Mason City community gathers to remember Jodi Huisentruit 27 years later

(ABC 6 News) – A group of friends and former colleagues gathered around a tree with a yellow ribbon to mark the 27th anniversary of the disappearance of news anchor Jodi Huisentruit. It was Jodi’s tree.

Jodi’s family planted the tree outside of the KIMT-TV news station, where she worked, shortly after she went missing in 1995.

On Monday, her college friends traveled to Mason City to share memories of Jodi. They said they wanted people to remember Jodi was a person, who lived a great life, not just a headline.

“She was an amazing human being and a great friend and so we want to keep those stories alive, that’s what is important to us, so we remember all of those wonderful things that she was as a friend,” said Katie Morem.

Beth Carlson says Jodi has remained a big part of their lives.

“I’m fortunate to have her story written down, her beautiful handwriting, one of our friends who was unable to be here has picked up on Jodi’s theme, and she just sends cards to people and say just thinking about you, I love you and have a great day,” said Carlson, “it’s a beautiful way to honor Jodi.”

RELATED: Jodi Huisentruit: 27 Years of Life and Loss

They also shared stories of Jodi’s desire to seek the truth including her time as a young reporter interviewing Patty Wetterling about the disappearance of Jacob. Never did they imagine, they would someday be doing the same.

“The first thing I thought of when we got together was let’s call Patty to see what we should do, we called Patty Wetterling that night and she said ‘make fliers and get them out tonight as soon as possible,” said Amy Westman.

This unique anniversary and the significance of the number 27 aren’t the first similarities between both Jacob and Jodi’s cases.

“Jacob was born in Long Prairie (Minnesota), that is where Jodi is from, Jacob’s father is from Mason City, there are so many overlaps, Jodi had been in Patty’s living the same place I interviewed her,” said Caroline Lowe, “I don’t know what it means, but I keep holding on to the fact that there is some connection.”

Lowe joined the FindJodi team in 2011. Before that, she spent her career as an investigative reporter on both cases helping to break the story when Jacob’s body was discovered in 2016. She says she hopes she can close this last chapter with Jodi, as she did with Jacob.

“This rock Jacob Wetterling’s mom gave to me when I left Minnesota 11 years ago to California, five years later, Jacob was found after 27 years and I hold on to it, hoping that particularly this year, number 27, I hope we’ll get answers,” said Lowe. “I hope that we go from Find Jodi to Found Jodi."

Find Jodi has put up a new billboard on 15th and Monroe in Mason City. If you have any information about the disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit, contact Find Jodi or the Mason City Police Department.