Family asks hunters to look for clues in Newberry case

By RALPH ANSAMI

ransami@yourdailyglobe

MELLEN, Wis. — Family members and friends of Jody Lynn Newberry, the 54-year-old Bergland woman who has been missing since May 29, are urging hunters to keep an eye out for any clues about her disappearance.

With the media spotlight focusing on the case of 13-year-old Jayme Closs, who is missing from Barron, Wis., after her parents were murdered, the Newberry family has posted an online messages asking hunters to look for any type of a clue that might be related to the missing Bergland woman.

Last week, her sister posted a message saying, “Now that the leaves have fallen and the hunters are out, maybe they can find something.” She said another search of the area may be made.

Jody Newberry was last seen at the Mellen Jam music festival and law enforcement officials in both Michigan and Wisconsin ask anyone with information about her to contact the Ashland County Sheriff’s Department at 715-682-7023.

On the evening of May 24, Newberry left her home in Bergland, headed for the music festival on Gilgen Road, north of Mellen.

She may have been seen around noon on Saturday, May 26. Her sister reported her missing on May 29, notifying the Ashland County Sheriff’s Department she had not returned home after the conclusion of the festival.

Initial search efforts focused in an area above and below the cliffs of Silver Creek, a rugged region. Several beaver dams were blown apart to probe ground that was covered by water during heavy rains.

Canine teams and aerial searches came up empty in an area where a single ping was detected from her cell phone.

A male companion from Bessemer told officers Newberry had gone down to the stream to wash off a friend’s dog and he turned around and she was gone.

Sheriff Mick Brennan previously speculated she could have wandered a long way and got lost, similar to a prior moss hunter incident, so it’s possible hunters miles from that vicinity might now find clues.

Wisconsin gun-deer season opens Nov. 17.