Sade Robinson, 19: College Student’s Dismembered Body Discovered After First Date
Sade Robinson of Milwaukee was a bright light in the lives of those who knew her. The 19-year-old was looking forward to graduating from Milwaukee Area Technical College so that she could pursue a career in criminal justice, according to a GoFundMe set up by her family on her behalf.
“The pain of losing Sade has left a void in the hearts of her family, especially her grieving mother and little sister, along with other relatives, friends, and the entire community who loved and supported her,” the GoFundMe reads. “As we come together to honor Sade's memory, we aim to provide her with the dignified farewell she deserves.”
Her former boss told a media outlet that Sade was very outgoing, she would talk to everybody here. She was always there to lighten the mood."
One thing about Sade is that she didn’t normally miss work, so when she didn’t report for her shift at a Wisconsin pizza restaurant, her co-workers were worried.
On April 1 – April Fool’s Day – 2024, the day before Sade vanished, she was supposed to go on a date with 33-year-old Maxwell Anderson. The two planned to get something to eat. Sade texted a friend that her date was “feeling seafood.”
Anderson and Sade went to a local seafood spot that Anderson used to work at, according to news reports. At the eatery, the two were seen having a “casual conversation, before leaving together," TV station FOX 6 Now reports.
The next day, April 2, Sade was a no-show, which immediately set off alarm bells for her co-workers. It "wasn't like her at all," the manager on duty at the Pizza Shuttle that day, told WDJT-TV. "We kind of knew something was up; we had been calling her all day."
Police were enlisted to do a welfare check on Sade’s apartment – but she was not to be found there either. Her co-workers and managers were so concerned about Sade’s whereabouts that they closed the pizza shop for three days to concentrate on finding her.
The community also rallied to search for Sade, who was originally from Mississippi.
“I don’t know the family but I want to make sure they know the community loves and supports them. I hope more people will get out and search,” volunteer DeeDee David told local TV station WTMJ-TV.
Although Sade was nowhere in sight, clues to her disappearance were starting to paint a grisly trail.
Her 2020 Honda Civic was found the morning after her date with Robinson. It had been set ablaze with "extreme fire damage completely damaging the interior,” according to the criminal complaint filed against Robinson by the state. Detectives were still able to find parts of Sade’s iPhone and some clothing in the burned-out car.
Thanks to a location-sharing app on her phone, a friend was able to trace Sade’s whereabouts the night she vanished, from the seafood restaurant to a nearby sports bar, then to Anderson's home and then to the park. That’s were police would find more remains.
Next, a human leg was found in a nearby beach. According to a police report, the leg appeared to have been "sawn off" at the hip. Forensics experts were able to determine that the body part belonged to a Black woman, approximately 5 feet tall.
Officers searching the area where Sade’s car was found soon made another grisly discovery: a human foot and "what appeared to be human flesh." All the clues were consistent with what officers would soon conclude: This was Sade’s body.
Armed with enough evidence, including surveillance video, phone records and statements from witnesses, Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office announced that Anderson has been charged with first-degree homicide, mutilating a corpse, and arson. If convicted, he’d face life in prison.
"The facts mentioned in this complaint cause Complainant to conclude that the Defendant intentionally killed and then dismembered Robinson with the intent to conceal the homicide, and it occurred between the arrival at the Defendant's residence and his departure from the Warnimont Park area," says a criminal complaint filed in the case.
Anderson’s attorney says his client is innocent and “we will fight this matter vigorously in court."
According to CNN, Sade’s mother Sheena Scarbrough called Anderson’s arrest “justice for Sade.”
Authorities are currently investigating to see whether Anderson has more victims in his past.
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