Mason City (trfnews.i234.me) — A private investigator who has long followed the Jodi Huisentruit case is raising the reward again, hoping money will finally bring answers in the 29-year-old cold case.
Reward Raised to $100,000 in Long-Running Case
Private investigator Steve Ridge, a former journalist, says he is doubling his reward offer to $100,000.
The reward is for information that leads to the recovery of Huisentruit’s remains.
Ridge told Des Moines station KCCI the larger reward will remain in place through June 27, 2026.
That date will mark 31 years since Huisentruit vanished outside her Mason City apartment building.
Huisentruit was 27 years old when she disappeared in 1995.
She grew up in Long Prairie, Minnesota, and worked as a morning news anchor for KIMT-TV in Mason City.
Evidence at her apartment complex suggested a struggle near her car.
She has never been found and was declared legally dead in 2001.
Recent Search in Minnesota Brought No New Evidence
Ridge’s new reward push comes shortly after another search linked to the case.
The Mason City Police Department recently confirmed that investigators returned to Winsted, Minnesota.
Officers and a K-9 unit searched the site of a former home there in November 2024.
The property is about 40 miles west of the Twin Cities.
Police said the tip involved a former Winsted resident with links to Huisentruit’s past.
Nothing was found at the site, but investigators said it was important to check because the house had been moved.
This was at least the second known search in Winsted for clues in the case.
Details of the search were highlighted in a recent Hulu docuseries about Huisentruit’s disappearance.
The series, produced with cooperation from Mason City police, drew fresh attention to the long-unsolved case.
Private Investigator Adjusts Strategy After Other Case
Ridge has been visible for years as an independent investigator on the Huisentruit case.
He previously raised the reward to $100,000 in 2024 for a short time.
He told KCCI he is renewing that level after seeing what he called “great success” in another cold case.
Ridge offered a $100,000 reward in the 1985 disappearance of eight-year-old Cherrie Mahan in Butler County, Pennsylvania.
He says that the reward brought in strong new leads for the authorities there.
Ridge now hopes the same high-dollar offer in Iowa will reach people who have stayed silent for decades.
“The great success we’ve had with this level of reward in the case of eight-year-old Cherrie Mahan in Butler, Pennsylvania, has encouraged us to try again in Iowa,” Ridge said.
He also told the station he plans to keep more of his findings private from now on.
Ridge said he wants to share new information first with law enforcement and prosecutors.
“Now the goal is arming authorities with the evidence and testimony needed for indictments,” he said.
Anyone with information about the case can contact Mason City police or the team behind FindJodi.com, which tracks tips and updates.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
