FindJodi is learning new details about the recent search in Winsted, Minnesota, in connection with a tip on the Jodi Huisentruit case.
Winsted Police Chief Justin Heldt confirmed to FindJodi’s Caroline Lowe no human remains were found during the October 18th search of a site in his city and that some farm animal remains were recovered. He noted that it’s not unusual to find animal bones in a rural area like Winsted.
The Winsted Police Department assisted in the search near the Grass Lake Farms construction area. When asked by Councilmember Jeff Albers for details, Heldt explained that due to the active investigation, there was limited information he could share. He did confirm, however, that the search did not uncover any remains or bones.
The chief also emphasized the remains were found in a public park area no longer in use and *not* on the private property next to it where construction is underway for a new apartment complex.
Typically, law enforcement notifies a medical examiner or coroner if suspicious bones or remains are found so a forensic exam can be conducted to determine if they are human. The director of the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office, Shane Sheets, told FindJodi they have not had any recent reports of bones or remains being found in the Winsted area.
Ground prepared for a development in Winsted, Minnesota.
Previously, FindJodi reported Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley confirmed a tip on Jodi’s case his department received was the reason for a large law enforcement presence in Winsted last month. Winsted officers assisted Mason City police in the search because it occured in their Minnesota jurisdiction. An article in the Herald Journal on a search involving Iowa investigators prompted a local resident to notify FindJodi, wondering if it was related to the missing Iowa news anchor.
Large equipment near the development in Winsted, Minnesota.
Read more: Mason City, Iowa investigators search area in Winsted, Minnesota, on a Huisentruit tip
The search was the first public police activity in the Huisentruit investigation in several years. Not suprisingly, it has generated media coverage, locally and nationally, and is the first police search FindJodi is aware of outside Iowa.
Winsted, Minnesota the focal point of a recent search related to Jodi Huisentruit.
Speculation has been swirling for weeks in Winsted which is a three-hour drive from Mason City. Residents wonder if the answers may be found in their small community to what happened to the Long Prairie, Minnesota, native.
The recent activity was the latest in a long list of police searches in the almost 30 years since Jodi was abducted in her apartment parking lot. She was attacked getting into her car, on her way to anchor the morning news at KIMT-TV, on June 27, 1995.
Jodi Huisentruit will be missing 30 years on June 27, 2025.
Over the years, members of the FindJodi team have covered several previous searches. At this point, we don’t know if the one in Winsted will bring significant progress in the journey to find Jodi, or prove to be just more tip that ultimately goes nowhere.
For Jodi’s family, friends and KIMT-TV colleagues, we hope anyone with information about what happened to Jodi will come forward. Contact the Mason City Police Department at (641)421-3636 or information can be shared with Iowa Special Agent Ryan Herman: rherman@dps.state.ia.us.
You can always reach out anonymously to FindJodi.com.
