Authorities in Wisconsin and Iowa are taking a renewed look at whether Christopher Revak, a man linked to a series of violent crimes across the Midwest, may have been involved in the disappearance of Iowa news anchor Jodi Huisentruit nearly 30 years ago. Revak, who died by suicide in 2009, has now been confirmed as the killer of another woman, and investigators believe he may have had additional victims.
The Wood County Sheriff’s Office in Wisconsin announced in October that Revak was responsible for the 2006 murder of Deidre Harm, a 21-year-old single mother from Wisconsin Rapids who vanished after a night out at a local bar. Harm’s remains were found five months later in a wooded area outside the city. District Attorney Jonathan Barnett said there was enough evidence to charge Revak with her killing, but the case could not move forward because the suspect had already taken his own life.
Revak, a former emergency medical technician from Wisconsin, had long been suspected of violent behavior. In Missouri, he was charged with the 2007 murder of Rene Williams, a 36-year-old mother of three who disappeared after leaving the bar where she worked in Ava. Investigators found DNA evidence linking Revak to her disappearance. However, before his trial could begin, he died by suicide in his jail cell the day after charges were filed.
The confirmation that Revak killed Harm has revived investigators’ interest in other unsolved cases, particularly the 1995 disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit, a 27-year-old morning anchor for KIMT-TV in Mason City, Iowa. Huisentruit disappeared early on June 27, 1995, after calling a colleague to say she was on her way to work but never arriving. Police later found signs of a violent struggle outside her apartment, including her bent car key and personal belongings near her vehicle. She was declared legally dead in 2001. However, her body has never been found.
Revak had been identified as a person of interest in Huisentruit’s disappearance years ago, but investigators at the time said there was no physical evidence linking him to the case. More recently, authorities in Wisconsin and Iowa have revisited that connection, comparing information gathered during the Harm and Williams investigations with details from Huisentruit’s disappearance.
According to investigators, Revak’s movements during the mid-1990s placed him in the same region where Huisentruit was last seen. Authorities also examined whether any of Revak’s acquaintances, including his ex-wife, had connections to people in Mason City during that time. Although no definitive link has been proven, police now describe him as a possible serial offender whose crimes may have extended beyond the cases already tied to him.
Over the years, the Huisentruit investigation has remained active. Police have executed multiple search warrants, including one in Minnesota in 2024 following a tip, though no new evidence was found. A $50,000 reward continues to be offered for information about her disappearance, and her family maintains hope that answers will eventually emerge.
Investigators say that Revak’s confirmed role in Harm’s death, combined with similarities in the disappearances of Williams and Huisentruit, has forced them to reconsider his potential reach. Law enforcement agencies are now sharing information about the former EMT, who is believed to have targeted women in multiple states over more than a decade.
While the discovery of Harm’s killer brings closure to one family, Huisentruit’s loved ones are still waiting for answers. Police say they will continue examining Revak’s background and movements in hopes of determining whether the man now confirmed as a murderer could also be responsible for the Iowa anchor’s disappearance.
Sources: People (1), People (2), Fox News
