Jodi Huisentruit spent the weekend before she was abducted with friends on a water-skiing trip in Iowa City, Iowa.
The group included John Vansice, who’s been the main focus of the police investigation, Vansice’s son, who was a college student at the time and several women.
Jodi wrote about the weekend trip in her journal, describing the fun she had water-skiing from John Vansice’s boat.

John Vansice and Ani Kruse in 1995 (via CBS News)
Recent television news stories, citing Magid media executive Steve Ridge as their source, reported Jodi and an unnamed female friend also spent time that Saturday on another boat with two young men they had just met. The reports also indicated the boat’s owner videotaped Jodi.
Jodi’s friend Ani Kruse told FindJodi.com that she was the female friend on the boat with Jodi that day and confirmed they were videotaped.
“John and his son stayed on their boat; just the girls went on their boat,” she said.
Ani told us she shared this information with Iowa investigators in the early days of the investigation. Investigators were working on a timeline of Jodi’s activities leading up to June 27, 1995, when she was abducted on the way to anchor the morning news at KIMT TV in Mason City.
”The police and DCI knew about the video and the person videotaping it within the first few weeks,” Ani said. “It is not a newly discovered video.”
“When they questioned me about the weekend, I told them about the gentleman from Cargill in Cedar Rapids that owned the boat, and within that same day they (investigators) had gotten in contact with that individual,” she said.
Ani added, “They did secure the video right away. The owner of the boat was at a training, but I do know they tracked him down as they came in when I was at the station during one of the conversations with I thought was the DCI.”
Ani said John Vansice and his son did not join them on the other boat.
“John and his son stayed on their boat; just the girls went on their boat,” she said.
”I don’t recall them knowing she was an anchor,” Ani said. “We just saw them and they asked if we wanted to join them. We were young and it was a different time back then.”
“John did not make a big deal out of it,” she said.
“We were not on the boat for very long. Less than hour.”
Ani also told FindJodi.com that she and Jodi did not make any plans to get together again with the men they had just met.
“We talked with them and did not exchange information,” she said. “The police have not contacted me in over 20 years, but back then there were a lot of questions about that weekend and the boat ride and the guys.”
FindJodi.com reached out to Mason City Police for clarification on the video and/or verification of its existence.
“Our investigation into Jodi Huisentruit’s disappearance continues,” Chief Jeff Brinkley responded via email. “It is not our position to talk publicly about the items that may or may not be contained in the evidentiary record.”
He goes on to say:
“We continue to talk to people who reach out to law enforcement with information that may be useful in the investigation. We would encourage anyone who has information or evidence to share with law enforcement to contact the Mason City Police Department at 641-421-3636.”
If you have any information on Jodi’s disappearance, please come forward.
Mason City Police Department
Phone: (641) 421-3636
Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI)
Phone: (515) 725-6010
Email: dciinfo@dps.state.ia.us