It was July 1962 when 20-year-old Audrey Backeberg seemingly vanished into thin air. The young mother of two was last seen in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, leaving her family—and the town—grappling with confusion and fear. Despite extensive investigations, the case went cold, and over time, it was largely consigned to memory.
But on May 1, 2025, the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office stunned the public with an unexpected update: Audrey Backeberg was alive. “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,” they wrote in an official statement, “the Sheriff’s Office is now able to report that Audrey Backeberg is alive and well and currently resides out of State”
The Cold Case That Refused to Die
Detective Isaac Hanson, who recently inherited the long-cold case, didn’t let the decades-old dust deter him. Instead, he combed through archived files, chased obscure leads, and spoke to aging witnesses. His breakthrough came when he stumbled upon an arrest record that bore a striking resemblance to Audrey.
“I ended up locating an arrest record that I suspected was likely Audrey, so I contacted her family,” Hanson told WMTV. That contact led him to Audrey’s living sister—who, crucially, had maintained an active Ancestry.com account. That account became Hanson’s key to uncovering new data. “That was pretty key in locating death records, census reports, all kinds of data,” he told WISN.
Eventually, he found an address. “So I called the local sheriff's department, said ‘Hey, there's this lady living at this address. Do you guys have somebody, you can just go pop in?’ Ten minutes later, she called me, and we talked for 45 minutes.”
Why Did She Leave?
The reasons for Audrey’s disappearance trace back to a troubled domestic life. According to the Wisconsin Missing Persons Advocacy (WMPA), Audrey had married Ronald Backeberg when she was just 15. By 20, she was already a mother of two and had allegedly endured serious abuse.
WMPA noted that Audrey had filed a criminal complaint before she vanished, accusing her husband of beating her and threatening to kill her. Though Ronald was taken in for questioning at the time, he passed a polygraph test and denied all allegations.
The case grew even stranger when the couple’s 14-year-old babysitter told police she had hitchhiked to Madison with Audrey and later traveled to Indianapolis with her before returning home alone. Years later, when re-interviewed as an adult, the babysitter recounted that Audrey had consumed a concoction of pills hidden in a Coke can before boarding the bus to Indianapolis.
A Life Chosen in Silence
Despite these clues, the trail eventually ran cold—until Hanson revived it. What he found, however, was not a woman hiding in shame or trauma. Audrey, now in her 80s, was living a quiet life in another state, far removed from the chaos she left behind. And she had no plans to return.
“She had her reasons for leaving,” Hanson said. “We discussed a lot of things. I think she just was removed and, you know, moved on from things and kind of did her own thing and led her life. She sounded happy. Confident in her decision. No regrets.”
Though she has chosen not to reconnect with her children or make any public appearance, Audrey’s resurfacing answers one of Wisconsin’s oldest mysteries—and reopens wounds long thought healed. Her case offers a sobering reminder: some people don’t disappear because they’re lost. Sometimes, they leave because they want to.
But on May 1, 2025, the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office stunned the public with an unexpected update: Audrey Backeberg was alive. “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,” they wrote in an official statement, “the Sheriff’s Office is now able to report that Audrey Backeberg is alive and well and currently resides out of State”
At the age of 20, Audrey Backeberg went missing from Reedsburg in July 1962. The Sauk County Sheriff's Office announced they've found her "alive and well." Full story: https://t.co/3uqQmHkBTH pic.twitter.com/CDJctyZvrm
— WISN 12 NEWS (@WISN12News) May 3, 2025
The Cold Case That Refused to Die
Detective Isaac Hanson, who recently inherited the long-cold case, didn’t let the decades-old dust deter him. Instead, he combed through archived files, chased obscure leads, and spoke to aging witnesses. His breakthrough came when he stumbled upon an arrest record that bore a striking resemblance to Audrey.
“I ended up locating an arrest record that I suspected was likely Audrey, so I contacted her family,” Hanson told WMTV. That contact led him to Audrey’s living sister—who, crucially, had maintained an active Ancestry.com account. That account became Hanson’s key to uncovering new data. “That was pretty key in locating death records, census reports, all kinds of data,” he told WISN.
Eventually, he found an address. “So I called the local sheriff's department, said ‘Hey, there's this lady living at this address. Do you guys have somebody, you can just go pop in?’ Ten minutes later, she called me, and we talked for 45 minutes.”
Why Did She Leave?
The reasons for Audrey’s disappearance trace back to a troubled domestic life. According to the Wisconsin Missing Persons Advocacy (WMPA), Audrey had married Ronald Backeberg when she was just 15. By 20, she was already a mother of two and had allegedly endured serious abuse.
WMPA noted that Audrey had filed a criminal complaint before she vanished, accusing her husband of beating her and threatening to kill her. Though Ronald was taken in for questioning at the time, he passed a polygraph test and denied all allegations.
Audrey Backeberg has been missing for over 61 years. If you have any information, please contact the Sauk County Sheriff's Department (888) 847-7285. https://t.co/aKUFUyRKUY pic.twitter.com/Z04VLwMtuf
— Wisconsin Missing Persons (@WIMissingPerson) July 6, 2023
The case grew even stranger when the couple’s 14-year-old babysitter told police she had hitchhiked to Madison with Audrey and later traveled to Indianapolis with her before returning home alone. Years later, when re-interviewed as an adult, the babysitter recounted that Audrey had consumed a concoction of pills hidden in a Coke can before boarding the bus to Indianapolis.
A Life Chosen in Silence
Despite these clues, the trail eventually ran cold—until Hanson revived it. What he found, however, was not a woman hiding in shame or trauma. Audrey, now in her 80s, was living a quiet life in another state, far removed from the chaos she left behind. And she had no plans to return.
“She had her reasons for leaving,” Hanson said. “We discussed a lot of things. I think she just was removed and, you know, moved on from things and kind of did her own thing and led her life. She sounded happy. Confident in her decision. No regrets.”
Though she has chosen not to reconnect with her children or make any public appearance, Audrey’s resurfacing answers one of Wisconsin’s oldest mysteries—and reopens wounds long thought healed. Her case offers a sobering reminder: some people don’t disappear because they’re lost. Sometimes, they leave because they want to.
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