Audrey Good Backeberg

Audrey Good Backeberg


Above: Audrey, circa 1962

Missing Since: July 7, 1962 from Reedsburg, Wisconsin

Classification: Endangered Missing

Age: 20 years old

Height and Weight: 5'5, 125 pounds

Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Audrey has a crippled left finger. Some agencies refer to Audrey by her maiden name, Good.

Audrey married Ronald Backeberg in 1957, when she was about fifteen years old. The couple had two children together and resided on Vine Street in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. Audrey was employed at the nearby woolen mill in the early 1960s. A photo of Ronald is posted below this case summary.Authorities said that Audrey and Ronald's marriage was troubled and there were allegations of abuse. Audrey filed a criminal complaint against her husband on July 4, 1962. She said that Ronald beat her shortly beforehand, resulting in head injuries. Audrey also stated that Ronald threatened to murder her. She claimed that he had two loaded firearms inside the trunk of his vehicle.
Audrey departed from her family's residence during the day on July 7, 1962, three days after she contacted authorities regarding Ronald's alleged behavior. She planned to retrieve her paycheck from the mill at the time. Audrey never returned home and has not been heard from again. Ronald phoned many of her loved ones after her disappearance and inquired as to her whereabouts. He maintained his innocence in his wife's case from the onset.
The couple's teenage babysitter returned to Wisconsin shortly after Audrey disappeared. She claimed that she and Audrey rode a Greyhound bus to Indiana shortly after Audrey vanished. The babysitter said that Audrey chose to leave of her own accord. Audrey's family members insisted that she would not abandon her children.
Ronald passed a polygraph exam conducted after Audrey's disappearance. There have not been any arrests in her case. A confidential informant came forward with new information involving Audrey's disappearance during the spring of 2002, nearly 40 years after Audrey was last seen. Authorities planned to search a rural area near Reedsburg for her remains later in the year. Audrey's case remains unsolved.


Above: Ronald Backeberg, circa 1962

If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Sauk County Sheriff's Department
888-847-7285
Source Information
charleyproject.org
WISC-TV3
Wisconsin Advocates for the Families of Missing People