IA IA - Jodi Huisentruit, 27, Anchorwoman, Mason City, 27 June 1995 #2

[JudgeJoe]

Some interesting nuggets here:
The Disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit (Part 2) : UnresolvedMysteries

This is the first I’ve heard of Thomas Corscadden. More on this SO with a white van, and his connection to the JH case here:
Minnesota moves to commit one-time Huisentruit suspect

When you really dig through all the YEARS of this mystery, I don’t recall another case with so many potential suspects.

 

[itsrak]

This is the first I’ve heard of Thomas Corscadden. More on this SO with a white van, and his connection to the JH case here:
Minnesota moves to commit one-time Huisentruit suspect

When you really dig through all the YEARS of this mystery, I don’t recall another case with so many potential suspects.

I've read that the van was witnessed at like 3:30-4am ish, a bit before Jodi set out for work. To me, the car that nearly hit the jogger - lights off, in a hurry, coming out of Key Apts parking lot - around the time Jodi set out for work would seem more likely the perpmobile.

 

[dotr]

This is the first I’ve heard of Thomas Corscadden. More on this SO with a white van, and his connection to the JH case here:
Minnesota moves to commit one-time Huisentruit suspect

When you really dig through all the YEARS of this mystery, I don’t recall another case with so many potential suspects.

Very interesting, from link..rbbm.
''Corscadden's wife told authorities he contacted a Mason City TV station in the first three months of 1995, trying to get tickets to a show there, and was angry when he couldn't.

He was familiar with the Mason City area from visiting bars with nude dancers there.

He told investigators he gave his van to a friend and that there would be evidence of sexual activity inside. A fire later broke out in the van, but Corscadden said he didn't know anything about it.''

''In a conversation with a court agent in 1996, the agent mentioned Mason City. Corscadden smiled and said "Jodi Huisentruit." The agent said she didn't think Huisentruit was alive, and he replied, "No, she's dead."
Although..
Aug 17th 2004
AUSTIN EDITION Austin man's prints not linked to Huisentruit | Post Bulletin
''Palm prints taken earlier this month from a former Austin man do not match those found at the scene where a Mason City, Iowa, woman disappeared nine years ago, police said this morning.''

''During testimony at his commitment hearing, Corscadden admitted he bragged about being a suspect in the Huisentruit case. He said he wanted to enjoy his "15 minutes of fame" no matter if it was good or bad.''

 

[Richard]

Jodi's 1991 Mazda Miata

 

[itsrak]

Jodi's 1991 Mazda Miata

"Suddenly the time was 4:30 and I imagine Jodi is coming out of her apartment. She would have been carrying a bag with cosmetics, shoes and other items along with a briefcase. The sound of screams was loud as Jodi plead for her life. She was struck on the head and pushed back against the side of the driver’s door. According to witnesses there was dew on the canvas and it was wiped away by Jodi’s blond hair."

Perspective from the parking lot • Find Jodi Huisentruit

Another view:

 

[itsrak]

Did you know that Jodi in June of '95 had an older male 'penpal' from Des Moines?

Iowa man exchanged letters with Jodi before disappearance • Find Jodi Huisentruit

 

[Wisdom]

I know the Miata transaction has been discussed lately and what I know is that around June 10th Jodi bought Lessard’s Miata thru Skarlis Old’s Honda dealership in Mason City with them taking Jodi’s Honda CRX in for trade.

 

[itsrak]

I know the Miata transaction has been discussed lately and what I know is that around June 10th Jodi bought Lessard’s Miata thru Skarlis Old’s Honda dealership in Mason City with them taking Jodi’s Honda CRX in for trade.

Hi Wisdom. Any idea if Jodi took out a loan to finance the purchase? Any thoughts as to rumors that there'd been a personal relationship between Jodi and the seller? JV's friend LaDonna stated that JV had told her, before Jodi was abducted, that the Miata had been a 'gift from a boyfriend' and that Jodi had intended to give the Miata back to said supposed boyfriend.

 

[JudgeJoe]

I know the Miata transaction has been discussed lately and what I know is that around June 10th Jodi bought Lessard’s Miata thru Skarlis Old’s Honda dealership in Mason City with them taking Jodi’s Honda CRX in for trade.

Hi Wisdom. Any idea if Jodi took out a loan to finance the purchase? Any thoughts as to rumors that there'd been a personal relationship between Jodi and the seller? JV's friend LaDonna stated that JV had told her, before Jodi was abducted, that the Miata had been a 'gift from a boyfriend' and that Jodi had intended to give the Miata back to said supposed boyfriend.

Links please? This case has dragged on so long... the details get jumbled in my ol’ grey matter if I don’t go back & read. So much speculation, rumor, & misinfo too- hard to keep the facts clear from all the false claims. Tia!

 

[dotr]

Information related to the car.. lots more at link.
Podcast 006: We tracked down Jodi's Mazda Miata • Find Jodi Huisentruit

This is Jodi’s original Mazda Miata nearly 30 years later.

''One of the most unforgettable images from the crime scene at Jodi Huisentruit’s abduction site is her red 1991 Miata Mazda convertible being processed by investigators, then towed away from her Mason City, IA, apartment complex.''

• ''The former owner of an Iowa car dealership told FindJodi the car was sold to Jodi by one of his longtime salesmen, who is now deceased. He said the sale was a private, consignment-type transaction that did not involve the dealership. The former dealership owner (who did not want to be publicly identified since Jodi’s case is unsolved) said the car’s previous owner was a personal friend of the salesman. He estimated the car’s value at the time at $10,000.
• We also reached the son of that car salesman. He told FindJodi his late father was shocked when he heard about Jodi’s abduction, saying “I just sold her the car!” The son also told us his father helped Jodi’s now deceased mom with transactions involving the car which was eventually sold to a Minnesota car dealer.
• The original owner of the Mazda Miata told a CBS “48 Hours” crew that he met Jodi only once, to turn over the keys to the vehicle. We have tried unsuccessfully to reach him directly for this post.
• The son of another Mason City area car dealer remembers Jodi stopping by their business when she was shopping for a new car to replace her 1988 Honda CR-X.
• Jodi wrote about the Mazda Miata in several notes to friends and in her private journal. She never described it as a “gift”.
• On June 25th, just two days before she was abducted, Jodi wrote to a Minnesota friend, saying she’d recently bought a Mazda Miata, but had not transferred the title yet. Jodi mentioned that as she explained why she had been unable to drive up to Minnesota that weekend for a birthday party.
• On June 13th, just over a week after her 27th birthday, Jodi wrote in her private journal, “I bought a new Mazda Miata, simply love it.” ( That reference was part of her journal released publicly after a former Mason City police chief’s wife mailed a copy to the Globe Gazette newspaper. Our Episode 2 podcast has more on that unusual twist in the investigation.)''

 

[Wisdom]

Hi Wisdom. Any idea if Jodi took out a loan to finance the purchase? Any thoughts as to rumors that there'd been a personal relationship between Jodi and the seller? JV's friend LaDonna stated that JV had told her, before Jodi was abducted, that the Miata had been a 'gift from a boyfriend' and that Jodi had intended to give the Miata back to said supposed boyfriend.

No idea on the financing and no links to provide. This information was given directly to a PI from one of Jodi’s relatives.

 

[itsrak]

Links please? This case has dragged on so long... the details get jumbled in my ol’ grey matter if I don’t go back & read. So much speculation, rumor, & misinfo too- hard to keep the facts clear from all the false claims. Tia!

24 minutes in, the Miata is discussed:
Jodi Huisentruit mystery: The decades-long search for the missing TV news anchor

 

[ilovewings]

24 minutes in, the Miata is discussed:
Jodi Huisentruit mystery: The decades-long search for the missing TV news anchor

In my heart of hearts I will always believe it was John Vanscice--- he was clearly obsessed with her and would have known her schedule (others would have too): I just cannot shake that conclusion---- I watched that tape they showed on one of the shows about Jodi where he invited her over to watch a video of a birthday party he threw for her-- and the way he looked at her (even the police thought the way he locked on her with his eyes), was an indication to them that he was a top of the list suspect. I hope they can resolve this case, but i am not sure that will happen.

 

[itsrak]

In my heart of hearts I will always believe it was John Vanscice--- he was clearly obsessed with her and would have known her schedule (others would have too): I just cannot shake that conclusion---- I watched that tape they showed on one of the shows about Jodi where he invited her over to watch a video of a birthday party he threw for her-- and the way he looked at her (even the police thought the way he locked on her with his eyes), was an indication to them that he was a top of the list suspect. I hope they can resolve this case, but i am not sure that will happen.

I hear you. But if it was him, he's one heck of an actor. And has ice in his veins, the way he freely submitted to interviews, met with family, showed up at events. And consider his friend LaDonna, knew him well, thinks he couldn't logistically have done it, was wronged. And then there is the lie detector test - he submitted to it, he passed it. And yeah, he moved away, but can you blame him?

And what about this: "A woman living in an apartment overlooking North Kentucky Avenue said she heard two men talking outside her window sometime before dawn on June 27. She was unable to understand what they were saying, and later watched them get into separate cars and drive off in opposite directions on North Kentucky Avenue. She thought it was unusual that they would be out so early, but thought little of it until she learned that Jodi had been kidnapped." Not likely presumed lone-wolf JV. Perhaps the perps?

And consider the late model sedan seen racing out of the Key Apts. lot at 4:30am, nearly striking a jogger. Chances are, that had something to do with the disappearance of Jodi. Was that JV driving that? And what about the two guys, one black, one white, seen in van in lot. And Jodi's purse and briefcase were missing from the crime scene - a robber might take those things, but an obsessed JV? And there are some indications a man may have spent the night - the toilet seat up, the 6-8 beer cans in the sink (kind of a lot just for Jodi alone?) of a brand Jodi didn't drink, and Jodi oversleeping - not likely JV since Jodi wasn't into him - perhaps the killer? And the weird calls - those would have appeared in phone records, must not have been from JV's phone, right? And consider that the cops seem to have nothing on him. And consider his rap sheet - seventy-some years and just a DUI or two. And the palm print on the Miata - evidently not his. And the long list of other sketch characters. And the even longer list of potential stalkers we know nothing about.

Like Caroline Lowe of findjodi has suggested, perp may end up being someone we've never even heard of. Maybe JV is just a bit of an odd duck in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

[ilovewings]

I hear you. But if it was him, he's one heck of an actor. And has ice in his veins, the way he freely submitted to interviews, met with family, showed up at events. And consider his friend LaDonna, knew him well, thinks he couldn't logistically have done it, was wronged. And then there is the lie detector test - he submitted to it, he passed it. And yeah, he moved away, but can you blame him?

And what about this: "A woman living in an apartment overlooking North Kentucky Avenue said she heard two men talking outside her window sometime before dawn on June 27. She was unable to understand what they were saying, and later watched them get into separate cars and drive off in opposite directions on North Kentucky Avenue. She thought it was unusual that they would be out so early, but thought little of it until she learned that Jodi had been kidnapped." Not likely presumed lone-wolf JV. Perhaps the perps?

And consider the late model sedan seen racing out of the Key Apts. lot at 4:30am, nearly striking a jogger. Chances are, that had something to do with the disappearance of Jodi. Was that JV driving that? And what about the two guys, one black, one white, seen in van in lot. And Jodi's purse and briefcase were missing from the crime scene - a robber might take those things, but an obsessed JV? And there are some indications a man may have spent the night - the toilet seat up, the 6-8 beer cans in the sink (kind of a lot just for Jodi alone?) of a brand Jodi didn't drink, and Jodi oversleeping - not likely JV since Jodi wasn't into him - perhaps the killer? And the weird calls - those would have appeared in phone records, must not have been from JV's phone, right? And consider that the cops seem to have nothing on him. And consider his rap sheet - seventy-some years and just a DUI or two. And the palm print on the Miata - evidently not his. And the long list of other sketch characters. And the even longer list of potential stalkers we know nothing about.

Like Caroline Lowe of findjodi has suggested, perp may end up being someone we've never even heard of. Maybe JV is just a bit of an odd duck in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I appreciate the potential suspects you describe and certainly it could be any of those-My feeling about JV is more of a feeling based on what I believe was unrequited love he had for her and an obsession with her and maybe he reached a point where he just went into a rage: However, you make lots of good points about other potential suspects. I just hope some day we find out who actually committed this crime- this is one of those crimes that grabs people and won't let go----

 

[JudgeJoe]

I appreciate the potential suspects you describe and certainly it could be any of those-My feeling about JV is more of a feeling based on what I believe was unrequited love he had for her and an obsession with her and maybe he reached a point where he just went into a rage: However, you make lots of good points about other potential suspects. I just hope some day we find out who actually committed this crime- this is one of those crimes that grabs people and won't let go----

This case has definitely grabbed me. Someone did a darn good job hiding the body. If she could just be located... Even if too late for DNA, sometimes there are other clues left with the body- a necklace, dog tag, monogramed belt buckle or engraved tool.

Maybe with climate change all the lakes will dry up & she’ll be found with a suitcase of disposed evidence. Those Iowa lakes stay pretty cold most- or even all- of the year. I realize I’m grasping at straws. I’d at least like her sister to have closure.

 

[ilovewings]

This case has definitely grabbed me. Someone did a darn good job hiding the body. If she could just be located... Even if too late for DNA, sometimes there are other clues left with the body- a necklace, dog tag, monogramed belt buckle or engraved tool.

Maybe with climate change all the lakes will dry up & she’ll be found with a suitcase of disposed evidence. Those Iowa lakes stay pretty cold most- or even all- of the year. I realize I’m grasping at straws. I’d at least like her sister to have closure.

It is amazing that most bodies get found: i think of Laci Peterson and her unborn child: i was stunned how their bodies came up from the ocean after being weighed down with cement. I do think some of these killers dispose of bodies so they can never be found: perhaps burned or dismembered and dispersed in dumpsters (God I hate talking like this). Most murderers (not all) usually tell somebody about what they did and sometimes that person or persons snitch on them at some point. Other killers like Casey Anthony told noone ---- So far, I hate to say this, this killer has committed the perfect crime.

 

[crhedBngr]

I have read that in the past. It seems likely that there is a connection. With all of the names that have been published in regards to this case, I have always found it odd that the name of the owner of the car she was driving doesn't seem to be talked about much. Another very strange part of the case is Jodi's mental health at the time of her disappearance. It is another factor that isn't talked about much. We will probably never know, but it would be great to know just how much effort Mason City Police have put into the various theories and POI's.

RBBM

@Rural_PC , are you referring to Jodi supposedly being stalked right before she disappeared?

Per Beth Bednar's book, Dead Air:

Jodi had been open about being 'on guard' about her safety, mentioning her concerns to her family, friends, coworkers, and the police. She told them she had been unnerved by a stalker or stalkers in the weeks before her disappearance, and one time JoAnn Nathe (Jodi's sister), said that Jodi cried on the phone when telling her mother about her fears of being followed. Jodi had requested a police escort to work on some mornings, but refused the offer of a regular ride. (Bednar, 63).

And, there is this, from Dead Air:

Amy Kuhns, her coworker, commented that Jodi seemed unusually exhausted in the preceding two weeks, and seemed to have a lot on her mind. (Bednar, 63)

Bednar, Beth, Dead Air, Edina, MN: Beavers Pond Press, Inc., 2011, Hardcopy.

 

[crhedBngr]

Will we ever know who killed her?

One just doesn't know.

Apparently, the JV Search Warrant has been sealed for another year . . .

2017 Vansice search warrant sealed for another year • Find Jodi Huisentruit

And, check this out:

A closer look at the 2017 Vansice subpoena • Find Jodi Huisentruit

 

[Rural_PC]

RBBM

@Rural_PC , are you referring to Jodi supposedly being stalked right before she disappeared?

Per Beth Bednar's book, Dead Air:


And, there is this, from Dead Air:

Bednar, Beth, Dead Air, Edina, MN: Beavers Pond Press, Inc., 2011, Hardcopy.

These are exactly the two things to which I was referring. Kuhns went even further with her speculation during one of her interviews.