Private investigator says he has potential “smoking gun” in Huisentruit case, but hasn’t shared with police

MASON CITY — Those involved with the case of missing KIMT anchor Jodi Huisentruit are waiting to see what a judge’s ruling is on whether or not a search warrant that’s part of the case should be unsealed.

Mason City attorneys Nellie O’Mara and Jesse Marzen filed a motion late last month on behalf of private investigator Steve Ridge, arguing that the warrant regarding GPS data for two vehicles connected to John Vansice should be opened since Vansice died in December, and any ongoing investigation into his involvement in the matter has now ceased.

Ridge says everybody he’s talked to in Mason City tells him they feel that police have been withholding information in the case and that it’s frustrating to them.  “They don’t understand it, and I think you make an interesting distinction between the public interest and the government interest. As my attorneys have articulated, the government interest is maybe in a prosecution, but the public interest should be in terms of transparency and allowing this information to ventilate out into the community.”

Ridge says he simply wants the truth in the case brought out in public.  “I’m not here necessarily to advocate on behalf of John Vansice, I’m after the truth. I have some things that don’t make John look very good, but I also have some other things that don’t necessarily suggest that he’s the only person or that he is in fact guilty.”

With the 30-year mark approaching when Huisentruit disappeared, Ridge has offered to raise the reward to $100,000 for anyone who can come forward and show where Huisentruit’s body can be found.

Ridge also told reporters that he potentially has a “smoking gun” in the case, but wouldn’t provide a timeline on when he’d release that information. He was asked if he’s shared that information with police, but he says he hasn’t met with local authorities in four years.   “I’m open to meeting. I have a witness that has very powerful testimony, and I’m not sure if they have that in hand or not.”

Senior District Judge James Drew stated at the end of last week’s hearing that he would issue a ruling within 30 days on whether or not the contents of the search warrant should be unsealed.