Sade Robinson was only 19 years-old when she was tragically murdered following a first date on April 1st, 2024. Reports state that Sade met up with her date at a seafood restaurant in Milwaukee, Wisconsin shortly before 5:30 PM that evening. She never returned home, nor did she show up for work the following day. A concerned friend reported Sade missing on the evening of April 2nd, 2024.
The friend contacted the Milwaukee Police Department to report Sade missing around 9:00 PM. By this point, Milwaukee investigators had dealt with several suspicious crimes that day. Amongst those crimes was a burning vehicle found in a parking lot on the 1800 block of North 29th Street around 7:30 AM that morning. Later that evening, a severed human leg was found in Warnimont Park.
Eventually, it was determined that both the vehicle and the human leg belonged to Sade Robinson. Investigators also learned the identity of the person Sade had been on a date with on April 1st: Maxwell Anderson, a 33-year-old man residing in the 3100 block of South 39th Street.
Anderson was arrested and taken into custody on April 4th, 2024. That same day, a search warrant was executed at his home. During the search, investigators found blood on both the walls leading to the basement and the walls of Anderson's bedroom. They also found several containers of gasoline.
On April 6th, a severed human foot was found near the area where Sade's car was found. Days later, a human torso and arm were found washed up on a beach along Lake Michigan. Reports state that those remains are thought to be Sade as well.
Maxwell Anderson was held behind bars for several days before prosecutors finally announced charges. Anderson is currently charged with several counts: first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, and arson of property other than a building. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The brutality of Sade's murder has led to speculation that Anderson is not a first-time killer. This speculation intensified when it was determined that the blood found in Anderson's house does not belong to Sade. Many are left questioning if Anderson has other victims that have not been discovered yet.
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Timeline surrounding Sade's murder.
Despite the blood in Anderson's house not belonging to Sade, there is still an abundance of other evidence that points to Anderson as her killer. A timeline built through both surveillance footage and cell phone data ultimately led to his arrest.
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| Maxwell Anderson in court. |
April 1st, 2024, 5:20 PM: Sade and Maxwell Anderson meet up at the Twisted Fisherman restaurant on Canal Street.
6:30 PM - 9:06 PM: The two leave Twisted Fisherman and take Sade's car to a bar called Duke's on Water. While there, Sade sends a Snapchat to a friend.
9:24 PM: Sade's phone pings off of a tower near Anderson's home. Surveillance footage captures what appears to be two human figures arriving at Anderson's residence.
April 2nd, 2024, 12:48 - 3:02 AM: Sade's phone seemingly leaves Anderson's residence. Around 1:30 AM, the phone pinged near Pleasant Valley Park, along the Milwaukee River in the city’s Riverwest neighborhood. The phone left that area around 2:00 AM and appears to travel north.
At 2:45 PM, Sade's phone pinged near Warnimont Park - where her severed leg was found later that evening. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, surveillance cameras captured a car heading toward the pump house at Warnimont Park at 2:53 AM. At 3:02 AM, a human figure is seen headed towards the water.
4:31 AM: Sade's car leaves the Warnimont Park area. Around the same time, her cell phone dies.
7:31 AM: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, "surveillance cameras capture a white male walking away from a car fire burning in a parking lot on the 1800 block of North 29th Street. A witness later tells law enforcement he saw the male exit the vehicle and toss a lighter into it before walking away. The male was wearing a gray hoodie and a tan backpack."
7:32 AM: The fire department responds to the vehicle on fire. Clothing is found in the vehicle's trunk, along with pieces of a broken cell phone. It's later determined that the clothing and the phone belong to Sade; the clothing was actually part of the outfit she was wearing on her date with Anderson.
Investigators connect the dots.
As previously stated, Sade was reported missing later that evening after she did not show up for work. Eventually, investigators determined that the human remains and the burning vehicle they had already found belonged to Sade. From there, detectives learned that Sade had been on a date before her disappearance with a man named Maxwell Anderson.
The evidence from both the phone records and the surveillance footage suggest that Anderson killed and dismembered Sade inside his house sometime between 9:30 PM and 12:48 AM. Then, it appears that Anderson used Sade's vehicle to dispose of her remains.
A question about other victims.
As also previously noted, there has been speculation about whether or not Anderson has other victims as well. Reports state that the blood found on the walls of his residence does not belong to Sade Robinson. Many are left questioning: is there another victim that has not been found yet? Is it possibly another missing young girl from Milwaukee?
There has been some online speculation about the blood possibly belonging to Joniah Walker - who vanished at the age of 16 on June 23rd, 2022. Joniah was last seen in the 400 block of West Brown Avenue. A write-up on her case can be found here.
At this time, Anderson has not been charged with anything related to any other missing women. However, speculation about other victims remains active.
Anderson's trial.
Maxwell Anderson's murder trial began in late May 2025. During the court proceedings, the prosecution alleged that Anderson had been planning the murder for months. The presented evidence also indicated that, after Anderson met Sade for their date, he invited her back to his house. Once there, Anderson drugged Sade's beverage. After Sade had passed out due to being drugged, Anderson took pictures of her passed out, face down on the couch. Pictures were also taken on him groping her and taking off her clothes - all while she is unconscious.
After assaulting, murdering, and mutilating Sade, Anderson then took a picture of himself holding her severed right breast. The prosecutors called this his "trophy". Anderson later disposed of Sade's remains and burned out her in an attempt to conceal evidence.
Anderson's defense, on the other hand, argued that the prosecution did not prove Anderson's intent to kill Sade. Despite this, it took the jury less than an hour to find Maxwell Anderson guilty on all counts.
Anderson is expected to face a mandatory life sentence at his August 2025 sentencing.
