New Story (NO UPDATES, just a conversation with Dan and recap of events. Hopefully folks on here take this for what it is instead of reading further into it):
Friends of man found killed in New River plead for answers
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - It's been two weeks since Benjamin Anderson's body was found in the desert near New River, but so far, no arrests have been made, and the sheriff's office is staying tight-lipped on their investigation.
"I'm hopeful they have information, leads, but I'm also hopeful there's somebody out there who saw something and can report it," said Daniel Stahoviak, Benjamin's close friend. "We're all bursting at the seams wanting to know information but trying to keep ourselves calm, knowing that they're working on it."
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has not released any details regarding Benjamin's death, other than that it is being investigated as a homicide.
Stahoviak, however, said that he and his friends started looking for Benjamin when he didn't show up to his parent's house to watch their dog on New Year's Eve.
"He loved that dog, and he was supposed to be there New Year's Eve, and when he didn't show up, that's when we absolutely knew," Stahoviak explained. "Through the night, it progressed. We saw the car with the trio in it at 12:20 in the morning. That was like, okay, something's wrong. Something's seriously wrong."
Benjamin's friends were able to track his car to a motel along I-17, but the vehicle was gone by the time Phoenix Police arrived. Stahoviak and his friends searched for the vehicle and eventually found it at a Sheraton near I-17 and Dunlap, with three people standing around the car. Before they could confront the trio, friends say they took off, and they tried to follow them before ultimately losing sight of them.
Several hours later, the car was found burned in the parking lot of the UEI College.
Meanwhile, friends later found out that MCSO was already investigating a body found in the desert off Table Mesa Road, which was later identified as Benjamin. MCSO says they received the call about the body around 1:40 pm on December 31st.
"I mean, he was not hated by anybody. He had a lot of people that reported to him at work; they all loved him, all of his friends loved him," Stahoviak said.
Stahoviak said he and Benjamin have been friends for 24 years.
"He was fun, he was a self-proclaimed introvert, but he was absolutely not an introvert. He knew everybody. He would know everybody in his complex, all of his neighbors. He just would talk to anybody," he said.
Benjamin's friends and family have
raised$25,000 for anyone who has information leading to an arrest.
"I think there are people out there that know. Somebody saw something, somebody talked to somebody — either you were on Table Mesa Road, or you were near his home somewhere on the 31st, saw his car, or maybe somebody shared something with you — it's okay to report these issues. You can even call anonymously to report to MCSO," Stahoviak said.
MCSO said there are no updates on this case at this time.