Audrey Jean Good Backeberg married her husband Ronald Backeberg at the young age of 15. The couple settled in Reedsburg, Wisconsin and had two children together.
Sadly, Audrey and Ronald’s marriage was troubled and there were allegations of abuse, with a criminal complaint being filed just days before Audrey went missing.
In the complaint, Audrey claimed Ronald had beaten her causing head injuries, threatened to murder her and that he had loaded firearms in his vehicle.
Despite the criminal complaint Audrey remained in the home with her husband and children.
On July 7th 1962, the day after her 20th birthday, Audrey left her family’s home to retrieve her paycheck from the woolen mill where she worked. She never returned, spurring Ronald to reach out to many of her family members to inquire of her whereabouts.
Shortly after Audrey disappeared, the couples fourteen year old babysitter came forward. She claimed that her and Audrey had hitchhiked to Madison, Wisconsin and then caught a bus to Indianapolis, Indiana. Upon arriving, the teenager became nervous and wished to return home, she claimed Audrey refused to return and was last seen walking around the corner of the bus stop.
“The juvenile was interviewed again as an adult, maybe 15 years ago,” Detective Lt. Chris Zunker of the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office said. “She stated Audrey had taken a bunch of pills, put them in a Coke can and drank it before taking the bus down to Indianapolis. She reported Audrey potentially hooked up with some construction workers that may have been in the area.”
Audrey’s family members insist she would never abandon her children. Ronald passed a polygraph exam and always maintained his innocence.
In recent years, a tipster came forward with information that pushed authorities to search a rural area, but nothing was found. The credibility of the search was called into question when the search dog team admitted to planting evidence in other cases.
At the time of her disappearance Audrey Jean Good Backeberg was 20 years old, stood 5’5, and weighed 125 lbs. She had brown hair and hazel eyes and a crippled left index finger.
Any Leads and Information can be directed to:
Sauk County Sheriff's Department 888-847-7285
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