Audrey Jean Good Backeberg, age 20, vanished from Reedsburg, Wisconsin on July 7, 1962.
She was one of six children to parents who both worked long hours, and Audrey was often charged with looking after her younger siblings.
She was popular in school, being voted “best looking” in the eighth grade.
Audrey was married to Ronald Backeberg in 1957, at the young age of 15, and the couple had two children.
Ronald was reportedly abusive, and Audrey had filed a complaint against him a couple days before her disappearance, claiming that he had beaten her, threatened her life, and kept two guns in the trunk of his car.
On the day of her disappearance, Audrey was supposed to pick up a paycheck from a local woolen mill, and left the children at home with Ron. She never returned.
The family’s 14 year old babysitter, Barbara (Hinze) Combs, later claimed that she and Audrey had hitchhiked to Madison, Wisconsin, where they caught a Greyhound bus to Indianapolis, Indiana. The babysitter stated that she then turned herself in as a runaway, but Audrey told her she would never return, then disappeared around a corner near the bus stop.
Audrey’s family could not fathom that she would ever leave her children voluntarily.
The following article from 2002, however, indicates that family members had some indication that Audrey intended to meet two men in Indiana. It’s not clear whether this was stated by her biological family (parents, siblings, etc) or her husband and his relatives.
(Note: While most media accounts state that the 14 year old was the babysitter for the Backeberg’s children, this article suggests that Audrey was the babysitter to the 14 year old. I don’t think it particularly makes a difference in the case, but wanted to point it out in the interest of being thorough.)
Ronald Backeberg passed a polygraph at the time of her disappearance, and contacted several people inquiring about her whereabouts. He later remarried, and passed away in 2006.
For anyone who might be researching this case, it is useful to know that Ronald’s brother also married an Audrey, thus two Audrey Backebergs. Recent public records in the area are of the other Audrey.
Since Audrey was only 20, I would assume that her children were very young – too young to remember whether their father had actually been at home with them while Audrey was away.
I think the babysitter should be talked to again. She may have been an impressionable, scared, 14 year old at the time, who would have said what she was told to say.
I don’t know if the fact that the babysitter turned herself in as a runaway in Indianapolis was ever confirmed with Indianapolis law enforcement, or if this was just her statement. Surely the babysitter’s parents would remember if their daughter was returned to them from another state.
There also appears to be no confirmation of whether Audrey actually picked up her paycheck that day.
In recent years, a tipster came forward, pointing investigators to an area where he believed Audrey’s remains would be found. The man had once been hired as a farm hand by Ron Backeberg. According to the witness, there was a particular area which Ron would never allow to be plowed. An extensive search, which included the use of a well-known search dog, was executed – however, the dog handler later admitted to having planted bones in the past, for her dog to find, in order to boost her reputation. They were no longer considered credible after that.
I do not know if the area has been searched again. If it hasn’t, I hope it will be.
Audrey would be about 72 years old now. The babysitter would be in her 60’s.
This song was #1 on the Billboard Charts at the time of Audrey’s disappearance:
Roses Are Red (My Love) – Bobby Vinton
UPDATE 8/22/17: A recent article confirms that the babysitter WAS talked to again as an adult. She still holds to her story, and added that Audrey took a bunch of pills and put them into a Coke bottle. She drank the Coke prior to the bus ride to Indianapolis. The babysitter also suggested that Audrey may have hooked up with some construction workers that were in the area, while in Indianapolis.
Above: Audrey & Family
Sources:
Websleuths
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Really wish they would look into this again. Give the family closure.
I read this case file and did a search for Audrey Backeberg ad it came up with an address and phone number in the same city and state she disappeared from. I’m wondering she did go runaway due to the husbands abuse. Upon more searching I believe the husband died in 2006 maybe she is alive and now safe.
Thank you for looking!
I’m not sure if you’re aware (I can’t recall if I included it in my post) there are two Audrey Backebergs. One is the missing person, the other I believe was her husband’s brother’s wife. So it may be that one that you’re seeing.
Yes, that is true. She would have never hid from her side of the family especially her children. They were supposed to do a dig in a field a number of years ago that a hired hand of Ron’s said they could never plow through during field time, but I don’t know why they don’t ever do the dig.
I wish they would try to locate the babysitter. She may have been told to lie at the time, and at the age of 14 in those days, you did what adults told you. She may be able to provide some information now. Especially with Audrey’s husband now deceased.
Do you have any idea where local law enforcement stands on the idea of searching? There are organizations like Texas Equusearch that will do searches for free but has to be approved by law enforcement.
I don’t want to point fingers, but I find Barbara’s testimony extremely weird and it causes more questions than answers:
How did she know Audrey had hooked up with some men in Indianapolis?
Did Audrey have any connection to this state?
Did someone investigate if there was a connection between Ronald and Barbara?
I don’t get many of the things of this journey; I mean, when I travel with someone, we talk about many things, specially about the things that we are going to do, but her testimony is very poor about that, like if they haven’t talked during the journey. Maybe the autthorities didn’t make it entirely public…
Did they have any money? Where did they get it?
Why did they decide to escape in the first place?
What was the plan? Were they going to find a job or stay with someone?
Were there any other witnesses who saw her on the bus?
If the asshole husband married Audrey when she was 15, there’s every possibility he was grooming Barbara. Definitely this case must be further investigated. Tell what you know. Give Audrey’s children some answers and peace.
I wonder if her siblings are alive and where her children are.