Wisconsin woman found 'alive and well' after being missing for 62 years
A Wisconsin woman who was missing for over 60 years was discovered to be "alive and well," according to the Sauk County Sheriff's Office.
Audrey Backeberg, who was reported missing on July 7, 1962, was found by detectives outside the state of Wisconsin, the Sauk County Sheriff's Office said in a statement shared last week.
At the time of her disappearance, Backeberg was residing in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, the sheriff's office said. The family's babysitter claimed she and Backeberg -- who was 20 at the time -- hitchhiked to Madison, Wisconsin, and then took a Greyhound bus to Indianapolis.
The babysitter said Backeberg was last seen "walking around the corner away from the bus stop," according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice
Since her disappearance, Backeberg has "never returned home and has not been heard from again," the Wisconsin Department of Justice said in a missing persons poster.
Throughout the years, investigators "pursued numerous leads in an effort to determine Audrey's whereabouts," the sheriff's office said. Despite all efforts, the case "eventually went cold," officials said.
But earlier this year, the case was assigned to Sauk County Sheriff's Detective Isaac Hanson, who reevaluated all the case files, evidence and also re-interviewed witnesses. Through Hanson's work, he was able to obtain an address from Backeberg's sister's online ancestry account, he told Milwaukee ABC affiliate WISN.
Hanson called officials at the local sheriff's department and asked if they could visit the address, and "10 minutes later, she called me and we talked for 45 minutes," Hanson told WISN.
Backeberg is "alive and well" and currently resides outside of the state of Wisconsin, the sheriff's office said. Officials said her disappearance was "by her own choice and not the result of any criminal activity or foul play."
Hanson said Backeberg "had her reasons" for disappearing, but an abusive husband may have played a role in her decision to leave, he told WISN. It is still unclear why Backeberg stayed away for over six decades.
"This resolution underscores both the importance of continued work and the dedication of the Sheriff's Office to providing answers to families and the community," officials said.
