Written In Blood

The Kidnapping of Joanna Wisetown

a photo of Joanna, taken by her adoptive mother, Eunice, one day before her disappearance
Missing: September 23rd, 1980 - December 3rd, 1991
Born April 30th, 1967

SOLVED

Joanna Grace Wisetown is an American child safety activist and former missing person.

Joanna was born Joanna Grace Madden but was given up for adoption by her biological mother, adopted by the Wisetown family, Joanna became the third of five children in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She was by all accounts a normal child, happy home life, played well with her siblings, had friends. She had decent grades, but was by no means a straight A student. On September 23rd, 1980, Joanna was walking the family dog, Biggie, and she never came back.

At around 8:30 that night, a neighbor came by with Biggie, saying he'd been tied around a post in her yard. So, where was Joanna? The Wisetown family contacted police, and they asked around the neighborhood. If anybody saw anything, all they said is that they saw Joanna walking Biggie, a few even waved at her. All neighbors who were questioned consented to a house search. The police came up with a theory that Joanna's biological mother, Mary Madden, had kidnapped Joanna, wanting her daughter back. Police tracked down Mary in Pierre, South Dakota. They found nothing but Mary living with her boyfriend and cats. Mary and her boyfriend, James Barnes, moved to Sioux Falls and got in contact with the Wisetowns.

She bonded with the family, she got insight as to what kind of person Joanna was, the Wisetowns treated her like family.

Eleven years after she vanished, police found a now twenty-four year old Joanna. Through many efforts, notably those of child safety activist, Abigail Alfson, police found Joanna in Chicago, Illinois. She had been held captive by a man named William Carpenter. When Joanna was rescued, she had three children with William. A nine year old son named Anthony, a four year old daughter named Vivian and a three month old daughter, Diana.

How she was kidnapped was, while Joanna had been walking Biggie, a car began driving slowly beside her. Joanna said she had tried to ignore the car. He didn't say anything until he stopped the car, got out and pointed a pistol at Joanna's head, beckoning her to get into the car. Maybe in an attempt to save her life, as Joanna has said, she told William she couldn't leave her dog. William reached out for the leash and simply told her to get into the car. Joanna, after a moments hesitation, gave him the leash and got in the car.

"I was shaking. I could barely breathe." Joanna had said. "I had no idea what would happen. Would I be used for ransom? Killed? What?"

William took Joanna to his house, still in Sioux Falls, where he tied her up in his basement and raped her. This went on for about a week, until Joanna's case started to gain traction in town. William put Joanna in his car again and left. Joanna says they moved around several places. In 1982, Joanna, age fifteen, gave birth to a baby boy. Anthony Ethan Wisetown. Ethan was after Joanna's adoptive older brother, Ethan Wisetown. Anthony is now an author, best known for writing the fantasy series, Blood Colored Rose Garden. Five years later, Joanna gave birth to her first daughter, Vivian Louise Wisetown. Louise was after Joanna's adoptive older sister, Louise Wisetown. Vivian Wisetown is now an actress. Lastly, Joanna's final daughter, Diana Eunice Wisetown, was born just three months before Joanna's rescue. Like her sister, Diana is also an actress. The two sisters are starring in the Blood Colored Rose Garden TV series, slated to be released at the end of this November.

Joanna did her testimony against William, telling him everything she'd been holding back for those eleven years.

"Eleven years of my life have been taken from me, nine years of my son's life, four years of my daughter's life, those were taken from them. The ability to have a normal teenage life was taken from me, my son's ability to have a normal childhood was taken from him. William Carpenter, you are a disgusting, vile, monster and I hope you get whatever is coming to you. I do not forgive you. I never will." Joanna said in her testimony in William's 1992 trial.

In 1995, William Carpenter would be murdered by another inmate, George Buzzell.

Whenever Joanna or her children have been asked about how they feel about it, they always respond "Good riddance." Nothing more, nothing less.

In 2009, Anthony Wisetown wrote a memoir about his experience growing up as a child in captivity.

"My mother didn't like to sugarcoat things. I was five when my first sister, Vivian, was born. That was when my mother told me everything about what had been happening. I remember Vivian had just fallen asleep when she looked me in the eye and said; 'Anthony, I was kidnapped'."

Anthony goes into detail about what his mother went through, and talking about how he always felt a need to deeply protect his sisters, even now. Joanna released her own memoir in 2011.

"I found myself less lonely after having Anthony. I felt guilty that he wouldn't have a normal childhood, but still. Here he was. I wasn't so alone anymore." Joanna said in the memoir.

In 2018, a movie entitled The Joanna Wisetown Story was released, starring Kiara Abraham as Joanna as a teenager and Nadia Woods as Joanna as an adult.

When Joanna was approached and asked how she felt about Kiara, a transgender woman, being cast as her, all she said was "Good for her."

Come 2020, a movie titled Little Boy, still starring Kiara and Nadia, was released. It was a film adaptation of Anthony's memoir. It starred Ross Carton as Anthony.

Today, Joanna is married, though has no more children. She has four grandchildren currently.

a photo of Joanna in 2021