KDSN RADIO News
New Search Conducted at Former Ida Grove Home in Decades-Old Missing Woman Case
IDA GROVE, Iowa — KTIV reports investigators with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) returned to Ida Grove this week to re-examine the former residence of a woman whose disappearance has haunted the community for more than 25 years.
Connie Ruddy, a 21-year-old mother of two, was reported missing on February 10, 1997. Her case remained unsolved until 1999, when partial human remains were found in rural Crawford County near the Boyer River by a man searching for fossils. Dental records identified the remains as Ruddy’s, and recent DNA analysis has since reconfirmed that identification.
In a statement to KTIV, the DCI said the agency, alongside the Ida County Sheriff’s Office, has continued to pursue leads since Ruddy’s disappearance. “Despite the nearly 29-year time lapse, investigators remain committed to uncovering the truth,” the agency said.
Officials say new information uncovered through modern forensic methods led them to obtain a search warrant for Ruddy’s former home at 305 Burns Street in Ida Grove. The search took place Thursday, October 9, and involved DCI criminalists, special agents from the Major Crimes Unit, and local deputies.
During the search, several potential pieces of evidence were collected from the now-vacant property and have been sent to the state laboratory for further testing. Authorities have not disclosed what items were found or what prompted the renewed search.
The DCI says no additional details are being released at this time as the investigation remains ongoing.
