“Jodi
lived
her
life
as
an
optimist,”
her
family
said
in
a
statement
marking
the
tragic
date,
per
FindJodi, “and
she
had
a
great
passion
for
living
life
to
the
fullest.
She
was
a
bright
light
who
made
the
world
around
her
better
just
by
being
in
it.
Her
kindness
and
heart
were
unmatched,
and
she
had
an
innate
ability
to
make
those
she
met
feel
seen,
heard,
and
valued.
She
had
such
a
bright
future
ahead
of
her,
and
she
should
be
here
now
living
out
her
dreams.”
The
family
also
expressed
disbelief
she’d
been
gone
for
so
long,
noting
it
had
been
three
decades
of “pure
anguish
and
torture
dealing
with
the
loss
of
our
Jodi
and
trying
to
find
answers
to
what
happened
to
her
30
years
ago
today.”
But
so
far,
the
truth
has
remained
out
of
reach.
“They
use
that
word
closure
a
lot,”
Merbach,
the
news
director
who
hired
Huisentruit,
told
Omaha’s
WOWT-TV
in
2015. “For
Jodi’s
family,
I
don’t
think
there’s
any
such
thing
after
having
a
wound
fester
for
20
years—how
do
you
close
that
up
immediately?
Where
I
work
in
Mason
City
now—from
my
office—I
can
see
the
tree
that
we
planted
for
Jodi.
It’s
a
reminder
for
me
every
day
of
what
happened
20
years
ago.
It’s
still
very
close.
It’s
still
very
fresh.”
Also
outside
the
station
paying
tribute
to
Huisentruit:
A
stone
marker
engraved
with
a
golf
ball
and
a
TV
camera.
(Originally
published
Dec.
22,
2018,
at
3
a.m.
PT)
Red Carpet
