Body parts found strewn across Milwaukee over the past two weeks have been identified as belonging to the same woman, as the deadline approaches to release from custody a person-of-interest linked to the case.
Multiple law enforcement sources with knowledge of the case quoted by local news station CBS 58 confirmed the discovery, but have not revealed the race of the victim, and police have not said anything publicly about her.
But family members fear the body is that of missing 19-year-old Sade Carleena Robinson. The Milwaukee teenager was reported missing on April 1 when she didn’t show up for work and her burned-out car was found the following day.
Her family attended a hearing on Tuesday when person-of-interest Maxwell Anderson, 33, appeared in court and a Milwaukee County prosecutor won permission to keep him in custody for a further 72 hours while the police investigation in Wisconsin continued, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Anderson, who can be held until Friday, has not yet been charged with a crime, but was reportedly arrested last week under a “probable cause” suspicion, after a severed leg was found at Lake Michigan in Milwaukee County Park. More body parts were later found in other locations.
According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), some 600,000 people go missing in the U.S. every year and an estimated 4,400 unidentified bodies are recovered annually.
Anderson, of South 37th Street, Milwaukee has a string of criminal convictions behind him, according to court records, including charges of domestic abuse, disorderly conduct, and drunk driving.
The records also show there have been concerns about his mental health and alleged substance abuse in the past. Investigating police were seen carrying away bags from his home.
Anderson worked a string of seasonal or temp jobs, including a recent stint at Victor’s Nightclub in Van Buren Street, according to local reports.
Newsweek has contacted Milwaukee Police Department seeking clarification, as well as further information about the case, plus comment on reports that suggest relatives of Sade Carleena Robinson believe her body is the one that has been partially recovered.
Police who have been searching for the missing teenager described her as “critically missing,” a label applied to victims considered particularly vulnerable. Milwaukee Police have shared photos of her on X (formerly Twitter) as they search for her.
She is 5 feet tall and weighs roughly 135 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes.
She was possibly wearing a black coat, white-hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, and white shoes, when she was last seen. Anyone with information about her disappearance should contact Milwaukee Police Department.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.