It’s not known for certain if a white van was involved in the abduction of Jodi Huisentruit from the parking lot of her apartment complex in the early morning hours of June 27, 1995, but the white van has nonetheless become perhaps the most widely-known detail in the case.
FindJodi has interviewed two people who claim to have seen a white van in the area on that morning. An ABC News Studio three-part docuseries (released on Hulu July 15, 2025) also reported that a white Ford Econoline-style van was reported to police by a series of witnesses, one of whom saw the van parked in Jodi’s lot at approximately 4:00 AM.
Using public witness accounts of the van sighting, local media footage and photographs from the morning Jodi was abducted, and feedback from the FindJodi team, reader Sam Gullickson used professional animation software to create this 3D rendering of what the scene may have looked like at approximately 4:00 AM on June 27, 1995.
Sam Gullickson (click on the image to expand)
“I believe even the smallest details are important,” Gullickson told FindJodi. “I don’t know if recreating the scene like this could help in some way, maybe jog someone’s memory. I’m not fixated on the van; it was just a starting point.”
FindJodi collaborated with Gullickson to create revisions of the image, accounting for several details beyond witness accounts, including natural and artificial lighting and known weather conditions. The final rendering was also forwarded to a Mason City Police Department investigator with the opportunity for revision or omission.
‘Where was the van parked?’ is a common question received by FindJodi. And while we can’t say for sure exactly where the van was – if was related to Jodi’s abduction, or even present at all – Gullickson’s rendition brings to life a haunting visualization 30 years later.
- (VIDEO) – 30 seconds: That’s about how long it took for Jodi to leave her second-floor apartment and get to to her car parked just twelve steps outside her building,
If you have any information about what happened to Jodi, call the Mason City Police Department at (641) 421-3636 or email Iowa DCI Special Agent Ryan Herman: rherman@dps.state.ia.us. Or contact us at FindJodi.
