IA IA - Jodi Huisentruit, 27, Anchorwoman, Mason City, 27 June 1995 #2

[MargeGunderson]

The key part is at the end. Prochaska: 'I have a person that I believe is responsible for Jodi's disappearance', and won't disclose identity until he's 'ready to put the cuffs on....'

My read is that he thinks it is JV. Because if he knows who the perp is and it isn't JV, he probably wouldn't have thrown shade on JV during the show concerning JV's having 'passed' (according to JV) two lie detector tests....
.

This was absolutely my read. Whether it's JV or not, Prochaska certainly thinks it is. When he was asked about the results of JV's lie detector and he said 'I'm not allowed to talk about that... I wish I could (with a cheshire smile)' that pretty much told me what he thought.

If it is JV, then it's pretty much the end of any hope for prosecution if the information about him having been diagnosed with Alzheimers is true. They could arrest him but it's highly unlikely they would be permitted to go to trial since an Alzheimers diagnosis would make him unable to participate in his own defense. Even if he's in the early stages I doubt a court would allow him to be brought to trial. I think if JV is the perpetrator, the best they can hope for is that he decides that at this point he can be honest and admit to it or maybe anonymously let someone know where she was buried.

Of course if it isn't JV, then it's still probably the end of any hope because it seems clear that the MCPD thinks it is so they probably aren't looking for brand new suspects.

I just feel for her family and friends. Not knowing has to be the absolute worst.

 

[MargeGunderson]

I also forgot to mention that at the beginning Prochaska also mentioned that only a person who knew Jodi would wait around for her when she was late like she was. I'm not sure I agree with that assessment but it's another sign that he clearly thinks it's JV.

 

[ilovewings]

I also forgot to mention that at the beginning Prochaska also mentioned that only a person who knew Jodi would wait around for her when she was late like she was. I'm not sure I agree with that assessment but it's another sign that he clearly thinks it's JV.

l have created a scenario in my mind wherein jV spilled his heart to Jodi
about his love for her.at which point she lightheartedly said something
like oh John you know I care for you as a good friend but it can never be
anything more. I believe he was obsessed with her---you know the story--
if I cant have you, no one can-- and he decided to kill her.

 

[itsrak]

I also forgot to mention that at the beginning Prochaska also mentioned that only a person who knew Jodi would wait around for her when she was late like she was. I'm not sure I agree with that assessment but it's another sign that he clearly thinks it's JV.

Yeah, an obsessed stalker certainly might wait. And then when he sees the light in the apartment come on.....
And what would have motivated JV to attack JH? Its not like she was shunning him. Boating with him. Road trip with him. JV let JH meet his son who was around JH's age. JH let JV throw BD party for her. JV had access to her. And he had a GF. And he had other lady friends.... Yeah, he seems kinda weird, but a stone cold killer with the cojones to show up at the crime scene? To meet with JH's sister? Cooperate with cops? Take 2 lie detector tests? AFAIK, JV never lawyered up - or did he?

On the other hand, maybe it went like this. Timeline seems to suggest JH did not go to JV's that eve and watch BD vid. Maybe JH told JV by phone that eve to get lost. He'd not want that to be known, so he tells cops they were getting along fine, so fine that, why, she'd come over to his place just the night before....

 

[Hastings21]

Did I hear it right that detective Prochaska said he believes he has the person that did this in his sights? I was wondering about one thing: the toilet seat being up: Women know that no woman would ever keep a toilet seat up: that means that a man was in Jody's apartment. Does this have anything to do with this case or is it a coincidence that a man was in her apartment, most likely the night/ morning she was taken. I have always thought JV was the one who took her and murdered her, but now, I am not quite as sure. I don't think it was the black-guy rapist--- Just thinking out loud

 

[Hastings21]

This was absolutely my read. Whether it's JV or not, Prochaska certainly thinks it is. When he was asked about the results of JV's lie detector and he said 'I'm not allowed to talk about that... I wish I could (with a cheshire smile)' that pretty much told me what he thought.

If it is JV, then it's pretty much the end of any hope for prosecution if the information about him having been diagnosed with Alzheimers is true. They could arrest him but it's highly unlikely they would be permitted to go to trial since an Alzheimers diagnosis would make him unable to participate in his own defense. Even if he's in the early stages I doubt a court would allow him to be brought to trial. I think if JV is the perpetrator, the best they can hope for is that he decides that at this point he can be honest and admit to it or maybe anonymously let someone know where she was buried.

Of course if it isn't JV, then it's still probably the end of any hope because it seems clear that the MCPD thinks it is so they probably aren't looking for brand new suspects.

I just feel for her family and friends. Not knowing has to be the absolute worst.

 

[Hastings21]

Has anyone ever mentioned if there were any people who worked for the apartment complex as possible suspects? Maintenance workers? People on staff?

 

[somequestions]

So the video
Watch 20/20 Season 44 Episode 13 Gone at Dawn Online
is certainly well worth watching.

Some interesting stuff regarding Pruin. Some good detail about the timeline on the eve of JH's disappearance. Interview of serial rapist Tony whateverhisnameis, but they don't even ask the guy about rumours that he'd been trying to meet JH. Interesting interview of Mower County sheriff in which he notes that he was at one point convinced that Corscadden was the perp. Nothing at all about Steve Ridge's stuff, nothing at all about the Miata transaction. Nothing about Jerry Burns, recently convicted of '79 murder of Michelle Martinko. No mention of the recently surfaced fling JH had been in a week or two prior to her disappearance

The key part is at the end. Prochaska: 'I have a person that I believe is responsible for Jodi's disappearance', and won't disclose identity until he's 'ready to put the cuffs on....'

My read is that he thinks it is JV. Because if he knows who the perp is and it isn't JV, he probably wouldn't have thrown shade on JV during the show concerning JV's having 'passed' (according to JV) two lie detector tests....

If it was JV, reflects really poorly on MCPD, because they shoulda been able to nail that dipstick in a matter of a few days...

This 20/20 tv show was helpful in giving perspective about Jodi Huisentruit's case from June 1995. I will highlight a few insights below:

-I did not know about the possibility Jodi may have had a man in her apartment the night before the abduction. The two wine glasses and the toilet seat being up were interesting.

-I learned that Jodi usually left for work about 45 minutes- 1 hour earlier than she left that particular day. I knew about her oversleeping but did not realize how much the stalker would have to wait beyond when they would usually expect her to come out of the apartment building.

-I learned the short walk Jodi had from the apartment building entrance to her Mazda Miata was even shorter than I thought. The side mirror on the driver's side of the Mazda was turned away from the building, like someone had rushed her from behind and knocked her into the side mirror leaving it in that position. That may have been when the key fell out of the car door lock. Yet it seemed like she was dragged to the front of her Mazda and away. Without having the actual crime scene photo location of all the stuff Jodi dropped it is hard to determine how the crime actually played out.

-The information about the timeline concerning JV was something new. It was very good information, but leaves the question: Even if he lied, why would he lie about her coming over to view the birthday tape the night before? We know what time the crime supposedly happened based on screams in the apartment parking lot and her items being scattered in the apartment car lot. But it is understandable why people question the timeline the night of June 26th, the night before the abduction. If it was not him, you have to sort of feel for him because it does seem like many people have come to that conclusion without factual evidence.

You have people that Jodi knew who seem like good suspects. You have criminals convicted of crimes that were in the Mason City, Iowa area at the time who seem like good suspects. You have a victim whose name and telephone number was in the local phonebook and was seen by thousands on t.v. This case is so emblematic of why missing person's cases are so hard to solve.

I know if I were a detective on this case I would want to make sure that anyone who lived in the apartment building at the time or who had a connection to it whether that be paper delivery people, garbage men, etc were checked out. After watching the t.v. program, I cannot even venture to guess who may be responsible for the disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit. It could be any one of the people that were mentioned in the program. Hopefully someday new information comes to light that helps solve this mystery.

 

[ilovewings]

This 20/20 tv show was helpful in giving perspective about Jodi Huisentruit's case from June 1995. I will highlight a few insights below:

-I did not know about the possibility Jodi may have had a man in her apartment the night before the abduction. The two wine glasses and the toilet seat being up were interesting.

-I learned that Jodi usually left for work about 45 minutes- 1 hour earlier than she left that particular day. I knew about her oversleeping but did not realize how much the stalker would have to wait beyond when they would usually expect her to come out of the apartment building.

-I learned the short walk Jodi had from the apartment building entrance to her Mazda Miata was even shorter than I thought. The side mirror on the driver's side of the Mazda was turned away from the building, like someone had rushed her from behind and knocked her into the side mirror leaving it in that position. That may have been when the key fell out of the car door lock. Yet it seemed like she was dragged to the front of her Mazda and away. Without having the actual crime scene photo location of all the stuff Jodi dropped it is hard to determine how the crime actually played out.

-The information about the timeline concerning JV was something new. It was very good information, but leaves the question: Even if he lied, why would he lie about her coming over to view the birthday tape the night before? We know what time the crime supposedly happened based on screams in the apartment parking lot and her items being scattered in the apartment car lot. But it is understandable why people question the timeline the night of June 26th, the night before the abduction. If it was not him, you have to sort of feel for him because it does seem like many people have come to that conclusion without factual evidence.

You have people that Jodi knew who seem like good suspects. You have criminals convicted of crimes that were in the Mason City, Iowa area at the time who seem like good suspects. You have a victim whose name and telephone number was in the local phonebook and was seen by thousands on t.v. This case is so emblematic of why missing person's cases are so hard to solve.

I know if I were a detective on this case I would want to make sure that anyone who lived in the apartment building at the time or who had a connection to it whether that be paper delivery people, garbage men, etc were checked out. After watching the t.v. program, I cannot even venture to guess who may be responsible for the disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit. It could be any one of the people that were mentioned in the program. Hopefully someday new information comes to light that helps solve this mystery.

A very thoughtful post!!!!

 

[itsrak]

Would a perp, in addition to showing up at the crime scene and freely talking to cops and also taking lie detector tests, and seemingly never 'lawyered up', just days after abducting and presumably killing victim, sit down with victim's friends and family, knowing it was being taped for national TV...?

This image, and the following narrative, is directly from CBS News' 2019 special on the Huisentruit case:
*********************************************

Jodi Huisentruit mystery: The decades-long search for the missing TV news anchor

JOANN NATHE ["48 HOURS" 1995]: You were a fun-loving group.
JOHN VANSICE ["48 HOURS" 1995]: We were. We had a blast together. We'd just laughed and laughed.
"48 Hours" was there as Vansice told them about his friendship with Jodi.
JOHN VANSICE TO NATHE AND FAMILY ["48 HOURS" 1995]: I just loved watching her have fun.
Nathe found his demeanor odd.
JOHN VANSICE TO NATHE AND FAMILY ["48 HOURS" 1995]: I tried to watch over her. I tried to check on her once in a while. Not all the time. Just once in a while. See how she's getting along.

JoAnn Nathe: In my mind, there's a good chance that he is linked to Jodi's case, some way or other.
Jim Axelrod: What makes you say that?
JoAnn Nathe: It's just that he was so obsessed with her.

JOHN VANSICE TO NATHE AND FAMILY ["48 HOURS" 1995]: If you ever go in her apartment and you see men's clothes, they're mine. If I had a shirt she liked, you know, I'd wear it for a while and then I'd give it to her.

Jim Axelrod: But Vansice has never been arrested; he's never been named a suspect.
JoAnn Nathe: I know. He hasn't. … If he is the one, let's get the evidence … But, we have to be objective, we have to have an open mind. It could be somebody we least expect.
Looking back 25 years later, Ani Kruse now believes Vansice could have harmed Jodi.

Jim Axelrod: When you think maybe it was John, what would his motive have been?
Ani Kruse: Maybe being rebuffed.
Jim Axelrod: Maybe finally saying to her, I'm not your father. I wanna be your boyfriend.
Ani Kruse: That's the only thing I could think of. …But the thing that has always puzzled me, like, why in the morning in the parking lot?

Could what was in that parking lot have had something to do with it? "48 Hours" obtained a copy of a search warrant for Jodi's 1991 Miata and learned it was not in her name when she vanished. It reads: "this license is listed to John Lessard, the previous owner, pending title transfer." John Lessard is a prominent businessman. He told "48 Hours" the sale to Jodi was arranged by a friend who was a car salesman. The friend has since died, but his son remembers the sale.

Ani Kruse: She worked hard for that. She was proud of getting that car. She was excited about it.

And that car seemed to be on John Vansice's mind. His close friend LaDonna Woodford claims he told her the car was a birthday gift to Jodi from a boyfriend.

LaDonna Woodford: He said, "but she doesn't like – want the car. …She's gonna give it back to him."
Ani Kruse: She never said anything about a gentleman buying it or paying for it or anything like that. …So I think that's hogwash.
Jim Axelrod: Inconceivable to you.
Ani Kruse: Yeah.

Lessard told "48 Hours" the only time he met Jodi was to hand her the car keys. Kruse says Vansice had a history of jealousy when it came to Jodi.

Ani Kruse: If we were out somewhere … if she was visiting with somebody he would come join the conversation.
Jim Axelrod: Just swoop in?
Ani Kruse: Pretty much, yeah. …He wanted to make sure that everybody knew Jodi was his.
But Woodford insists Vansice had no romantic interest in Jodi – and no reason to hurt her.
LaDonna Woodford: When he'd talk about Jodi … it was like, "I'm protecting her. She's … like my daughter."
Jim Axelrod: What if – on June 26th and then into the morning of June 27th, what if John Vansice had picked then to share with Jodi that he wanted to take it to the next level?
LaDonna Woodford: And people always ask me that question. And this is what I say. He would not do it … where they think he did it, [Why?] where she was abducted. He used to live in those apartments. Everybody knows him.
Woodford feels Vansice has been unfairly singled out by police – and the community.
LaDonna Woodford [crying]: It's just so horrible, what they've done to him … he lost his best friend. … And it's sad, it's really sad.

And Woodford says she knows where Vansice was the morning Jodi was abducted: he was out taking a walk with her. It was their routine.
Jim Axelrod: As you walked through this neighborhood … Did he seem anxious?
LaDonna Woodford: Didn't seem anxious. He seemed himself.

And nothing seemed unusual when she called earlier to confirm their plans.

LaDonna Woodford: I called John at 6:00 in the morning. I say, "Hey, John, are we gonna work out today?"
Jim Axelrod: You felt when you called him that morning that he was up there sleeping?
LaDonna Woodford: Yeah, absolutely. …We didn't have cell phones so I know he was home.

And that is why Woodford believes she is his alibi. Remember, Jodi's producer spoke to her at around 4:10 a.m. LaDonna believes that Vansice – even though he lived only 5 minutes away -- would not have had enough time to abduct Jodi, possibly dispose of her body and be home by 6:00 a.m.

LaDonna Woodford: I know the timeframe of … when I called him; when I met with him, when we walked. …it's almost impossible for him to have done this.

Police finally confirmed in the fall of 1995 that Vansice had passed a polygraph test – something he'd been telling friends all along.

*********************************************
So is this analysis by CBS the crux of the case? Or is it completely off the mark, and the perp perhaps an unknown stalker or someone else whose name has never come up....

 

[itsrak]

That’s an interesting rabbit hole- I was thinking article, but message boards are always intriguing.

The one thing LE has (still has I hope) is the palm print on the Miata & some DNA. I would think that palm print & DNA would have been compared to John Vansice, John Lessard, Toni Jackson, Dustin Honken, public works guy... and anyone else I can’t remember. Even if they have to get the DNA chasing after bubble gum & coffee cup trash.
Jodi Huisentruit mystery: The decades-long search for the missing TV news anchor

Anyone recall the name of the local public works guy, who as I understand it, lost his job related to stalking/harassment issues back in the 1990s...

 

[dotr]

Anyone recall the name of the local public works guy, who as I understand it, lost his job related to stalking/harassment issues back in the 1990s...

Former public works director resigns job amid controversy | Mason City & North Iowa | globegazette.com

Everything We Learned About Jodi Huisentruit’s Disappearance From Her ‘Up and Vanished’ Episode (ranker.com)
"Jablonski was arrested in 2008 for stalking and harassing multiple women in the Mason City area. After his arrest, Kooiker's anonymous source mailed evidence of a connection between Jablonski and the Huisentruit case to the MCPD. Much of his behavior with the women in 2008 matched up with the stalking behaviors described by Huisentruit's friends.''

 

[itsrak]

FindJodi podcast #29 is up: Podcast 029: 27 Years, 27 Facts | Find Jodi Huisentruit

One interesting point - did you know that a MCPD investigator is on record having said that JH once reported to police (but there is no copy of any such police report to be had) feeling uncomfortable on her way to work, and that as a result she received a police escort to work for a few mornings (this is distinct from the police report that was filed, in which she reported having been followed by a white truck during day time hours). Further evidence that JH may have been stalked....followed while jogging, perhaps followed to work, harassed by phone, finally waited for in parking lot...

 

[dotr]

Just a few tv reporter stalking incidences.... fwiw.
2010 rbbm.
Most Likely to Be Stalked | Psychology Today
''A career as a female TV news anchor isn't all glamour. Away from the glare of the studio lights, the job is plagued by a little-known but particularly unpleasant occupational hazard: stalkers. In newsrooms across the country, the problem is endemic. "Everyone has a crazy guy," says broadcaster Amy Jacobson. "It's expected."
Though no statistics exist on the scope of the problem, experts who study stalking confirm that female anchors and reporters can expect to be targeted sooner or later''
''The typical delusional stalker is a single male in his thirties, unemployed or underemployed, a man who has never experienced an intimate relationship. Desperately he yearns for a connection, yet sometimes tormented by mental disorders, he can find no way to fulfill his dreams. And as he sits alone day after day, it suddenly comes to him: an image of a beautiful young woman, friendly, engaging, cordial yet warm, talking to him, looking him in the eye. She appears every day at the same time, greeting him with a warm smile saying goodbye to him at the end: "That's the news. See you tomorrow!"
Before long, he may believe that her eyes are following him as he walks around the room.''
''When a stalker's yearning is thwarted, the danger escalates. As his grandiose fantasies of love collapse around him, the stalker grasps at the only tool that can bolster his self-worth: anger. And so the love obsessional turns hate obsessional.''
2020
Philly man convicted of stalking NBC10 anchor Tracy Davidson | PhillyVoice

2019
For local female journalists in US, rape threats, stalkers, harassment can come with the beat - Committee to Protect Journalists (cpj.org)
''In 2016, the FBI told a local TV journalist that she wasn’t safe sleeping in her own home. Her TV station, which covers a major American city, hired an off-duty police officer to guard the parking lot when she arrived at work. Even for a journalist covering organized crime, such measures may seem extreme–but her beat is much less fraught: she covers light-hearted local news and sport.''

2018
A reader became my stalker. Is this the new normal for journalists? - Columbia Journalism Review (cjr.org)

Former News Anchor Peckinpaugh Shares Story Of Abuse, Stalking - Hartford Courant
2010
''Several years after college, when I began working as a television reporter and anchor, I discovered that my job exposed me to potential stalkers daily. The first time was when I was working for a station in Richmond, Va. A man carrying a shotgun walked in and told the receptionist that I was his wife and had run away from home. Luckily, that incident was peacefully resolved.''

One stalker in Richmond ran my car off the road at night and tried to pull me out of the vehicle. A passer-by called the police before he could hurt me. Yet another man hid on my bedroom balcony and watched me undress each night after I got home from work.''

 

[somequestions]

There was at least one piece of information in the recent 20/20 episode Gone at Dawn that did not make sense concerning timing. According to the detective on the case, in Jodi's apartment police found that the toilet seat was up and there were two wine glasses on the counter. They cannot substantiate when the wine was drank or if it was drank by two seperate people.

Yet the next morning Jodi Huisentruit overslept. The news producer had to call her and wake her up. According to the news producer, Jodi then would usually quickly take a shower and come in to work within 10-15 minutes. She had overslept before. Jodi took her blow dryer and makeup with her to do her hair and makeup at work before the newscast started at 6 am. That makes sense. A blow dryer was one of the items found in the apartment parking lot.

The part that seemed strange to me was police later finding the toilet seat up. If a woman gets up to take a shower, even if a man was there the night before, wouldn't she notice the raised toilet seat when she enters the bathroom in the morning?

Could she not have taken a shower? But she was playing a sport, golf, the previous day, and it was June. It is those types of details that would bother me. Wouldn't police try to get prints off the toilet seat too if they thought that detail was important?

Maybe there was another reason for the toilet seat being up?

 

[itsrak]

There was at least one piece of information in the recent 20/20 episode Gone at Dawn that did not make sense concerning timing. According to the detective on the case, in Jodi's apartment police found that the toilet seat was up and there were two wine glasses on the counter. They cannot substantiate when the wine was drank or if it was drank by two seperate people.

Yet the next morning Jodi Huisentruit overslept. The news producer had to call her and wake her up. According to the news producer, Jodi then would usually quickly take a shower and come in to work within 10-15 minutes. She had overslept before. Jodi took her blow dryer and makeup with her to do her hair and makeup at work before the newscast started at 6 am. That makes sense. A blow dryer was one of the items found in the apartment parking lot.

The part that seemed strange to me was police later finding the toilet seat up. If a woman gets up to take a shower, even if a man was there the night before, wouldn't she notice the raised toilet seat when she enters the bathroom in the morning?

Could she not have taken a shower? But she was playing a sport, golf, the previous day, and it was June. It is those types of details that would bother me. Wouldn't police try to get prints off the toilet seat too if they thought that detail was important?

Maybe there was another reason for the toilet seat being up?

The seat may have been left up by a cop.

From findjodi.com: "The MCPD chief at the time, and several other officers, soon after arrived at the Key apartment complex. Lt. Frank Stearns said the toilet seat was up in Jodi’s apartment, raising raising some questions if Jodi’s had had a male visitor." Caroline Lowe of findjodi.com, in latest podcast, speculates that a cop may have left the seat up.

 

[Gtcomo]

Perhaps the perp wasn’t outside waiting for her... what if somebody was inside with her.... maybe spent the night.... left with her that morning, was upset about something, maybe they had a disagreement then attacked her as she was getting in her vehicle?? There are a ton ton of scenarios with this observation .... just asking for thoughts???

 

[itsrak]

Perhaps the perp wasn’t outside waiting for her... what if somebody was inside with her.... maybe spent the night.... left with her that morning, was upset about something, maybe they had a disagreement then attacked her as she was getting in her vehicle?? There are a ton ton of scenarios with this observation .... just asking for thoughts???

Yeah, and the presence of the guy could explain why she was late for work. But there were multiple reports (Linderman and gal who lived across Kentucky Ave) of a van waiting/running in the lot, which would point away from a male companion. Or, could be both a male companion leaving just before JH (perhaps in the sedan that a jogger says almost struck her), and a stalker waiting in van. But a decent man would have gone to police, and if a man reported having spent the night, I'd think police would have said so w/o IDing him.

Perhaps it was JV who was there that evening. Perhaps it was him banging on her door earlier that eve, wanting to get with her to play the bday vid that he'd gotten from Stecker earlier that day. Perhaps he tried again after JH got off phone with her GFs hubby, she let him in, they watched vid, perhaps argument of some sort, he leaves livid, waits in lot.... Then his story became, yeah, we watched the vid, but at my place and then she went home, never saw her again... JH supposedly had a GF - where was she that evening?....

One other thought. JV had a son. That son was roughly JH's age. That son certainly knew JH - they'd all been skiing together near Iowa City just days before. So, in a sense, JH was the son's friend. How odd it would be for a dad to kill a friend of his child. I'm sure there are plenty of examples, but still strikes me as so odd. Easier to see a loner psycho as the perp than the dad of a friend/acquaintance of JH...

 

[somequestions]

Perhaps the perp wasn’t outside waiting for her... what if somebody was inside with her.... maybe spent the night.... left with her that morning, was upset about something, maybe they had a disagreement then attacked her as she was getting in her vehicle?? There are a ton ton of scenarios with this observation .... just asking for thoughts???

I considered that as a possibility, but then what about the other voice in the parking lot? If two people are arguing, usually there is loud yelling, etc. Yet according to witnesses at the apartment building who only supposedly heard the crime, but did not see it, they only heard screams that morning around the time Jodi left for work. Plus if Jodi had to get a shower and get her stuff ready to go to work she probably did not have a lot of time for an argument.

Arguments right as you get up for work and are running late seem rare as usually an argument starts for some reason. Maybe this man messed up her bathroom? I can only guess as to what an argument would have started over at 4 am in the morning after someone being asleep and waking up for work. Maybe she had to get rid of the man from her apartment if it was locked up? But then if the man was not the abductor he would have been able to walk her outside to her car.

But I agree that is a possible scenario. Maybe the ear witnesses to the crime simply did not hear the argument in the parking lot because it was not loud enough or only the screams were loud enough to hear.

 

[Cryptic]

Has anyone ever mentioned if there were any people who worked for the apartment complex as possible suspects? Maintenance workers? People on staff?

Though not an employee, the police looked very hard at a male apartment resident who was a "special friend" of sorts to the victim.

The man was older than her by 20 (+) years. The relationship was described as over all friendly and supportive (and very platonic), but with some paternalistic / possessive overtones.

Anyways, I believe the man was generally cooperative and the police served two search warrants at various residences with out success. His physical abilities to quickly over power the victim could probably have been described as a murky: Clearly possible- under advantageous circumstances.