We often get comments and questions about some online video of Jodi Huisentruit’s apartment in Mason City, IA.
Many viewers have mistakenly believed that a 55-second video of Jodi’s apartment unit was shot by Mason City Police Department crime scene investigators soon after Jodi was abducted.
It was not. In fact, the video was first posted online in 2018 by CBS “48 Hours” after the true crime show focused an episode on Jodi’s unsolved case.
Listen to “Inside Jodi’s Apartment” on Spreaker.
To help set the record straight, we talked with the former WCCO-TV photojournalist who recorded the video, and the reporter, now deceased, who narrated it. Both were struck by how “normal” everything looked. We also talked with Jodi’s sister, JoAnn Nathe.
The WCCO-TV news crew was briefly allowed access to the apartment for a report on Jodi’s case which aired in late 1995.
Although it’s not clear exactly when the video was recorded, we learned it was more than two months after Jodi’s family took over the missing news anchor’s apartment, long after police finished examining it for any clues connected to the crime.
Jodi was approaching her Mazda Miata to go to KIMT-TV to anchor the morning news when she was attacked, according to known evidence. Her car was parked about 12 steps from the apartment building.
These clues can also be found as investigators try to establish “victimology.” Aside from interviewing family, friends and coworkers, this often means going through the victim’s home to look at photo albums, cards, notes, journals, address books, calendars and anything else that can help them get to know a person who is missing under suspicious circumstances or is deceased.
While many items seen in the video, including clothes, belonged to Jodi, some others likely did not.
Beside Jodi’s family and friends who had been in the apartment, at least two private investigators also had access to the second story unit, after police were done searching through it.
Although watching images of Jodi’s apartment may provide some insight into her life, we caution again against reading too much into what is shown, as the video does not reflect exactly how things looked the morning of June 27, 1995.
Don’t sit in silence. The time to talk is NOW.
If you have any information on Jodi’s case, call the Mason City Police Department at (641) 421-3636 or the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) at (515) 725-6036.
You can also reach us anonymously at FindJodi: (970) 458-JODI or via email at Team@FindJodi.com
