Brade
A six-decade-old cold case involving a missing mother from Wisconsin has finally been resolved. The Sauk County Sheriff’s Office announced that AUDREY BACKEBERG, who vanished at the age of 20 in 1962, has been located alive and well. Now 82 years old, BACKEBERG currently resides out of state, according to a media release from the Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation revealed that BACKEBERG’s disappearance was voluntary and not the result of criminal activity or foul play. “Further investigation has revealed that Ms. Backeberg’s disappearance was by her own choice,” the Sheriff’s Office stated.
BACKEBERG disappeared from her family’s home on July 7, 1962. According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, a family babysitter reported that she and BACKEBERG had hitchhiked to Madison, Wisconsin, before boarding a Greyhound bus to Indianapolis, Indiana. The babysitter claimed she last saw BACKEBERG walking away from the bus stop around the corner. The mother of two never returned home and had not been heard from since, as documented by The Charley Project, a website dedicated to profiling missing person cold cases.
The Charley Project also noted that BACKEBERG married RONALD BACKBERG at the age of 15, but their marriage was reportedly troubled, with allegations of abuse. The babysitter stated that BACKEBERG chose to leave voluntarily and had no intention of returning. However, her family members maintained that she would never have abandoned her children. RONALD BACKBERG reportedly passed a polygraph test conducted after her disappearance.
Earlier this year, the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office assigned the cold case to a detective, initiating a comprehensive re-evaluation of all case files and evidence. This included re-interviewing witnesses and uncovering new insights, leading to the breakthrough in the case.
For more details, visit the [Wisconsin Department of Justice website](https://www.doj.state.wi.us) and [The Charley Project](https://www.charleyproject.org).
