. At 8:24, Jody called her friend Kelly Torgerson in Mississippi. She spoke briefly to Kelly's husband because she wasn't home. He reported that Jody sounded cheerful and not worried. And I think that's always important. Right. People who talk to someone who is going to disappear later, well, what did they sound like?

B (18:06)

Were they distressed?

A (18:08)

Did they sound anxious, fearful? And he's saying no, didn't hear any of that. John Van Cise later told the police that Jody stopped by his home later that evening to watch a video of her surprise party where which he and Annie Cruz organized for her earlier that month. Jodi disappeared in the early morning hours of June 27, 1995, while on her way to work. Jodi lived at the Key Apartments, about a mile from the KIMT studio in downtown Mason City. She was supposed to be at work by 3am but she didn't come in at her usual time. Jody's producer, Amy, called her at 4:10am Jody answered the phone. It sounded like she had just woken up, but nothing else seemed wrong. Amy asked Jody if she was coming in, and Jody said she would be there in a few minutes.

B (19:03)

So no concern, really. Right. I mean, no. Then a little bit. But she said she's going to be here.

A (19:09)

And I think the other thing is, you know, it's establishing for sure that Jody was alive and at her apartment at 4:10am and that's valuable information for the police later on once they find out that she's missing. Amy said in her interview with the Find Jody group that Jody was late. About once a week, Amy would call her to wake her up and Jody would be at work within 20 minutes. And it sounds like maybe Jody didn't get enough sleep.

B (19:41)

Right.

A (19:42)

You know, Amy said she often seemed like she was sleepy at work and she had a hard time getting up. Well, first of all, it's because you got to get up at 3am and.

B (19:53)

You'Re staying out a little bit later than you should.

A (19:54)

Right. I mean, theoretically, to get a good night's sleep, you'd have to go to bed at, what, 8 o' clock and that would still only be seven hours. Yeah, not enough 7 o'.

C (20:04)

Clock.

A (20:04)

Who, who goes to bed at 7 o' clock besides my wife, Mark Wahlberg. Mark Wahlberg. Jody still had not arrived by 5am so Amy called again, thinking she might have fallen back asleep. But Jody didn't answer. And to be honest with you, Gibbs, this happens to me a lot. You know, I set an alarm. I don't really have to be anywhere because I work in my basement. Right. But I do set an alarm because I don't want to sleep too late. But a couple of times a week, I will turn that alarm off and.

B (20:41)

Just let it go.

A (20:42)

Just go right back to sleep.

B (20:44)

Yeah.

A (20:44)

And the next thing I know, it's like an hour later and.

B (20:48)

Or two.

A (20:48)

Or two.

B (20:52)

I hope your wife doesn't hear this part.

A (20:54)

Oh, she knows. Yeah, she knows. When I get up, even though she's not home, she's teaching. So Jody doesn't show up. Amy anchored the show at 6am the newscast ended at 7. Still no word from Jody. Amy asked a coworker to call the police to conduct a welfare check. And you can kind of see it, Right. The worry is not there in the beginning. Because, first of all, this is kind of normal for Jody. As Amy put it, this happened a couple of times a week on average. And she did talk to her on the phone. Yeah. So what is there to worry about?

B (21:35)

That's true. Right. I just talked to her. I mean, she was. Sounded half asleep, but I feel like she'll be here soon.

A (21:41)

But by seven o', clock, when you talk to her three hours ago and she's still not there. Okay. Then the worry becomes much greater. An officer arrived at the key Apartments around 7:15am Jody's vehicle was still in the parking lot. Her heels, blow dryer, earrings and hairspray were scattered on the ground nearby. Her bent car key was also found at the scene, suggesting a struggle. CBS reported there were drag marks near the car.

B (22:15)

Okay, so it looks like maybe somebody abducted her right by the car as she was trying to get in it.

A (22:21)

Yeah, I would agree with that. Now, she carrying, you know, her blow dryer, hairspray. Maybe she's going to do some of that in the car. Or maybe she's going to use it once she gets to the station. And that kind of tells you she never even got the door open to put that stuff inside.

B (22:43)

Yeah.

A (22:44)

When she was attacked. And maybe she was wearing her heels. Or maybe she was carrying those two. But heels and earrings could have come off in. In the struggle.

B (22:53)

Sure.

A (22:54)

I think the bent car key is interesting. Could it have been that she had gotten the key in the lock and then was grabbed, still had it in her Hand and it kind of bent and eventually came out.

B (23:10)

Could have.

A (23:10)

Or something along those lines.

B (23:12)

Or if she fell to the ground and the way the key and it.

A (23:16)

Bent that way, it looked like Jody rushed out of her apartment with her makeup kit and was abducted by someone lying in wait. The police searched a half mile area around the complex, which included part of the Winnebago River. Mason City Police Chief Jack Schleiper said about the search, per the Des Moines Register, there were no traces of her. Other items linked to her have not been found in any place other than the parking lot. Information that we have acquired today and over the investigation would lead us to believe it is possibly a foul play. Disappearance, I don't think that's any stretch. Now, if you don't find all that stuff by the car, it would be maybe a little harder to jump to that conclusion. But finding what they did find kind of screams out that something bad happened to her.

B (24:11)

Either something like that happened or someone's trying to set the scene up like something like that happened. But why go through all that work?

A (24:18)

Yeah. Because I don't know what you'd be gaining by setting up that scene. You're basically saying, hey, something bad happened to her.

B (24:26)

Yeah.

A (24:27)

Now, there wasn't much forensic evidence, but the police did find a hair and a partial palm print on Jody's car. A police lieutenant said investigators found the toilet seat up in Jody's apartment, suggesting the possibility of a male visitor the following day. However, the police chief told the press there was no evidence anyone was with Jody before she disappeared. But I would say, right, the toilet seat up does suggest that there was a male in the house and probably very recently because I'm sure at some point Jody had to use the restroom.

B (25:06)

Yeah.

A (25:06)

She would have put the toilet seat down. Jody's friend, John Van Sykes was identified as a person of interest early in the investigation. According to News Nation, John called Jody's producer Amy Coons at 7:20am to ask if she was at work. This was considered suspicious behavior. At this time, it wasn't public knowledge that Jody was missing.

B (25:32)

So that would be strange for someone.

A (25:34)

To do then to call kind of out of the blue and say, hey, is Jody at work? Now, could it be that he watched the the morning news and noticed Jody wasn't on it?

B (25:46)

True.

A (25:46)

And was calling in to find out why. But that's not the way it was framed. It was framed as if he was just calling to see if Jody was at work. John and several other friends came to the apartment complex later. That evening, the police told him he was the last one to see Jody alive after, he said, she came to his apartment the night before. And that's a tough position to be in, to be the last person to see someone alive who has gone missing. But if you are, then you are right. I mean, if you met with someone the night before, then you would be the last person or the last known person. The last known person. I think what's a little different here, you know, in a lot of cases, someone finds out that, okay, the person doesn't show up to work, but they never hear from them. This case is a little different because Amy called Jody's apartment and actually spoke to her, which means she was alive and well inside her apartment at 4:10am yeah.

B (26:59)

So what happens after that is the mystery.

A (27:02)

Kimt reporters were at the scene that day, including Jody's friend and fellow reporter Robin Wolfram. Kimt recorded John saying, she was like a daughter to me. She was just like my own child. I treated her like my own child.

B (27:19)

Okay, Yeah.

A (27:21)

I don't know what you make of that. You know, did they have a father daughter type relationship? Obviously they weren't related. But did he think of her as a daughter? I didn't get that sense. I got the sense that he was romantically interested in her. Now, she might have seen him as some sort of friend, father figure because of the age difference. I don't think he saw it that way. He said about Jody's visit to his home, and we watched the tape and we chuckled, we laughed, we giggled, we hee hawed, we did everything. We said. We're going to cut this portion out of the tape and then we'd laugh about it. We hee hawed.

B (28:08)

When's the last time you he hauled?

A (28:10)

Probably the last time I watched he haw.

B (28:12)

Well, that would make sense. Then he hauled. While you watched, he hauled.

A (28:16)

There were no eyewitnesses to the abduction. Police looked at two sex offenders who lived nearby, but they were ruled out as suspects. The police also analyzed Jody's 1994 police report, but the suspect in that case remained unidentified. John Van Sykes remained a person of interest. At first, Jody's friend Annie Cruz insisted John would have no reason to harm her. 25 years later, she would tell 48 Hours she believed John could have been involved. She thought the potential motive was rejection. However, she questioned why John would make a romantic advance towards Jody in her apartment parking lot in the early morning hours. And that does seem strange, right? If you know that this woman has to get up and Go to work. Well, first of all, she's, like, an hour late, so the timing of that seems strange. Now, maybe he was waiting out there the whole time, which is possible, but I'm going to just run a scenario by you. Let's say the night before, when she was apparently over at his apartment, he made a romantic advance that was rebuffed. Now, he could have done something right then and there, but let's say, no, he didn't. Jody went home, she went to bed, and he stewed about it all night. Maybe.

B (29:46)

Sure.

A (29:46)

And he made a plan. He got mad, and he said, you know, I'm going to get her. I. I guess, you know, you could put that forth as a motive.

B (29:56)

Yeah. Or maybe something happened that night at.

A (29:58)

His apartment that he didn't want to come out later.

B (30:03)

Yeah.

A (30:04)

Didn't want to give her a chance. But then again, why not do it at his apartment or do it as she's leaving?

B (30:10)

Maybe she made him feel like, you know, we're talking about tomorrow.

A (30:15)

Yeah.

B (30:15)

I just got to get out of here.

A (30:18)

Robin Wolfram suspected John had feelings for Jody, that she didn't return. Robin also thought John seemed far too happy during his news interview, considering the tragic circumstances. And we get into this all the time. Right. How do people view someone who's giving an interview in the wake of some type of tragedy? Are they too happy? Are they too sad? And the tears aren't real.

B (30:46)

Where's their emotions at?

A (30:48)

Jody's family met John after her disappearance. Her sister Joanne Nath, found him odd and thought he could be linked to her disappearance because he seemed obsessed with Jody.

B (31:00)

Well, I think he probably was obsessed with her.

A (31:03)

Well, I think you jumped on that pretty quickly about the naming of the boat. It's kind of a big thing to name a boat. Yeah, and to name it after this woman with whom you're not romantically involved. Okay.

B (31:18)

I mean, I know you're obsessed with Jennifer Aniston. Was it weird when you named your lawnmower Aniston 1 and then you named your truck Anniston 2? I thought it was strange. You know, if you had a boat, you probably would name it the Anniston.

A (31:36)

Maybe.

B (31:37)

Yeah. I don't know how your wife puts up with that.

A (31:39)

She likes her, too. And she obviously views her as no threat whatsoever. 48 hours obtained a copy of a search warrant for Jody's vehicle and learned it was not in her name. The license was listed to John Lessard, the previous owner, pending title transfer. Lassard is a local businessman. He told 48 Hours. The sale was arranged by a friend of his who has since died. He only met Jody to give her the car keys. According to John's friend, ladonna Woodford, John said the car was a birthday gift from Jody's boyfriend, but she didn't want it and planned to return it. Annie Cruz said Jody never mentioned anything about someone buying the car for her. She told 48 Hours that John was jealous when it came to Jody, often inserting himself into her conversations with others because he wanted to make sure that everybody knew Jody was his okay. And we're getting a lot more insinuation now of his kind of obsessive nature.

B (32:46)

Some substance here.

A (32:47)

Yeah, around Jody. However, ladonna Woodford insisted John was not interested in Jody romantically, saying when he'd talk about Jody, it was like, I'm protecting her. She's like my daughter. She also claimed that John was out taking a walk with her on the morning of the abduction, and he didn't seem nervous at all. John lived just five minutes away from Jodi, but ladonna doesn't think he would have had enough time to abduct Jodi, possibly dispose of her body and be home by 6am when she called him to confirm their walk.

B (33:22)

Well, look, I think people will be surprised on what you can get. Don't. A short period of time.

A (33:28)

Yeah, I mean, if you're. You're talking about a five minute drive sometime between 4:10 and 6am that's almost a two hour period of time. Let's say 4:30 by the time she gets up, gets going, you're probably looking at about an hour and a half, maybe, or close to it.

B (33:46)

Sure.

A (33:47)

It's definitely not a window of time where you could conclusively say that, well, he couldn't have done it. Police confirmed in the fall of 1995 that John passed a polygraph, which he told the Des Moines Register, saying, I gave them all the information I could possibly give. I've tried to help as much as I possibly could. I've been able to verify where I've been and my times, and that's not a problem.

B (34:15)

Believe in them or not. I mean, it's still somewhat positive that he passed a polygraph.

A (34:21)

Well, it's much better than it, you know, showing deception or it being inconclusive. By June 28, the FBI was asked to assist the Mason City Police. The search was called off on June 29, and the police announced they had interviewed up to 100 people. On July 1, Jody's disappearance was reclassified as an Abduction investigators revealed that someone at the apartment complex heard a scream on the morning of June 27. Police were seeking a white mid-80s Ford Econoline van that was seen in the parking lot around the time of the abduction. The police received multiple tips and investigated different leads, but Jody's case went cold. Now one thing that I did think was very strange was that the FBI was asked to assist on 28 June, and the very next day the. The police said that the search had been called off. Seems strange. It does seem strange you have the FBI in there because I'm assuming they thought at this point it was a kidnapping, something the FBI would get involved in. On January 3, 1997, a 21 year old woman was kidnapped by Raymond Henders. She claimed he referenced Jody's disappearance during their drive to Canada where she alerted authorities at the border chat that she had been kidnapped. All right, pretty scary, right? A 21 year old woman is kidnapped. I mean, very smart to alert authorities at the border. But it's really this claim that her kidnapper specifically referenced Jody's disappearance.

B (36:10)

Yeah. So now it sounds like he could be a potential suspect.

A (36:13)

Yeah, absolutely. Now in what context? We don't know. Could he have seen that on the news and use that maybe to, to scare her? It's possible. It's also possible he could have been involved. Skeletal remains were found in a remote wooded area near Northwood, Iowa in April 1997. But investigators determined they were not Jody's. In January 1998, Minneapolis investigative reporter Caroline Lowe identified a potential suspect, serial rapist Tony Jackson, who was charged with raping four women in in 18 days in the Minneapolis area. He stalked the victims beforehand. Jackson was arrested in 1997 during a routine traffic stop. Police discovered rope, handcuffs, a gun and duct tape in his vehicle.

B (37:12)

Not a good thing to. Not a good thing for the police to find in your vehicle.

A (37:16)

No. It definitely screams out, hey, this is my kit.

B (37:21)

Yes.

A (37:22)

Whether it's a rape kit, a murder kit, it's a kit that I'm using to get up to. No good.

B (37:29)

Yeah, it's gonna be hard to explain that one.

A (37:32)

Jackson was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison for first degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and first degree burglary. Jackson was a star basketball player at Waldorf College in Iowa, but he had violent episodes and was kicked out of school. Around early 1994, he enrolled in North Iowa Community College in Mason City, Iowa and showed an interest in broadcasting. The theory is that he saw her on TV and started stalking her. And it happens Right. One of the dangers of being a public figure, being on tv, is that you could draw the attention of a stalker, both men and women. You think about some of the men who have had stalkers. David Letterman.

B (38:22)

It's true.

A (38:23)

I think McConaughey had a stalker at one point. But obviously a lot of women, probably many more women, have stalkers than men. But it can happen to anyone. It's much more likely, I think, to happen when you're famous, when your face is on the TV all the time. A lot of times people become fascinated.

B (38:46)

Enamored, or they think they're closer to you because of that connection.

A (38:51)

Yeah, because a good television anchor will draw you in.

B (38:56)

I mean, I think about one of those earlier cases we did about Rebecca Schaeffer.

A (39:03)

Yeah.

B (39:04)

There was a prime example of someone that was so obsessed with a very public person. Yeah.

A (39:12)

She was on a hit TV show, and unfortunately, this person fixated on her.

B (39:19)

Yeah.

A (39:19)

And killed her. Caroline Lowe spoke to Jackson's ex girlfriend who said they broke up five days before Jody was abducted. She said he was violent with her. She said it was like the devil stepped inside of him and just took over. Okay, the timing is interesting there, because five days before the abduction, could that have been a stressor in his life that caused him to do something?

B (39:50)

Absolutely.

A (39:50)

It could have been. They briefly got back together, but he was arrested for choking her. The charges were later dropped because she moved away and declined to proceed with prosecution. To just four months later, Jackson committed the crime spree in Minnesota. Reporter Caroline Lowe thought the ex girlfriend bore a resemblance to Jody. So you know, when you're talking about theories, you have a woman who breaks up with him, he's fixated on Jody, the two are similar in appearance. And maybe he decides he can't take out his frustration on his ex girlfriend. That would be too obvious. So he's going to take it out on Jody. Lowe kept looking into his case and learned that Jackson's former cellmate claimed he confessed to abducting and killing an anchor woman. He claimed Jackson bragged about it in a rap song and wrote down the alleged lyrics. He said, she's a stiffen around Tiffin and in a pile of silage in a bilo Lobelo, you could have a.

B (41:04)

Career as a rapper.

A (41:06)

They would not be with those words.

B (41:08)

That's true.

A (41:08)

That was not the best rhyme that I've ever heard. But there was a theory that Jody was buried on a farm near a silo in Tiffin. A few hours from Mason City. Law enforcement brought cadaver dogs to a site in Tiffin to search for human remains, and the dogs alerted that something had been there. So, you know, you go back to the lyrics. They make a little more sense.

B (41:34)

Sure they do.

A (41:35)

After you learn that. But this lead didn't pan out. On May 5, 1999, the Mason City Police issued a statement saying, after conducting a thorough investigation, which included interviews, crime laboratory analysis, records review, and polygraph examination, Tony Jackson is not considered at this time a viable suspect in the investigation.

B (42:00)

I mean, I think you had to be excited at first. I mean, it felt like it could have had legs.

A (42:07)

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Now, to me, them coming out and saying that he's not a viable suspect is a big deal. They're essentially clearing him. Right. They don't have to do that. Why are they coming out and saying that? In my mind, they have to be, like, really, really sure that there's no way he could have done this, because what if it turns out later that they arrest and charge him? The defense attorney is going to say, hey, you came out and you said that he's not even a viable suspect.

B (42:38)

Yeah, exactly.

A (42:40)

So were you lying then or are you lying now? Jackson wrote to 48 Hours in 2018, I stand firm in my integrity regarding the Jody Husentrute case. He also did a prison interview with ABC in 2021, saying, all that I can tell you about Jody is that she's become a central part of my life since I've been incarcerated. It's been something that I've been for many years hoping will be resolved so that that stigma can be taken away from me so that I can rest.

B (43:15)

So he's saying, I don't have nothing to do with it. I wish people would just leave me alone.

A (43:19)

Yeah. Now, the fact that he's doing it from prison, you know, doesn't really add much to his credibility. But Jody was declared legally dead on May 14, 2001. Her sister Joanne Nath, said about the decision, per the Des Moines Register. This is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Everybody tells us Jody is no longer with us, but I still hold out a faint glimmer of hope.

B (43:47)

Why wouldn't you?

A (43:48)

And I've said this before, it would be such a hard decision to make to have a missing loved one declared legally dead. Because you are almost saying, this faint glimmer of hope I have, I'm extinguishing it by making, you know, this declaration.

B (44:08)

You really never want to give up.

A (44:10)

In April 2001, a new potential suspect was identified A man named Anthony Zappa who abducted a teenage girl in Nebraska. On January 23, 1995, Zappa pleaded guilty to a string of burglaries. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but was released on appeal. He was readmitted to prison on September 1, 1995 and and was paroled in March 1999. Zappa continued committing crimes and was wanted in five states for car theft, assault and illegal gun possessions. He had been on the run since November 2000 after failing to appear in Minnesota court on a burglary charge. He escaped five bounty hunters in March 2001, wounding one during a shootout. On April 7, 2001, 17 year old Ann Slooty was abducted from a shopping center parking lot in Kearney, Nebraska. And it was said that there were some notable similarities to the Jody Husentrut case. Authorities found Ann's purse and other belongings scattered near her car in the parking lot. Witnesses said a man approached Ann as she walked to her car. She was hit on the head and forced into a stolen minivan. The police found the van in Colorado, but there were no signs of Ann or Anthony Zappa. So I get the similarities, right. It doesn't conclusively mean they're linked. They are similar. But I think anytime that you're going to attack someone, Gibbs, as they're getting in their car, is there a chance that there are some things that are going to be dropped and left there?

B (45:58)

I'd say yeah.

A (45:59)

Yeah, I think the chances are pretty high. I mean, is someone who's trying to abduct a woman going to take the time to bend down and pick up all these various items?

B (46:11)

No.

A (46:11)

That they don't care about. Zappa was arrested on April 11 at a secluded cabin in Rollins, Montana. And Slooty was with him and appeared to be physically unharmed. She acted as a negotiator during the 10 hour standoff with police. And that's kind of amazing in and of itself. You know, you've been kidnapped. Once the police catch up with you and your abductor, then you're kind of thrust in this role as kind of the negotiator to help end it.

B (46:44)

But you kind of maybe have to do it for your own life to.

A (46:48)

Say, yeah, to save yourself. Authorities believe Zappa was in prison at the time of Jody's disappearance. But a review of Iowa DOC records showed he was released. He and his cousins lived 30 miles from Mason City.

B (47:04)

Well, his cousins weren't too far away.

A (47:05)

No, and cousins usually never are. Zappa was most likely ruled out as a potential suspect because there don't seem to be any recent articles about him in connection with Jody's case. So that's one of those things, Gibbs. You know, as you're researching a case, this guy comes up and then it's like they just stop writing about him. So what does that mean? Either the police ruled him out or just nothing else is materialized and really viable there. Yeah. TV journalist Josh Benson and Gary Peterson created the group find Jody in 2003. This all volunteer team of journalists and former law enforcement hope to close the case. Find Jody has produced podcasts, hosted events, and put up billboards bringing awareness to the case. Their website also has links to previous case coverage, and it's a good resource if you want to learn more about the case. Dive in a little deeper. Find Jodi looked into the individuals questioned by the police over the years, including John van cise. In 2017, the police obtained a warrant for GPS information on two of John's vehicles. In 2018, Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley told 48 Hours that they didn't get any useful information from the search, but that was all he would say. The search warrant has been resealed every year since NewsNation reported that investigators convened a grand jury in 2017. Van Cise was subpoenaed to testify and provide finger and palm prints. Iowa authorities also convened a grand jury back in 1997. John's friend Ladonna Woodford told 48 out she was subpoenaed in question for five hours. Van Cise was not indicted by either grand jury.

B (49:09)

It really sounds like they couldn't find anything to move forward with.

A (49:14)

Yeah, they just felt like there wasn't enough. In April 2019, Van Cise made his first public statement in 24 years through private investigator Steve Ridge, who's been working the case for multiple years. Per News Nation, Van Syke said he had absolutely no involvement in the apparent abduction of his friend Jody Husentrud. He denied having a romantic relationship with Jody and said he was seeing another woman at the time. Jody was like a daughter to him. He also said he has fully cooperated with law enforcement, completed two voluntary polygraphs, had his DNA tested, and. And his finger and palm prints taken.

B (49:58)

Well, that's a lot of voluntary cooperation.

A (50:02)

It is. And I mean, I think if you are a person who had something to do with someone's disappearance, do you really want to volunteer all of that up?

B (50:15)

I don't think so.

A (50:17)

I don't think so either. So by my way of thinking, either had nothing to do with it or you're going for broke. Right. You know you did, but you're hoping that by providing all of this, it makes you look as though you're not guilty. And they won't be able to match anything anyway, so I'll just cooperate.

B (50:40)

Yeah.

A (50:41)

Van Cise and his wife asked Rich to disclose that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. This weighed heavily in the decision to issue a definitive statement. Bridge said he viewed an 11 page medical evaluation and can attest to the formal diagnosis. And what do you make of that, Gibbs?

B (51:02)

So I feel like they're saying this is what we're giving you. There's nothing else for us to give you after this point. Because his mind is going to deteriorate.

A (51:10)

Yeah. And if he doesn't do it now.

B (51:12)

Yeah.

A (51:13)

He may not have the chance later on to, you know, make these statements. On March 11, 2021, a citizen located clothing and human bones on the shore of the Winnebago river near North Illinois Avenue in Mason City. Officers searched the area and found additional bones, but here again, there weren't any other, like, follow up article. So my assumption is that these bones were determined to not have any connection with Jody's case because obviously that would have spurred a lot of reporting.

B (51:53)

I mean, here's another set of bones found that's not hers, but obviously they belong to somebody.

A (52:00)

Well, it is disturbing that we're finding. Finding so many bones.

B (52:03)

Yeah.

A (52:04)

But it does come up in a lot of cases. Right. We're looking for someone and we found bones. Okay. It's not that person. We found another set of bones.

B (52:12)

It's not that person.

A (52:13)

Okay, well, who's killing all these people? Or are they just dying naturally out in the, in the woods or in these areas? In 2023, private investigator Steve Ridge did an interview with News Nation revealing that Jody met a man just 10 days before she disappeared. They saw each other eight times in 10 days. They golfed together, went out for dinner and drinks. Bridge told NewsNation that Jody was preoccupied with this man and he took her out of her normal routine, which might have created intense jealousy from others who were used to having regular access to her. This was the first time this information was made public. Because Jodi was a public figure, he hoped someone who might have seen her on a date with this man would come forward. Bridge added that he believes there are three people who have information who have not come forward yet. He thinks they could re energize the case if they do come forward.

B (53:12)

That's really coming late to the Party though it is.

A (53:16)

And, you know, you can question his motives, I guess, if you want to. He does work for John, or at least did. I don't know if he's still working for him in 2023 when he does this interview or not. So could there be, you know, a motive to put a different spin on it? Maybe. But, you know, if Jody was really seeing someone, well, who is that person? And obviously, I mean, chances are high that police would consider them a person of interest. In late 2024, private investigator Steve Ridge announced he had narrowed the suspect list from 29 to four people, saying, I'm 100% certain that I do have Jody's killer or at least abductor on my list.

B (54:13)

That's confidence.

A (54:14)

Yeah. It doesn't mean it's true, but he is saying it with a large degree of confidence. 100% certain is about as certain as you can be. I don't know how you can be any more certain. Certainly he believes jealousy over Jody's new relationship was a motive for her abduction. He told News Nation. I think plain and simply, things came to a head. Given the fact that she had developed this new relationship, I believe this was ultimately the motive for a confrontation that that would have occurred in the parking lot at her Keys apartments. Ridge also disclosed that longtime person of interest John Van Sykes was permanently incapacitated and unable to aid in his own defense. You know, which is sad for him, obviously, if he didn't have anything to do with it, he never really got to see his name cleared. Right now, if he did have something to do with it and a grand jury at some point indicts him while he's still alive, it's going to be tough.

B (55:19)

But at this time in 2024 when he's saying this, why would he need to worry about aiding his own defense?

A (55:27)

Well, I don't know if he's worried about it. I think this Ridge guy is just saying he would be unable to. In late 2024, the police confirmed they searched a property in Winstead, Minnesota. The search focused on land surrounding a construction site where apartments are being built. The police didn't say what information led them to this area. And that's always tough, right? They give you just enough to be tantalizing.

B (55:55)

Yeah.

A (55:56)

But not enough to kind of let you know what's really going on or what is driving them to take a look here. In late December 2024, Steve Ridge revealed John Van Sykes passed away on December 6th in Arizona. In January 2025, two Iowa attorneys filed a motion arguing that the 2017 search warrant should be unsealed since Van Cise died. The motion stated the state has no right to conduct an investigation after a person is deceased. PI Steve Ridge retains the attorneys who filed the motion. He said about unsealing the warrant, I think it's time to lift the cloud of suspicion that has hung over Van Syce and his family for many years. So I think it's quite obvious, Gibbs, that this investigator Ridge does not believe that. That John Van Cise was involved at all.

B (56:55)

Sounds like it.

A (56:56)

If anything, he's trying to get this. This warrant unsealed so that maybe it sheds some light that will kind of take the heat off of John, even. Even though at this point he has passed on. In February, Cerro Gordo County Attorney Carlisle Dalon filed a motion asking a judge to keep the warrant sealed, arguing the ongoing investigation was would be compromised if the documents were unsealed. Currently, there's a hearing on the motion scheduled for March 3. June 27, 2025, will mark 30 years since Jody Husentrut was abducted. Anyone with information on her case can contact the Mason City Police Department at 641-421-3636 or email Iowa DCI Special Agent Ryan Herman at R. Hermanps State MN US. You can also contact the Find Jody group. So, you know, Gibbs, as we wrap this one up, there's no doubt about it. There were a lot of people who loved Jody Husentrude. She was kind of a shining light. She was a celebrity in her town and surrounding areas. I think the mystery here is, and there's a few of them, most of the unsolved cases that we do, I feel as though someone sees somebody the night before and then has no idea what happened to them. This case is different. You have someone talking to Jody just after 4 o' clock in the morning. She says, okay, I'm on my way in. Something happened, it seems, from that point to the point where she got to her car.

B (58:58)

And what was that?

A (58:59)

Yeah, I think that's one mystery. Obviously, the second mystery is who did it. You have this John Van Cise guy who, you know, seems strange, let's be honest. There were some strange things about. Sure, there was him and some of the things he said.

B (59:17)

Well, hopefully we hear more about what happened at this hearing. Maybe that will shed some light on who was involved.

A (59:25)

Well, there's definitely a reason why both sides are in disagreement about having this warrant unsealed. There's something in there. And the county attorney, you know, argued that the investigation would be compromised if the documents were unsealed. I think that tells you right there, there's something in there. Yeah, but what is it? We don't know. It would be interesting to find that out. But you have John Van Cise, which a lot of people have looked at over the years as kind of being a person of interest, if not a viable suspect. You know, if what Steve Ridge is saying is correct, you have this guy that Jody had met. She was in this new relationship. If all of that is true, then that guy, to me, becomes a very compelling person.

B (60:22)

Sure.

A (60:23)

In this case. And you just wonder why there's not more out there about it. Was it because it was so new? Nobody in her life really knew about it. And obviously that person's not going to come forward and say, oh, by the way, I had just entered into a very recent relationship with this woman if they were somehow involved in it. So that's a very interesting component for me. But that's it for our episode on the disappearance of Jody Husintrue. We could find out some information sometime soon, at least on whether or not they're going to unseal some of these documents. We got some voicemails, Gibbs. You want to check them out?

B (61:08)

Let's hear them.

C (61:09)

Hey, Mike and Gibby. This is Christy from Tennessee. First time caller, but a longtime listener, I think. I'm listening since the Chevy Kehoe case. And I just wanted to thank you all for the podcast. You all do a great job of covering these cases. With respect and I also enjoy the banter between you two. I did want to mention that there is a case from our local area, a girl named Summer Wales. She was five years old when she went missing in 2021. And while she has been covered on other podcasts, it's been a while. And I think with the research you all do, you all could do a great justice with covering her case. I believe her aunt also went missing, like decades before. But anyways, thank you all so much again for the podcast and Duck. Yeah, great, thanks. Bye.

A (62:00)

All right, thanks for the voicemail. And that's definitely a case that we'll look into.

B (62:04)

Yeah, sounds like a good one to look into. Thank you.

C (62:07)

Hi, this call is from Indiana. There's an unsolved murder of a 10 year old boy, Blake Dickus, and his 26 year old stepmother who was also murdered at the same time in Franklin, Indiana. I think it was July of 2006 and it's still unsolved today. You just don't see much coverage anymore. But the thing that always stood out to me was the number of. Or I guess the amount of construction that was going on in the area at the time. They had just moved into their house, like, a month prior. Blake's father, rather. And so there was construction going on in the subdivision, but there was also high school being built nearby. And so I feel like they focused heavily on some burglaries that had gone on, but this was, like, during the day with people home. So I feel like it would be less a burglary than something else. Anyway, I feel like having eyes on that again might help the family out. Thank you.

A (63:18)

All right. Another great suggestion.

B (63:19)

Sure.

A (63:20)

We will add it to the list and. And check it out.

B (63:23)

Thank you.

A (63:23)

You know, some of those ones we do check out, and then we. We find out there's just not enough out there, you know, to make a full episode about.

B (63:30)

Yeah, yeah.

A (63:31)

But we'll. We'll check on them for sure. All right, buddy. That is it for another episode of True Crime. All the time unsolved. So for Mike and G, stay safe and keep your own time.

B (63:49)

Sam.