Found Deceased AZ - Benjamin Anderson, 41, Car found burned, Phoenix, 31 Dec 2021

[Sillybilly]

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[BradSleuth1]

I was a little shocked on hearing the group looking for Ben basically trashed a potential crime scene. If the minute they walked through his residence and saw evidence of something not quite right, especially after the interaction with the 3 strangers they should have immediately called LE.

They did call police, several times. Phoenix PD came and left. They called 911 when they saw the 3 in the car. Officers didn’t show up for 20 to 30 mins, they looked around and left.

 

[BenjaminJAndersonAlly]

Thank you so much for sharing your insight, @BenjaminJAndersonAlly! Your perspective on the help of some of Ben’s friends comments is extremely intriguing. I wonder if you might elaborate on what you think might be motivating these folks who initiated and widely publicized the search for Ben. Do you have a sense of how close a relationship Ben considered himself to have with these friends (and, specifically, if you think the way the friends have presented their relationship with Ben differs from how he, himself, perceived their relationship)?

Dan & Sue did each have a lengthy friendship with Ben.

I would agree he considered them close friends.

I do not think the way they presented their relationship to the media differs from Ben’s perception of their relationship unless there was some recent event (or falling out) of which we may be unaware that could have altered these relationships. There had been none to my knowledge.

I do not know when in Ben’s life he met Sue, but as Another Friend of Ben’s had mentioned she has been around a long time. Ben did occasionally mention her in conversation (e.g. “Oh, that’s my friend, Sue. Let me just text her back really quick.”).

I never really heard/learned much about Sue nor the strength or extent of their relationship. I didn’t/don’t know whether he had also met her in high school? college? elsewhere? It didn’t matter to me as it in no way affected me. To date, I have never met the woman.

Their motivation - WOW. I really don’t know.

I hope it was a genuine good-hearted effort to find our mutual friend.

Maybe an effort to ensure they limit, if not eliminate, any suspicion they could have had potential involvement? Who knows?

Ben would not have wanted this circus. Dan and Sue would know this better than anyone.

Then, if that media frenzy was not enough, they went and started this “Go Fund Me” campaign stating that if the reward money isn’t given to a tipster, they were going to give it to the family to pay for the funeral expenses and such. Guess what? They neglected to run it by the family first.

Well, the family has said no thank you.

They do not want/need this money Dan and Sue are raising for Ben’s funeral. Instead, they have asked them to donate it to an animal welfare organization. This is honestly a much better fit, and I believe what Ben would have wanted.

 

[BenjaminJAndersonAlly]

I just wanted to say I'm so sorry about the loss of your friend. I'm glad you're here to help us get to know the person Ben was.

Thank you for your kind, thoughtful note. Much appreciated.

 

[Blondiexoxo]

The outpouring from those who knew Ben is testament to what a wonderful friend he must have been to so many people. Ben was clearly very popular and loved, it is so tragic that he was taken from this world so soon.

I can’t help but feel there is something ‘off’ with the information released so far. We have Ben’s friends tracking down the car and spotting the 3 possible suspects, ending up in a car chase with them before losing the car. Friends are somehow able to guess Ben’s password and access his laptop? (Did I read that correctly?). Friends also have a spare key to Ben’s home, aswell as the ability to track down his car. I wonder if there was any video or photos taken during the car chase that LE have but are keeping under wraps? I find it really strange that this was obviously a situation that raised alarm bells for Ben’s friends- No contact, wet towel on bed, home in disarray, car occupied by 3 strangers, Ben missing, occupants of car taking off suspiciously. To me that should also raise the alarm with LE and have had them on the ball straight away from the word go. These 3 strangers had no business being in Ben’s car, his close friends didn’t recognise them, no one could contact Ben he was no where to be found. An obviously urgent situation that require immediate assistance, why was it left up to friends to track down Ben’s vehicle and give chase to the possible suspects?

Verifying the last time Ben was seen by anyone face to face is vital to creating a timeline. The phone call he made to cancel breakfast could have been made under duress possibly, he may not necessarily have been safe at the time he made that call. If Ben was safe at that time then why did he cancel breakfast? Was it unusual behaviour for Ben to cancel breakfast saying he was tired? Was he the type of person who’d have gone along anyway and caught up on sleep later? Was there another reason for him cancelling that meeting? Had something come up suddenly, was there an important conversation he needed to have with someone, a visitor he was expecting or somewhere he needed to be that meant his breakfast plans had to be cancelled?

I hope these questions have already been answered and that LE already knows the direction this is going in, Ben needs justice and his loved ones need answers.

 

[Mccrackenator]

Thank You for the compliment.
And your analysis is very insightful. I am now away from a random hook up (although along your lines at one point I had the thought that the meeting might have taken place at the Sheraton.) With the timeline moving so early in the morning I doubt the Sheraton would just open up a room and the woman who worked new Years Eve told me that no one named Benjamin Anderson had registered that day.

Just throwing this possibility out there, maybe the perpetrators already had a room at Sheraton, Super 8, or any other hotel in the immediate vicinity, and invited him there. There is also a chance that they never booked a room anywhere and coerced BA to travel to a parking lot or structure for one of the hotels. The location of his remains is a straight shot on the freeway from this area, so if the initial crime occurred there, the perps would have taken a predictable A-to-B-to-A route, not having any idea that the GPS on BA’s car would attract a swarm of attention at location A. I would love to know what the ADOT cameras along I-17 show. I’m positive the footage has already been reviewed

 

[BradSleuth1]

The outpouring from those who knew Ben is testament to what a wonderful friend he must have been to so many people. Ben was clearly very popular and loved, it is so tragic that he was taken from this world so soon.

I can’t help but feel there is something ‘off’ with the information released so far. We have Ben’s friends tracking down the car and spotting the 3 possible suspects, ending up in a car chase with them before losing the car. Friends are somehow able to guess Ben’s password and access his laptop? (Did I read that correctly?). Friends also have a spare key to Ben’s home, aswell as the ability to track down his car. I wonder if there was any video or photos taken during the car chase that LE have but are keeping under wraps? I find it really strange that this was obviously a situation that raised alarm bells for Ben’s friends- No contact, wet towel on bed, home in disarray, car occupied by 3 strangers, Ben missing, occupants of car taking off suspiciously. To me that should also raise the alarm with LE and have had them on the ball straight away from the word go. These 3 strangers had no business being in Ben’s car, his close friends didn’t recognise them, no one could contact Ben he was no where to be found. An obviously urgent situation that require immediate assistance, why was it left up to friends to track down Ben’s vehicle and give chase to the possible suspects?

Verifying the last time Ben was seen by anyone face to face is vital to creating a timeline. The phone call he made to cancel breakfast could have been made under duress possibly, he may not necessarily have been safe at the time he made that call. If Ben was safe at that time then why did he cancel breakfast? Was it unusual behaviour for Ben to cancel breakfast saying he was tired? Was he the type of person who’d have gone along anyway and caught up on sleep later? Was there another reason for him cancelling that meeting? Had something come up suddenly, was there an important conversation he needed to have with someone, a visitor he was expecting or somewhere he needed to be that meant his breakfast plans had to be cancelled?

I hope these questions have already been answered and that LE already knows the direction this is going in, Ben needs justice and his loved ones need answers.

All good questions. You’ll notice in the media, the friends struggled with PD and Lexus all night. Daniel said PD dropped the ball. The friends called PD numerous times. The missing person report was taken and no action from PD. PD showed up to the Sheraton, looked, and simply left. The friends were left to do the work knowing something was right.
The friends were able to guess the password to his find my iPhone app and could see when the phone was last seen.
I guess I’m not looking at the friends the same way. They were asking police for help and got nowhere. Daniel said in the news that they didn’t even hear from a detective until days later. If it were my friend, I’d do the same things, try to find clues as to what happened because LE wasn’t, like try to find GPS, cell phone location, was there anything that would alert them to his location in his condo.
Just trying to put myself in their shoes. No help from LE, your friend is missing with no trace, you do what you can to find that friend. Right?
Phx PD and MCSO start taking action when Daniel goes on the news. Was that not his point?

Also question of why Daniel had a key. My best friend has a key to my place and I have a key to theirs. Daniel said he lived nearby, no?

Also, to clarify what someone said earlier, the friends found the burnt car after getting the location from Lexus. Police weren’t there, the friends called police when they found it.

 

[branmuffin]

They did call police, several times. Phoenix PD came and left. They called 911 when they saw the 3 in the car. Officers didn’t show up for 20 to 30 mins, they looked around and left.

I know they called LE, I'm talking about backing out of his apartment without 'trashing' it and call the police. If there was any forensic evidence in his apartment they compromised it.

 

[BenjaminJAndersonAlly]

WELCOME @Another friend of Ben and @BenjaminJAndersonAlly

Glad to have you here with us !!

Thank you both for sharing personal parts of your life, love and friendship with Benjamin.

I am so sorry for the loss of your friend and praying whoever did this, is found quickly and justice will be served for Benjamin !!!

Thank you.

 

[branmuffin]

See correction....it was WEST of I-17 and yes the entire area is desert but does have larger property with a wide variety of dwellings....double wides to very nice homes (not that a double wide can't be nice, but you get my meaning.)

So basically, then my original premise, that the suspects drove off the I-17 ramp from a southbound direction based on where I originally thought his body was found would be reversed; that the suspects drove northbound on I-17 and took the off ramp at Table Mesa Rd and drove east rather than west. Since W. Table Mesa doesn't become E. Table Mesa until it reaches Cholla Basin. It's kind of confusing because where I live and have traveled, directional changes included in a street name usually change, eg. west to east, north to south, when the road intersects a major artery.

 

[BradSleuth1]

I know they called LE, I'm talking about backing out of his apartment without 'trashing' it and call the police. If there was any forensic evidence in his apartment they compromised it.

They “turned it upside down”, not trashed. Nuance though. But walking it through in my head, they called LE. LE came and left with no action. So they were back to a missing friend. I see myself in that situation. LE called, situation explained, condo described, LE not helping nor treating the condo like a crime scene, not knowing there was a crime scene I can’t just go home and call it a day. IMO, I’m going to call everyone, and then look for indicators, was there a note left? Was there an unlocked phone/iPad, specific personal belongings missing. Like my BF goes skiing I would go through her closet to see if her ski pants are gone as she might be in Flagstaff. Anything that might give an idea where that person is.

 

[Blondiexoxo]

All good questions. You’ll notice in the media, the friends struggled with PD and Lexus all night. Daniel said PD dropped the ball. The friends called PD numerous times. The missing person report was taken and no action from PD. PD showed up to the Sheraton, looked, and simply left. The friends were left to do the work knowing something was right.
The friends were able to guess the password to his find my iPhone app and could see when the phone was last seen.
I guess I’m not looking at the friends the same way. They were asking police for help and got nowhere. Daniel said in the news that they didn’t even hear from a detective until days later. If it were my friend, I’d do the same things, try to find clues as to what happened because LE wasn’t, like try to find GPS, cell phone location, was there anything that would alert them to his location in his condo.
Just trying to put myself in their shoes. No help from LE, your friend is missing with no trace, you do what you can to find that friend. Right?
Phx PD and MCSO start taking action when Daniel goes on the news. Was that not his point?

Also question of why Daniel had a key. My best friend has a key to my place and I have a key to theirs. Daniel said he lived nearby, no?

Also, to clarify what someone said earlier, the friends found the burnt car after getting the location from Lexus. Police weren’t there, the friends called police when they found it.

The same friends that found the car occupied by 3 strangers also later found the car burnt out? That’s a big coincidence.. did they get the info from Lexus both times about the position of the car or did they happen upon it? How long between the car chase and the car being found burnt out do we know?

The car chase story alone is wild, never mind the same people discovering the burnt out car aswell, if Ben’s friends had to do all this without any help from LE then it sounds like they really did drop the ball in this case. The circumstances from the beginning should have been enough to warrant a quick response from police IMO, Police should have been chasing down potentially dangerous people who could have been armed and not Ben’s friends, they risked their lives to try and help their friend, it’s not something many would do in that position imo

 

[BradSleuth1]

They “turned it upside down”, not trashed. Nuance though. But walking it through in my head, they called LE. LE came and left with no action. So they were back to a missing friend. I see myself in that situation. LE called, situation explained, condo described, LE not helping nor treating the condo like a crime scene, not knowing there was a crime scene I can’t just go home and call it a day. IMO, I’m going to call everyone, and then look for indicators, was there a note left? Was there an unlocked phone/iPad, specific personal belongings missing. Like my BF goes skiing I would go through her closet to see if her ski pants are gone as she might be in Flagstaff. Anything that might give an idea where that person is.

To clarify, Daniel told the Daily Beast that nothing was awry. What stood out the most was the wet towel. He noted that it seemed Ben left in a hurry. This doesn’t appear to be what one would typically consider a crime scene.
Missing Phoenix Man Found Dead After Car Was Spotted With Mystery Trio and Then Torched

 

[BradSleuth1]

The same friends that found the car occupied by 3 strangers also later found the car burnt out? That’s a big coincidence.. did they get the info from Lexus both times about the position of the car or did they happen upon it? How long between the car chase and the car being found burnt out do we know?

The car chase story alone is wild, never mind the same people discovering the burnt out car aswell, if Ben’s friends had to do all this without any help from LE then it sounds like they really did drop the ball in this case. The circumstances from the beginning should have been enough to warrant a quick response from police IMO, Police should have been chasing down potentially dangerous people who could have been armed and not Ben’s friends, they risked their lives to try and help their friend, it’s not something many would do in that position imo

I posted the article. There’s also a podcAst where Daniel addressed this. The first location was given to them by Phoenix PD (super 8) after Lexus called Phoenix PD. They started searching hotels in the area and happened upon the car a short while after Phoenix pd called them. The Sheraton is on the other side of the highway, not far. It was about 3 to 4 hours before they found it burnt. They got the location from Lexus after getting someone on the phone with a heart. They were told cave creek complex park and drove around to find it. When they found it, it was already extinguished by FD and left. A video of it burning was posted to Citizen around 1:45 am.

 

[Blondiexoxo]

If nothing seemed awry then why go to the lengths they did to track Ben down? Makes me wonder if Ben had disclosed some sort of trouble or disagreement he’d been having.. ex roommate? Ex colleague? Ex partner? Did someone have a problem with Ben that he hadn’t wanted to worry people about but happened to mention it to one close friend ‘just incase’ anything did happen? Had he been recently threatened but brushed it off as not serious? Then when he comes up missing the friend remembers a passing comment and it sets alarm bells ringing. I’m not sure any of my friends would start tracking my car and guessing my passwords unless there was something else going on in my life at the time that caused them to worry. All MOO

 

[JJ Ray]

They did call police, several times. Phoenix PD came and left. They called 911 when they saw the 3 in the car. Officers didn’t show up for 20 to 30 mins, they looked around and left.

New Years Eve...can you imagine all the calls they were getting.....

 

[Sillybilly]

ADMIN NOTE:

@Another friend of Ben is now a VI ... another friend of Benjamin's. As a VI they are not required to provide links to what they state as fact about Ben's case.

As always, be respectful toward our VIs and the usual, no arguing, challenging, etc.

It seems Ben was rich in friends, and it is my impression he earned that wealth.

Thank you all for being here in this discussion.

 

[JJ Ray]

The outpouring from those who knew Ben is testament to what a wonderful friend he must have been to so many people. Ben was clearly very popular and loved, it is so tragic that he was taken from this world so soon.

I can’t help but feel there is something ‘off’ with the information released so far. We have Ben’s friends tracking down the car and spotting the 3 possible suspects, ending up in a car chase with them before losing the car. Friends are somehow able to guess Ben’s password and access his laptop? (Did I read that correctly?). Friends also have a spare key to Ben’s home, aswell as the ability to track down his car. I wonder if there was any video or photos taken during the car chase that LE have but are keeping under wraps? I find it really strange that this was obviously a situation that raised alarm bells for Ben’s friends- No contact, wet towel on bed, home in disarray, car occupied by 3 strangers, Ben missing, occupants of car taking off suspiciously. To me that should also raise the alarm with LE and have had them on the ball straight away from the word go. These 3 strangers had no business being in Ben’s car, his close friends didn’t recognise them, no one could contact Ben he was no where to be found. An obviously urgent situation that require immediate assistance, why was it left up to friends to track down Ben’s vehicle and give chase to the possible suspects?

Verifying the last time Ben was seen by anyone face to face is vital to creating a timeline. The phone call he made to cancel breakfast could have been made under duress possibly, he may not necessarily have been safe at the time he made that call. If Ben was safe at that time then why did he cancel breakfast? Was it unusual behaviour for Ben to cancel breakfast saying he was tired? Was he the type of person who’d have gone along anyway and caught up on sleep later? Was there another reason for him cancelling that meeting? Had something come up suddenly, was there an important conversation he needed to have with someone, a visitor he was expecting or somewhere he needed to be that meant his breakfast plans had to be cancelled?

I hope these questions have already been answered and that LE already knows the direction this is going in, Ben needs justice and his loved ones need answers.

and @bradslueth1...
Because it was New Years Eve and their was no evidence of a crime before the 3 were spotted with his car. All the police had to that point was a guy that wasn't answering his phone for about 9 hours and an aunt that had been stood up on a home project. And speaking of the car, how many white Lexus UX are there in a valley of 7 million. I am going to assume Dan got the license # as it went by or during the chase and they confirmed it was registered to Ben's aunt. Then they put out a BOLO on the car (Ben was a missing person filed at about 7:45 IIRC and was on screens in squad cars. But if the body is in the MCSO morgue it'd be hard to find on the street and if the car ain't seen for the 1.5 hours until it was torched it simply wasn't seen.
Long story short far more people go missing of their own accord everyday than the grisly media stories we consume. They do the best they can given the resources we as a society decide they need.

 

[JJ Ray]

So basically, then my original premise, that the suspects drove off the I-17 ramp from a southbound direction based on where I originally thought his body was found would be reversed; that the suspects drove northbound on I-17 and took the off ramp at Table Mesa Rd and drove east rather than west. Since W. Table Mesa doesn't become E. Table Mesa until it reaches Cholla Basin. It's kind of confusing because where I live and have traveled, directional changes included in a street name usually change, eg. west to east, north to south, when the road intersects a major artery.

They would drive north, exit at table Mesa road go under the i-17 west and dispose of Ben (or kill him there). Then proceed back on to southbound i-17 and return to Phoenix ...zoom in on my linked map.
Benjamin - Google My Maps

 

[JJ Ray]

All good questions. You’ll notice in the media, the friends struggled with PD and Lexus all night. Daniel said PD dropped the ball. The friends called PD numerous times. The missing person report was taken and no action from PD. PD showed up to the Sheraton, looked, and simply left. The friends were left to do the work knowing something was right.
The friends were able to guess the password to his find my iPhone app and could see when the phone was last seen.
I guess I’m not looking at the friends the same way. They were asking police for help and got nowhere. Daniel said in the news that they didn’t even hear from a detective until days later. If it were my friend, I’d do the same things, try to find clues as to what happened because LE wasn’t, like try to find GPS, cell phone location, was there anything that would alert them to his location in his condo.
Just trying to put myself in their shoes. No help from LE, your friend is missing with no trace, you do what you can to find that friend. Right?
Phx PD and MCSO start taking action when Daniel goes on the news. Was that not his point?

Also question of why Daniel had a key. My best friend has a key to my place and I have a key to theirs. Daniel said he lived nearby, no?

Also, to clarify what someone said earlier, the friends found the burnt car after getting the location from Lexus. Police weren’t there, the friends called police when they found it.

That is inaccurate, IIRC (maybe Daily Beast article) fleshes out what Dan said vs. what happened. You always have to remember media reports when interviewing for a missing person case is always from the family or friends perspective NOT the PD. And is quite frequently shortened to heighten the effect of drama and in most cases outrage. No outrage NO engagement with the website. Learned this recently with Daniel Robinson case.

Phx Fire department put out the fire a short time after 2:00 am. The citizen app gives us the general time it was reported to 911. When Dan and friends finally got Lexus to offer up a general location at 3:15 or so, they went over, drove around and found the burnt car at 3:45. At no time in original reporting is anything mentioned about the PD being called or still being there. The implication is then it was left for them to call Phx PD. IIRC PD were there and and the tow truck had arrived (again can't recall specific article).