A judge is weighing whether to unseal a search warrant linked to the 1995 disappearance of KIMT-TV television anchor Jodi Huisentruit following a public hearing in Cerro Gordo County District Court on Monday afternoon.
Senior Judge James Drew heard arguments from two attorneys pushing to unseal the warrant and from Cerro Gordo County Attorney Carlyle Dalen, who argued to keep the search warrant sealed. The warrant, issued in 2017, involves vehicles owned by John Vansice, a person of interest in the case who died in December 2024.
Attorneys Nellie O’Mara and Jesse Marzen argued the warrant should be unsealed since Vansice “passed away in December 2024 and, as such, any ongoing investigation into this matter has now ceased.”
Arguing for the unsealing of the search warrant, Marzen told the court, “The (Vansice) family needs this opened up and unsealed so they can move on after his death and know he’s no longer being investigated for something he can never be charged with.”
Cerro Gordo County Attorney Carlyle Dalen pushed back, saying the investigation is still active and releasing the warrant could hurt ongoing efforts to solve the case.
“We’ve been investigating this case since June 27, 1995, and we’ll keep at it,” Dalen said. He added that several law enforcement agencies are still working on the case.
Judge Drew asked Dalen about the impact of time on the decision to unseal the warrant. He questioned Dalen, “Do you think the passage of time weakens the argument that it might compromise the investigation at some point?”
Dalen responded that much of the information in the affidavit relates to observations from the first day of the investigation. “That will never change,” he said.
The judge plans to issue a ruling within 30 days after reviewing case law and conducting more research.
Anyone with any information on Jodi’s case should contact the Mason City Police Department at (641) 421-3636 or email Iowa DCI Special Agent Ryan Herman at rherman@dps.state.mn.us. You can always reach out to FindJodi.
