A decades-old mystery involving a woman from Wisconsin has been solved! A mother of two named Audrey Backeberg, who disappeared at the age of 20 on July 7, 1962, was found six decades later, alive and well at 82, in another state.
Backeberg was last seen heading out to the nearest bus stop to collect her wages from her job at the woollen mill, after which she never returned home.
In a press release last week, the official statement from the sheriff’s office announced, “Through diligent investigative work, which included a thorough re-evaluation of all case files and evidence, combined with re-interviewing witnesses and uncovering new insights, the Sheriff’s Office is now able to report that Audrey Backeberg is alive and well and currently resides out of State,” cops wrote in a press release.
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As per The Sun, Backberg lived in Reedsburg, a city about 55 miles northwest of Madison, Wisconsin, a town that had just 1,800 residents at the time, and her disappearance not only left quite a shock to her family but also created quite a buzz. Despite an initial investigation, the case went cold and was eventually closed by the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office.
Detective Isaac Hanson reopened the case file once again for review. Combining a set of detailed interviews, case analysis, and a critical lead from an Ancestry.com account linked to Backeberg’s sister, Hanson tracked Audrey down. She was fine, alive, and living right outside Wisconsin.
Detective Isaac Hanson told local news station WISN that “it was pretty key in locating death records, census reports, and all kinds of data. Ten minutes later, she called me, and we talked for 45 minutes.” While the detective, who was the real messiah in this case, kept the details of the conversation private, he claimed that Audrey Backeberg sounded happy and confident and had no regrets about her decisions.
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Reportedly, at the time of disappearance, about 63 years ago, when Aubrey never came back home, at the time of investigation, the family’s teenage babysitter later claimed she had travelled with Audrey to Madison and then to Indianapolis before returning home alone, leaving Audrey behind.
However, the truth was that she was married to Ronald Backeberg when she was 15 and had two children. Alas, trouble brewed in her marriage, and a criminal complaint had been filed just days before her disappearance after Ronald allegedly had beaten her black and blue, sustaining head injuries.
He also allegedly threatened to murder her and had access to firearms, according to Wisconsin Missing Persons Advocacy.
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Despite reporting the horrifying case of domestic violence back in those days, Aubrey remained in the house with her children.
Maybe that’s why she decided to vanish. Moreover, even though the family believed that Aubrey would never leave her kids without a solid reason, the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office has since confirmed that her disappearance was voluntary and not the result of foul play.
As per The New York Times, this outcome signified that it was solely Audrey Backeberg’s will to leave her family and escape her abusive marriage, and no other conspiracy theories have been linked to it. The case has currently been closed.
