48 Hours - Find Jodi

Episode Date: December 17, 2018

More than two decades after an Iowa TV anchor disappeared, "48 Hours" reveals new information into the investigation. CBS News' Jim Axelrod investigates.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to this podcast ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app today. Even if you love the thrill of true crime stories as much as I do, there are times when you want to mix it up. And that's where Audible comes in, with all the genres you love and new ones to discover. Explore thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. Listening to Audible can lead to positive change in your mood, your habits,

and even your overall well-being. And you can enjoy Audible anytime, while doing household chores, exercising, commuting, you name it. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.ca. In 2014, Laura Heavlin was in her home in Tennessee when she received a call from California. Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was missing. The young wife of a Marine had moved to the California desert

to a remote base near Joshua Tree National Park. They have to alert the military. And when they do, the NCIS gets involved. From CBS Studios and CBS News, this is 48 Hours NCIS. Listen to 48 Hours NCIS ad-free starting October 29th on Amazon Music. And at this hour, investigators still have few clues about where Jody Husentruth might be. The FBI is now involved in the case, and they're beginning to concentrate their efforts. Search dogs turn up clues, but tonight it remains untested evidence. Where is she? Who knows something hasn't come forward?

Caroline Lowe is in Tiffin, Iowa, with an update right now. Caroline? Well, Amelia, tonight there's a stained silo door. Being a journalist, I know what gets covered, and that's why we do things like billboards to try to get the attention. We really wish we weren't here today. 23 years later, what happened to Jody is still a mystery. You are watching News Channel 3 Daybreak. The time is 6 o'clock, 64 degrees,

some light showers falling in North Iowa. Jodi grew up in Minnesota. Then she went to Mason City in 1993 to become reporter morning anchor. This morning, our morning anchor, 27-year-old Jodi, who's in fruit, apparently disappeared. She was running late. It appeared that Jody had been attacked from behind and then dragged away from her car,

and her stuff was scattered behind. I called her, and I talked to her. She was there. It sounded like I woke her up. Her first question was, what time is it? I said, Jody, it's 10 after 4. You need to come in. That was the last contact anybody has had with Jodi. It's been 38 hours now since anyone has spoken to Jodi Who's Intrude. Good evening, everyone.

I had such a strange collision of emotions. Residents from all across North Iowa are in turn feeling the emotion and the desperation for Jodi's safe return. And I thought, I know her so well, and all of these folks who are watching on TV right now feel like they really know her, too. They had her in their home every morning, and they loved her. Way to go, Kevin. She has a hard last name. Who's in truth?

After the 27th of June, she's Jody. Doesn't need a last name anymore. She'll always be just Jody. The clock was ticking. doesn't need a last name anymore. She'll always be just Jody. The clock was ticking. I'm John Schein from KIMT Television, Mason City, Iowa. We need your help. One of our news anchors is missing.

It's been 42 hours since we last heard from our dear friend Jody. There are lots and lots of theories. How would you classify John Van Sise? I would classify him as a friend. Jody spent more time with John Van Sise in the last month that she was in Mason City than anybody that we know of. And he said I was the last person to see her. I interviewed him the next day. Have the police indicated whether or not you're a suspect? No, there haven't been any indication. They've interviewed me twice, but there haven't been any indication I'm a suspect. Is anybody alive?

The Mason City police said they're now concentrating their efforts on 12 people. There's been no detainments. There's only been people that have been interviewed. It could be somebody we least expect. Did she ever express concern that she was being stalked? Yes. Yeah. This case is not going to go away. We're never going to forget about it.

We've got a couple investigators out. You want to go away. We're never going to forget about it. We've got a couple of investigators out. You want to go back this way? These are phone-in tips, psychic leads. We have never closed the case. It's never been a cold case for us. It's been an active investigation since it happened. But we're 23 years in. Right. I'm not ready to quit yet.

The more we keep this story alive, it might just unlock the puzzle. I may be walking around with my cane and maybe in a wheelchair, but I am staying on this until we find Jodi. Somebody knows something. Is it you? relay sound and music. I'm going to send things right back to the studio. Thank you very much, Sarah. Are they or are they not?

I think they're just being questioned right now. Here's a look at what we're working on for KIMT News 3 at 5. The yellow ribbon is still there, 23 years after anchor Jody Husentrude vanished on her way to work in Mason City, Iowa. I said earlier, there's no way they still have those old desks, but... And here it is. Here it is. Jody's old desk still occupies the same spot

in the KIMT-TV newsroom. I'm certain it is. Doug Merbach was the news director back then. I haven't been back in 15 years. Robin Wolfram was also an anchor. Makes me sad to be right here for some reason, sad and then peaceful, too. JOHN YANG, Jodi was more than a colleague.

She was a friend. What words pop into mind when you think of Jodi? JODI HUSBAND, I think the first word that always comes to my mind is effervescent. JODI HUSBAND, Good Thursday morning. Welcome to Daybreak. June 15th already. I'm Jodi, who's in Truett. JODI HUSBAND, And people would often describe her as bubbly.

Kind of a bright light in the morning to get people started for the day. She was your cup of joe in the morning. Yeah, a lot of energy. Fame, I want to live forever. This was not going to be her last stop, Mason City. She always talked about being on national television. We always would have these conversations, the two of us. She was beautiful. She was engaging. She was smart. The only thing she had to overcome was that Minnesota accent.

President Clinton leaves this morning for the Group of Seven summit in Nova Scotia. And she was working hard on that. She was working really hard on that one. But Jodi Husentruth's dream of making it, ended the morning of Tuesday, June 27, 1995. The anchor of KIMT's 6 a.m. newscast, she usually arrived at work by 3.30 in the morning. If she's not there between 3.30 and 4, I give her a call and say, hey, are you awake? Producer Amy Koons noticed nothing unusual when she called and woke Jodi up about 10 after 4 that morning. She was asking about the show. She was concerned about the show, and she said, I'll be right there.

But at 5.30, still no Jodi. And this being a time before cell phones, Amy tried her at home again and got her answering machine. At 6 a.m., Amy had to step up and deliver the news in Jodi's place. She loves her show. She calls it her show. You know, she wouldn't miss it for anything. The police were called shortly after 7. When they arrived at Jodi's apartment, she wasn't home. But they found her shoes, hair dryer, and keys scattered on the ground near her beloved red Mazda Miata.

Jack Schlieper was police chief then. We do have things that would make us believe that there could be foul play here. There were also apparent drag marks near her car, signs of a struggle. The vehicle was processed on the outside. We did process it for fingerprints. Police found someone's palm print on the car. Special canine units quickly began a search of Jody's apartment complex and the banks of the Winnebago River. This is News Channel 3's Evening Edition. Police are investigating the disappearance, but aren't saying much else at this time.

That evening, KIMT's lead story was the devastating news about one of its own. Jodi, who's in truth, was and still is a very dear friend of mine as well as all of us here at KIMT, and we're inviting all of you to join us in keeping her and her family in your prayers this evening. Toughest thing you've ever done in your career, Robin? Probably, yeah.

I don't know what it looked like to the viewer, but I just know inside it was a mess. Police descended on the newsroom, searching Jodi's desk for any evidence of an angry or obsessed viewer. Had Jodi's natural warmth made her a target? You know, she went grocery shopping, and it took her two hours because she talked to three people along the way,

and she always had time for everybody. Joanne Nathie is Jodi's sister. She definitely was too trusting. So not thinking that maybe some of those people watching her had their own Potentially troubling ideas. Yeah, that's what I worry about that. She you know was too personable Revealing too much maybe what she did day to day I live by a big swimming pool and I can hear the children swimming and splashing and yelling Everyone she met loved her.

Do you know how many people think she was her best friend? Stacey Steinman and Kim Feist actually were Jodi's best friends. Do you remember when she nicknamed us all stupid things? And her nickname was Focus. She wanted us to call her Focus. They grew up together in the small town of Long Prairie, Minnesota. In high school, Jodi lived up to her nickname when she helped the golf team win two state championships. She just doesn't fail. What would she say about what she wanted to achieve in life?

She wanted to be famous. Yeah, she wanted to be famous. And she knew that in high school that she wanted to be a news anchor. The Twin in high school that she wanted to be a news anchor. The Twin Cities metro area is among the top 20 areas in the nation in total population. Jodi pursued her dream at St. Cloud State University with a starring role on the school's TV station. Joel, I'm not clowning around when I say our show has to come to a close. She was just 25 when she landed the 6 a.m. and noon anchor slots at KIMT. Thank you for joining us. The time right now is 6.30, right on the button. Now she was gone.

Jodi vanished just days before she was to be in Stacy's wedding party, leaving Stacy to struggle with whether to go ahead with it. A good friend of ours was a priest, and we were just like, what do we do? party leaving Stacy to struggle with whether to go ahead with it a good friend of ours was a priest and we were just like what do we do he said now's a good time to keep people together this is when we need prayer and pray for and don't cancel the wedding it's been 38 hours now since anyone has spoken to Jody who's in truth our news Channel 3 co-anchor disappeared yesterday morning. June 28, 1995. The investigation was expanding. We had to ask for the FBI to give us some assistance. And Jody's story

was national news. Fear is growing in one Iowa farm town. Someone is missing, News. Fear is growing in one Iowa farm town. Someone is missing, not a face in the crowd, but one of the most familiar faces in town. It just struck me as so, I don't know, so sad and I was just sick and I thought this is not what we meant about being on national news. See crime scene photos from the case on Facebook at 48 hours. Yellow ribbons there, yellow ribbons there. Everywhere you go. All along the road. News director Doug Merbach was overwhelmed

by Mason City's show of support after Jody disappeared 23 years ago. It really gives you a boost to know that people care. They really love Jody. She was not just a person on TV every morning. She was our friend. Somebody's got to know something to bring her home. It's now been nearly two and a half days

since the person who usually sits in this chair disappeared. June 29, 1995. Investigators say they've now narrowed their focus to around a dozen people they'd like to continue questioning. The police also revealed Jody had reported a possible stalker nine months before she disappeared. We did find out that Jody did make a report of an incident that occurred when she was out jogging. How long ago was that report? I believe that was in October of 1994. She got shook up one day when she was out hiking or jogging on a trail, and a black truck had followed her. But the police never got to the bottom of that incident, and Jodi never reported another one. And now Joanne Nathie was pleading on TV for her baby sister's return.

I just pray that whoever has her out there, they will just remember she's so sweet and good. She'd never hurt anyone. Just let her go. JOHN YANG, It's been 84 hours now. Jody Hoose and Truth, the 27-year-old colleague of ours, disappeared three-and-a-half days ago. She was supposed to arrive at the work.

JOHN YANG, June 30, the fire department has intensified its search in the Winnebago River. Don't put that line across the highway bridge. In case a body has floated to the surface, it's a scenario no one wants to think about. I've never personally talked with Jody, but myself and everyone else doesn't want to find Jody this way. July 1st, this announcement. We are now officially classifying this as an abduction. Several neighbors have told police they heard a scream around the time Jody disappeared, but no one had called for help.

This type of white van was also seen in the parking lot that morning. I couldn't even walk outside in the dark because I was so afraid of how it happened in Jodi's parking lot. You had a police escort home. Whoever took Jodi seemed to be familiar with her schedule. Could it have been someone she knew? To find out, investigators were piecing together the last days of Jody's life. And this man popped up on their radar by declaring he'd been the last person to see Jody alive.

They've interviewed me twice, but they haven't given me any indication I'm a suspect. Jody's friend, John Van Syce, told Robin in an interview that Jody had visited his home the night before she was abducted. She was laughing the whole time she was there, and she laughed the time she left. How did he strike you? Way too happy and gleeful. He wanted to be interviewed. She was like a daughter to me.

She was just like my own child. I treated her like my own child. So who exactly is John Van Sise? Drilling down into that question is complicated by the passage of time. But this certainly helps. 23 years ago, days after Jody disappeared, 48 Hours was in Mason City,

and we spent time with the man who had put himself at the center of the case. Honestly, she's alive somewhere. I just hope she's not hurt. I hope she's OK. I hope she can come back soon. PAUL SOLMAN, Back in 1995, we caught up with John Van Syce and Jody's close friend, Ani Cruz, dockside, where we learned the three often water-skied off his boat. Van Syce certainly wasn't hiding or acting like someone under a cloud of suspicion.

She wouldn't want to sit around home and cry and sob. She'd want to be out having fun, because that was her. It's her. It is. Everything is. It is her. She's coming back. We'll be ready for her. In the days directly after Jody disappears,

you're speaking in present tense. She was one of my closest friends. You know, she was coming home. I really thought that. Van Syce, who was a seed salesman, was recently divorced. He had once lived in Jody's apartment complex, but Jody and Ani had met him at a bar. He offered to buy us both a drink and just started talking to him and didn't know how he felt about

him. And then we met him again and again. And although he was 22 years older than Jody, he became part of her inner circle. Just a bunch of people, get along fine together and have a good time. Two weeks before Jody disappeared, Van Syce helped Ani throw a surprise birthday party for her. That's the water skiing cake. Yeah, and you look at the pictures and she's smiling. She's so beautiful

and happy and she's in her prime. Then, the weekend before Jody's abduction, she and Ani were out on Van Syce's boat. This is News Channel 3's Daybreak. On Monday, Jody was back at work for the last time. Good Monday morning. Welcome to Daybreak. It's June 26th. I'm Jody Husentruth.

That afternoon, she played in a charity golf tournament where she complained she'd been getting some prank phone calls. She told some people at this golf tournament that she was going to have to change her phone number or do something or go to the police. It was later that Monday evening that Van Syce claims Jody came over to his home to watch a video of that surprise birthday party. And we watched the tape and we chuckled and we laughed, we giggled, we hee-hawed, we did everything and said, we're going to cut this And we watched the tape, and we chuckled, and we laughed, we giggled, we hee-hawed, we did everything. We said, we're going to cut this portion out of the tape,

we're going to cut this portion out of the tape, and then we'd laugh about it. The next morning, Jody was gone. Would John Van Syce have a reason to harm her? Ani couldn't think of any. Without a doubt, I had no question that there was no possibility in my mind that he could have ever.

The police were also asking Ani what she knew. The investigators are asking you about John Van Sise. Yes. And you're saying it couldn't be John. No, he's our friend. For me, I'm thinking, why would you hurt somebody that brought so much joy to your life? But Robin had long suspected

that Van Syce had feelings for Jodi that weren't mutual. I truly believe that he had very strong and deep feelings for Jodi. And something he told her back then sent chills down her spine. I named my boat after her just because she's Jodi. You can't help but love that woman. You just can't help but love her. When he said, I named my boat after her, that's when I said,

ugh, that's an obsession. I remember holding onto the microphone and just feeling so ill at ease and thinking to myself, I think you might have done it. In the fall of 1995, some three months after Jody Husentruth disappeared, her family allowed a local TV reporter inside her apartment. Well, it's definitely a little strange being in here.

There were no obvious signs of a struggle. Dishes were still piled up in the sink. Let me be clear, this is a woman who was just headed out to work. Had Jody taken the time to neatly make the bed before rushing to work? Other people had been in the apartment, so we don't know for sure. There's apparently a message for her on the answering machine.

A message she never had a chance to retrieve. She'll be back, except have patience. We can't be down because Jody wouldn't want him. John Van Syce remained under suspicion. 48 hours has learned Jody befriended him during what seems to have been a turbulent time in his life. There was his recent divorce, and he'd been ordered to install a breathalyzer device in his van.

He had a series of arrests related to drunken driving. Did John's life improve just through his connection to Jodi? Absolutely. 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. Ani Cruz says Jody thought Van Syce understood the boundaries in their relationship. 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. In front of him? Yeah, yeah. But some of Jody's friends doubted he got the message. I cautioned her. I said, Jodi, there's going to come a point in time when he's going to want more. When she told us he named his boat after her, we go...

That was our, like... Okay, Jodi, this is a little much. But she didn't see it as odd. No, she laughed. I think she was, like, honored. Like, hey, it's kind of cool. Jodi's sister Joanne and other family members met John Van Cise a few days after Jody's disappearance. You were a fun-loving group.

JOHN VAN CISE, You were. We had a blast together. We just laughed and laughed and laughed. JOHN YANG, Forty-eight hours was there as Van Cise told them about his friendship with Jody. JOHN VAN CISE, I love to watch and have fun. Joanne found his demeanor odd. I try to watch over her.

I try to check on her once in a while. Not all the time, just once in a while. See how she gets on. In my mind, there's a good chance that he is linked to Jody's case some way or other. What makes you say that? It's just that he was so obsessed with her. They've heard you in the apartment.

They've got some nice clothes. They're mine. If I had a shirt she liked, you know, I'd wear it for a while, but I'd give it to her. But Van Sise has never been arrested. He's never been named a suspect. I know. He hasn't.

It's been 23 years. I know. If he is the one, let's get the evidence. But we have to be objective. We have to have an open mind. It could be somebody we least expect. Looking back 23 years later, Ani now believes Van Syse could have harmed Jody. Later, Ani now believes Van Syce could have harmed Jodi. When you think maybe it was John, what would his motive have been? Maybe being rebuffed.

Maybe finally saying to her, I'm not your father. I want to be your boyfriend. That's the only thing I can think of. But the thing that has always puzzled me, like why in the morning in the parking lot? Could what was in that parking lot have had something to do with it? 48 Hours obtained a copy of a search warrant for Jodi's 1991 Miata and learned it was not in her name when she vanished. It reads this license is listed to John Lessard, the previous owner, pending title transfer. John Lessard is a prominent businessman. He told 48 Hours the sale to Jody was arranged by a friend who was a car salesman.

The friend has since died, but his son remembers the sale. She worked hard for that. She was proud of getting that car. She was excited about it. And that car seemed to be on John Van Sise's mind. His close friend, LaDonna Woodford, claims he told her the car was a birthday gift to Jody from a boyfriend. He said, but she doesn't like, want the car.

She's going to give it back to him. She never said anything about a gentleman buying it or paying for it or anything like that. So I think that's hogwash. Inconceivable to you. Yeah. Lessard says the only time he met Jody

was to hand her the car keys. Ani says Van Syce had a history of jealousy when it came to Jody. If we were out somewhere, if she was visiting with somebody, he would come join the conversation. Just swoop in? Pretty much, yeah.

He wanted to make sure that everybody knew Jodi was his. But LaDonna insists Van Syce had no romantic interest in Jodi and no reason to hurt her. When he'd talk about Jody, it was like, I'm protecting her. She's like my daughter. What if on June 26th and then into the morning of June 27th, what if John Van Syce had picked then to share with Jody that he wanted to take it to the next level.

And people always ask me that question, and this is what I say. He would not do it where they think he did it, where she was abducted. He used to live in those apartments. Everybody knows him. LaDonna feels Van Syce has been unfairly singled out by police and the community. It's just so horrible what they've done to him. He lost his best friend. And it's sad. It's really sad. And LaDonna says she knows where Van Syce was

the morning Jody was abducted. He was out taking a walk with her. It was their routine. As you walked through this neighborhood, did he seem anxious? Didn't seem anxious. He seemed himself. And nothing seemed unusual when she called earlier to confirm their plans. I called John 6 o'clock in the morning.

I say, hey, John, are we going to work out today? You felt when you called him that morning that he was up there sleeping? Yeah, absolutely. We didn't have cell phones, that morning that he was up there sleeping? Yeah, absolutely. We didn't have cell phones, so I know he was home. And that is why LaDonna believes she is his alibi. I called her and I talked to her. She was there. Remember, Jody's producer spoke to her at around 4.10 a.m. LaDonna believes that Van Sise, even though he lived only five minutes away, would

not have had enough time to abduct Jody, possibly dispose of her body, and be home by 6 a.m. I know the time frame of when I called him, when I met with him, when we walked. It's almost impossible for him to have done this. Police finally confirmed in the fall of 1995 that Van Syce had passed a polygraph test, something he'd been telling friends all along. But he remained on their radar. And soon another man would join him. Tony Jackson is a predator.

You got to look at this guy. Take a tour of Jody's apartment at 48hours.com. May 4th, 1996. We're gonna head down to the river. Nearly a year after Jody disappeared... Gary, this is Ani....Ani Cruz was holding onto a sliver of hope... Follow the river. ...that her friend could still be found. They said 18 to 19.

We hope to find any type of evidence. Ooh, yuck. Any type of clues, you know, earrings, purse, anything that we can find. She led a search party through woods... Start curving back here. The river's over here. ...two miles from Jodi's apartment. Despite Ani's efforts, nothing was found. Two and a half years after Jodi vanished,

someone else, someone 140 miles away, started her own search for answers. We have to test potential evidence in the Jody Hughes-Entrude case. Caroline Lowe was an investigative reporter at WCCO-TV in Minneapolis. She started reporting on Jody while covering a terrifying crime spree in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. I covered a serial rapist who was accused of raping four women in 18 days.

The rapist was this man, Tony Jackson. He was arrested in 1997 after a routine traffic stop police found in his car the tools of his trade. He's got rope, he's got handcuffs, he's got his gun, he handcuffs he's got his gun he's got duct tape basically it's a rape kit jay alberio formerly a detective with the woodbury minnesota police department worked the jackson case all the victims that we know of there is an element of stocking of stocking. J. explored Tony Jackson's past. He learned Jackson was living in Iowa when Jody disappeared, and not just anywhere. Well, the background investigation puts him in Mason City, two blocks from the TV

station that Jody worked at. This is where Jackson lived. This is where Jody worked. Two blocks. It's chilling. It was like a bolt. When you see that, you go, wow. This guy may be involved in Jody's case.

We need to get this information down to the Mason City authorities. Caroline visited the Mason City police three months after Jay had sent them the Jackson information. She noticed the file didn't seem to hold much interest. Woodbury police sent Mason City a fat file about the Twin Cities rapes, a file that has been gathering dust. Minnesota sent me a copy. So that was really nice of them. Caroline was trying to get answers to questions about Jackson's past. She learned he was once a promising college basketball player at Iowa's Waldorf

College. He was a star basketball player. Problem is he would do well and then he would snap and he would get into violent episodes with people, and he was kicked out of the college. Then, a year and a half before Jody disappeared, he enrolled at North Iowa Community College in Mason City, where he showed an interest in broadcasting. He does a couple talk shows, and so is it your thought that you start watching the people in town who are on TV doing the news?

Sure, he's going to watch them, see how they go about doing their job. The time is 6-11, 62 degrees. Jay's theory is Jackson might have watched Jody on TV, known her schedule, and even stalked her. Caroline also learned something that troubled her. When he snapped, he snapped. She spoke with an ex-girlfriend of Jackson's who said they broke up five days before Jody vanished.

And it was violent, very violent. I mean, it was a totally different person. It was like the devil stepped inside of him and just took over. I sat in the living room with this girl, and she looks a lot like Jody. It was chilling. The woman did get back together briefly with Jackson until, she says, his anger took another scary turn. And she described how he had tried to choke her,

and they took him into custody. Although Jackson was arrested for that attack, the charges were ultimately dropped when the woman moved away and declined to proceed. Four months later, he would go on to commit the Minnesota rapes. The verdict is guilty on all counts for a local man accused of being a serial rapist. Jackson was sentenced to the equivalent of life in prison. Still, Caroline kept digging into any connection to Jody's case. I want to get this guy as bad as the police do, you do. She learned about a former jailmate of Jackson's.

He says I abducted an anchorwoman and killed her. The man said Jackson boasted about what he'd done in a rap song. Not wanting to forget the lyrics, the jailmate wrote them down. Yeah, he said, she's a stiffen around Tiffin and pile it to silence and a by low, low below. Thinking that might mean Jody was buried in a farm near a silo in the town of Tiffin. A few hours from Mason City, Caroline headed there. She brought law enforcement. So this would be the entry.

And cadaver dogs. I'll work this side and meet you in the back. To search for human remains. Two of the three dogs alerted, which was a sign that something had been there. And the boards that they found there were sent to the state crime lab. But like so often in Jody's case,

the lead led nowhere. Any forensics tying Tony Jackson to Jody? None that we know of, none. On May 5th, 1999, the Mason City Police issued the following statement. 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. Boy, I tell you, I've wondered about him, too. He's on the list. Jody's sister, Joanne, can't close the book on Jackson.

He's a rapist and living in the area. But the police say no, that there was no way, and I don't know, though. that there was no way, and I don't know, though. 48 Hours wanted to ask Jackson about Jody's case, but he declined to speak with us. He would not answer specific questions, but in a rambling email, wrote, I stand firm in my integrity regarding the Jody Husintrude case.

I'm going right now. And so the hunt for clues crawls on with another look at John Van Sise. Hi, John. My name's Jim Axelrod. I'm with the CBS News broadcast 48 hours. John Van Cise's friend, LaDonna Woodford,

says roughly two years after Jody's disappearance, she received a visit from an FBI agent. And he said, I have a subpoena for you to appear at the grand jury to testify for John Van Sise. They're trying to indict him. And I was like, really? Like, are you kidding me? LaDonna is going public with this information for the first time.

I went in to the grand jury, and I just told my story, what I knew. LaDonna says she was questioned about John Van Syce for five hours. What do they have on John? Why did I have to go to this grand jury? Why were they trying to indict him? Because at the end of the day, you don't think it's going to be him. I'd be shocked. Did you ever have any contact with the FBI again after that? Mm-mm. There would be no indictment of John Van Sise. Police continued to work the case,

and the mystery of who abducted Jody remained. So, yeah, it was hard. You know, they weren't solving it. We weren't finding her. On May 14, 2001, now six years after Jodi disappeared, she was declared legally dead. Jodi's family was forced to make the tough decision in order to settle her estate.

That's like the end of the chapter. That's like the end of the chapter that's like the end of the book but you still had a hope even though you know realistically your mind is saying you know she's probably not coming home and despite the hundreds of leads detectives generated early in the investigation over time tips slowed to a trickle and fewer detectives were early in the investigation. Over time, tips slowed to a trickle, and fewer detectives were assigned to the case. That's when, in 2003, journalists Gary Peterson and Josh Benson created the website FindJody.com.

They were later joined by a team of former reporters and retired detective J.L. Berrio. Who's going to consistently look for Jody if we don't do it? She's one of ours. Their goal? To keep Jody's story alive and to crack the case. Did you feel they were overmatched, the Mason City police investigators? I think this is a very big case. I think this is something that they were not accustomed to dealing with.

From the beginning, Ani says she was concerned with how detectives processed the crime scene. You know, I was very surprised it was not sectioned off. The whole area wasn't police taped off? Not the first day or so. But there's all kinds of evidence that could have gotten compromised. That's what I thought. And what about Jody's car? A all kinds of evidence that could have gotten compromised that's that's what i thought and what about jody's car a key piece of evidence that car was the only crime scene they have this is a case with so little evidence until they find her body they don't have another crime

scene that car is your crime scene but investigators didn't hold on to that car for very long But investigators didn't hold on to that car for very long. It was released to Jody's family just a couple of months after she disappeared. So if the car is your crime scene, why would they give it back to the family? I think that's a question for the police. Was that car given back too quickly? Maybe. Jeff Brinkley is Mason City's fourth police chief since Jody disappeared.

Because the evidence that could have been in that car, especially given the technological advances since then, could be important today. Right. But you don't have that evidence. We don't have it. But we just have to live with what we've got and try to do as good as we can with that. Chief Brinkley says they do have some DNA samples, and then there is that palm print. But police won't tell us exactly what other evidence they have.

Is Tony Jackson still a person of interest? I'm not going to comment on that. Is John Van Sythe still a person of interest? I can't comment on that. But FindJody.com broke the news that in 2017, John Van Sythe, who currently lives in Arizona, was still on police radar. The Mason City Police obtained a search warrant for GPS information on two of Van Sise's vehicles. What did you make of that?

Very intrigued because it's the first thing we'd seen in years of any kind of official document. because it's the first thing we'd seen in years of any kind of official document. The warrant is sealed, but Caroline thinks police were looking for information that could have led to Jody's body. We surmised that they must have been trying to see if he was going to visit some site that he might have buried Jody. That piece didn't pan out like we'd hoped. No one was coming back from out of state to check out a potential body site. We didn't get any information that was useful.

Whatever information the police may have on anyone, they're not sharing. Why won't you talk about any specifics in this case? I don't want to let the cat out of the bag. Is there a cat in the bag? Do you have something? Not completely, no, no. I don't want to let the cat out of the bag. Is there a cat in the bag? Do you have something? Not completely, no. No, I don't think we do yet. But I think that we're very close.

So does that mean we're talking about weeks, months? I don't think it's fast. It's not fast? I don't think it's fast. You ready? Yeah. 48 hours traveled to Phoenix to ask John Van Syce

what he knows about Jody's disappearance. Hi, John. My name's Jim Axelrod. I'm with the CBS News broadcast 48 hours. How are you? Fine. We're conducting an investigation into the disappearance of Jody Husentroop. I want to ask you a couple of questions. John got a lot of people worried. On June 5th, on what would have been Jody's 50th birthday, the FindJody.com team officially unveiled

four billboards around Mason City. It's time to bring Jody home. Until then, these are the last images of Jody that friends and family hold on to. Way to keep me in check. When I think about her, I think about all the fun we had. Welcome back to News Channel 3 Daybreak. She had a lot of sunshine to many people's world.

64 degrees already, abundant sunshine here in Mason City. We're not giving up. Find Jody's not going to go away. I am staying on this until we find Jody. Somebody knows something. Is it you? Plenty of happy farmers out there, I'm sure, with the rain. And I have the tomato plants and lawns and all that stuff. Welcome to Midday. I'm Jody Husentrout. Are you the someone who can crack the case?

Please call the Mason City Police Department at 641-421-3636. If you like this podcast, you can listen ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a quick survey at wondery.com slash survey. Hot shot Australian attorney Nicola Gaba was born into legal royalty. Her specialty? Representing some of the city's most infamous gangland criminals. However, while Nicola held the underworld's darkest secrets, the most dangerous secret was her own. She's going to all the major groups within Melbourne's underworld, and she's informing on them all. I'm Marcia Clark, host of the new podcast, Informants Lawyer X.

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