Answers may still lie in Arizona in case of Iowa news anchor who went missing in 1995

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Iowa news anchor Jodi Huisentruit vanished 29 years ago on Thursday, and answers about what may have happened could lie here in Arizona.

Police and family continue to try to solve her disappearance, and there are still plenty of questions about what, if any, involvement the person of interest now living in Phoenix had.

The challenge in this case is there's little to no forensic evidence and no eyewitnesses.

The beloved 27-year-old Jodi Huisentruit was a staple on Iowa television. Huisentruit was well-known in the Mason City community and even more admired by her family, especially by her niece Kristen Nathe.

“I had a very special relationship with her. She was also my godmother. I spent a lot of time with her, and that loss was very significant to me and still to this day,” said Nathe.

Nathe was 11 years old on June 27, 1995, and remembers the day well.

Huisentruit never made it work that day. At first, she was believed to have overslept her alarm, but then her news team realized something was wrong.

Police believe she was abducted while getting to her car that morning.

Longtime investigative journalist Caroline Lowe said there were only 30 seconds between Huisentruit leaving her apartment and getting to her car, so they believe she was targeted.

“There's no way somebody driving by would have had time to get in, it was so fast. Somebody, we believe, was waiting for her, whether it was a stalker or somebody she knew. We don’t know,” said Lowe.

A man named John Vansice showed up at the crime scene. The nearly 50-year-old was good friends with Huisentruit and often went boating with her and her friends.

He claimed he was the last to see Huisentruit when she came over to watch a birthday video at his house the night before.

“They've interviewed me twice, but they haven't made any indication that I'm a suspect,” Vansice said to a reporter at the time.

He became a person of interest and remained so, but Lowe said Huisentruit didn't leave any warning signs about Vansice.

“From Jodi's journal she did a number of social things with him. She had a great time at a birthday party he hosted. There's no indication in the journal they're anything but good friends,” said Lowe.

Lowe is part of the “Find Jodi” team and website committed to Huisentruit’s case.

Their team uncovered court documents showing that Mason City Police executed a search warrant for GPS data on two cars linked to Vansice in March 2017.

The information is sealed.

On this 29th anniversary, True Crime Arizona went to Vansice's Phoenix home to try and talk to him, but despite a TV blaring the news inside, no one answered.

Huisentruit's niece said at this point, she has a personal message for Vansice.

“What I personally would ask is that if he has more information regarding Jodi or the situation, that he comes forward and shares that information, especially if he considered himself to be such a close friend of Jodi. Um, help us. Help us to solve this case,” said Nathe.

Vansice has maintained his innocence and has never been charged in the case.

The “Find Jodi” team honored her life Thursday morning and kept billboards up in Iowa.

If you have any information on Jodi's disappearance, you can reach out to the Find Jodi web page.

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