Wisconsin Cold Case Cracked: Woman Missing Since 1960s Found Safe

Audrey Backeberg disappeared at age 17 from Reedsburg, Wisconsin, and for 62 years her fate remained one of Wisconsin’s oldest unsolved mysteries...until last week.

Wisconsin's Coldest Cold Case

As a parent, one of my biggest fears is that one of my children goes missing. I literally cannot comprehend how any parent or family who has gone through a tragedy like this can muster up the courage to keep living life with so much sadness and questions overwhelming them.

I'm guessing hope that their child will return home safely is what keeps them waking up each morning, but would you be able to keep that hope alive for over 6 decades?!?

According to an article from WGN;

Sixty-two years ago, Audrey Backeberg disappeared from a small city in south-central Wisconsin after reportedly hitchhiking with her family’s babysitter and catching a bus to Indianapolis.

Nobody ever knew where she went or what happened to her.

For 62 years Audrey's loved ones lived in uncertainty, but last week they finally got the answer they needed most: Audrey is alive and safe.

How Was the Case Cracked?

In February 2025, Detective Isaac Hanson took over Audrey Backeberg's disappearance case and discovered an out-of-state arrest record that started an amazing chain of events.

WGN's article says;

after discovering the arrest record, he (Hanson) and other officials met with Backeberg’s family to see if they had a connection with that region. They also started digging through Backeberg’s sister’s Ancestry.com account, pulling census records, obituaries and marriage licenses from that region.

Two months and several connected dots later, Detective Hanson was able to locate Audrey Backeberg, (who is known by a different name now), living in another state.

After talking to Backeberg personally, Detective Hanson quickly determined that she had her reasons for disappearing over 60 years ago, and that she still has her reasons for staying off the radar.

While cracking 6 decade old cold cases is nearly unheard of, the fact that Audrey was located safe is nothing short of amazing.

Bravo, Detective Hanson!