Psychic Sleuth
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I wish we knew a time for that sighting.
Found Deceased AZ - Benjamin Anderson, 41, Car found burned, Phoenix, 31 Dec 2021
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I wish we knew a time for that sighting.
realanastasia
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Me, too! It is very strange that this story is the first (and so far the only) story to provide this detail of his last sighting.
If his friend, DS, is to be believed (and I assume he is), Ben had very recently returned from visiting friends in Northern AZ and DS said he assumed tiredness from the traveling led to Ben cancelling their planned breakfast on the 31st. So I wonder if Ben was perhaps spotted on his way back into town from his visit to friends in Northern AZ--getting gas, or picking up food, perhaps?
Here's an article from People
Ariz. Man Canceled Friday Brunch with Friend Before Vanishing, and Car Was Just Found Burned
Ariz. Man Canceled Friday Brunch with Friend Before Vanishing, and Car Was Just Found Burned
Psychic Sleuth
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I wonder how far away from a freeway heading north or his home this intersection is. It's quite possible he got home from N AZ in the early morning hours and stopped at Jack in the Box or something before heading home.
Psychic Sleuth
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Well this version is a tad bit different and says the car gps traced to the Sheraton. I thought it was a bit odd that the friends just happened to drive in the parking garage at the Sheraton randomly.
Mccrackenator
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I’ve been seeing a lot of comments surmising that the crime may have occurred at BA’s residence and that it was a robbery gone wrong. I find this highly improbable based on the money/cards left at the scene and BA’s absence from the home. If this was a home invasion followed by a homicide, the opportunistic perpetrators are going to take literally every amount of cash and valuable they can carry (it would be pointless to leave some of the money or cards behind as a “ruse”. These guys are thieves, not hitman from the Sopranos). Also, if they killed him during a botched robbery, they wouldn’t take an additional risk of transporting his body outside of the home (waste of time and huge potential for them to leave behind more evidence linking them to the crime.) Last point on that, aside from a messy bed and some dirty clothes on the floor, there has been zero indication from media reporting that there was any sign of a struggle, forced entry, missing items, ransacked home, etc. The lack of suspicious evidence at the home leads me to believe that whatever happened with BA and his car occurred away from the home, possibly at the hotel or another meeting location
Spartygirl
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Right !!
But I meant in the car--as to why they set it on fire vs just abandoning it.
Does burning a car disable the gps tracking?
Could they have burned it hoping it wouldn't be found so quickly?
Psychic Sleuth
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The way that car is burnt I'd say everything was disabled.
charminglane
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I am a neat person. There are clothes on the floor in my kitchen today. The laundry closet is in there. Could Ben just have been sorting laundry on the floor after the trip?
Friends of Ben - does the apartment have washers and dryers in each unit?
I know this may not mean anything in the long run - but it might.
Friends of Ben - does the apartment have washers and dryers in each unit?
I know this may not mean anything in the long run - but it might.
katydid23
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Were they hoping to burn up their own fingerprints, DNA and such, because they were in the vehicle?
katydid23
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That's my guess. He may have been meeting up with someone and didn't want to take any valuables, maybe only took some cash.
cocomod
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This case has my attention. He seems like he was loved soooo much by friends. The fact that they got together so quickly to look for him and have been so insistent! They are the reason he is in the news. I know Phoenix police have a hard time keeping up with crime in the area. I can see them blowing this off in the beginning. But, the continued pressure by these friends have made the news. The police have to be paying attention now - especially with a burned out car. Where is Ben?
IMO, the theory of the potential overnight guest or morning crime is weakened by the finding of the wet towel.
I know in my house, even a sopping wet towel set out at 9am would be quite dry by 6:45pm. Especially so if the towel was just damp from being used post-shower.
The wet towel suggests (to me) that Benjamin, or perhaps someone else, was in his place sometime in the afternoon.
I know in my house, even a sopping wet towel set out at 9am would be quite dry by 6:45pm. Especially so if the towel was just damp from being used post-shower.
The wet towel suggests (to me) that Benjamin, or perhaps someone else, was in his place sometime in the afternoon.
THANK YOU!
realanastasia
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Missing Man’s Car Was Spotted With Mystery Trio—Hours Before It Was Torched
Some new info:
"Stahoviak, who has put up $10,000 of his own money as a reward, said he won’t rest until his friend is found. He told the Arizona Republic on Sunday that Anderson had never gone missing before and had no enemies, as far as he knew.
“Those people in that car know something,” Stahoviak told The Daily Beast. “The Sheraton has video footage of those people in that car, because we talked to a security guard at the Sheraton who said the police have it. Those people weren’t wearing masks, so who are they? The security guard said the video was very clear and you could see the driver and passenger switch seats. That’s pretty darn clear.”
The Phoenix PD “dropped the ball,” said Stahoviak. “We were urging them and urging them to do their jobs. We were going out into very dangerous neighborhoods on our own. They told us we shouldn't be out there, and we said, ‘We will, if you won’t.’”
On Sunday evening, Stahoviak said he and three additional carloads of Anderson’s friends went out looking for clues and witnesses. A clerk at the Super 8 told them that there’s no daily housekeeping at the motel, and no one is checking rooms whose occupants are current on their payments. Now, Stahoviak is about ready to start knocking on doors himself.
“Something’s going on at that hotel,” he said.
On Sunday afternoon, a detective from the missing persons unit got in touch and said she was headed over to Anderson’s apartment to conduct a search. Stahoviak said he hasn’t heard anything since.
“His parents have called the police department and left messages,” said Stahoviak, who has spent all of his spare time handing out flyers in hopes that someone will recognize Anderson. “Nobody has called them back.”
Absent any hard information, Stahoviak, who hit the streets again on Monday looking for clues, has his own ideas about what might have happened to Anderson.
“Ben has just always been such a nice person,” he said. “And I think he would've helped anybody. Even if they were drug addicts, he wanted to help them. My theory is that some sort of help was provided, and it went south.”
To Giacalone, “burning the car signals a different level of suspect—one that wasn’t doing it for a joyride.”
“To me, there is another motive,” he said. “Whether they had the right person is also something to look hard at.”
Some new info:
"Stahoviak, who has put up $10,000 of his own money as a reward, said he won’t rest until his friend is found. He told the Arizona Republic on Sunday that Anderson had never gone missing before and had no enemies, as far as he knew.
“Those people in that car know something,” Stahoviak told The Daily Beast. “The Sheraton has video footage of those people in that car, because we talked to a security guard at the Sheraton who said the police have it. Those people weren’t wearing masks, so who are they? The security guard said the video was very clear and you could see the driver and passenger switch seats. That’s pretty darn clear.”
The Phoenix PD “dropped the ball,” said Stahoviak. “We were urging them and urging them to do their jobs. We were going out into very dangerous neighborhoods on our own. They told us we shouldn't be out there, and we said, ‘We will, if you won’t.’”
On Sunday evening, Stahoviak said he and three additional carloads of Anderson’s friends went out looking for clues and witnesses. A clerk at the Super 8 told them that there’s no daily housekeeping at the motel, and no one is checking rooms whose occupants are current on their payments. Now, Stahoviak is about ready to start knocking on doors himself.
“Something’s going on at that hotel,” he said.
On Sunday afternoon, a detective from the missing persons unit got in touch and said she was headed over to Anderson’s apartment to conduct a search. Stahoviak said he hasn’t heard anything since.
“His parents have called the police department and left messages,” said Stahoviak, who has spent all of his spare time handing out flyers in hopes that someone will recognize Anderson. “Nobody has called them back.”
Absent any hard information, Stahoviak, who hit the streets again on Monday looking for clues, has his own ideas about what might have happened to Anderson.
“Ben has just always been such a nice person,” he said. “And I think he would've helped anybody. Even if they were drug addicts, he wanted to help them. My theory is that some sort of help was provided, and it went south.”
To Giacalone, “burning the car signals a different level of suspect—one that wasn’t doing it for a joyride.”
“To me, there is another motive,” he said. “Whether they had the right person is also something to look hard at.”
realanastasia
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Missing Man’s Car Was Spotted With Mystery Trio—Hours Before It Was Torched
Also wanted to note this passage (bolded by me):
"[Ben's aunt] said she hadn’t heard from Anderson at all, and was growing increasingly concerned. So Stahoviak said he’d stop by Anderson’s condo to look for him. He tried Anderson first, but his phone was off, according to Stahoviak. When he got to Anderson’s place, Stahoviak let himself inside.
“His work laptop was still on his desk, the screensaver was on, nothing was awry,” said Stahoviak, whose friendship with Anderson goes back more than two decades. “It did look like he left in a little bit of a hurry, there was a half-drank bottle of water, his credit cards were still there, some cash, there was laundry on the floor of his kitchen. And there was a wet towel on his bed. He’s a pretty tidy person, he wouldn’t just leave things lying around. We don’t know the meaning of that, it’s possible he could’ve just changed his clothes really quickly. But he makes his bed every morning, and the wet towel on the bed—Ben would never.”
The description of the clothing on the kitchen floor as "laundry" makes me picture something different than a set of clothes an individual person might've been wearing shortly before shedding them. I am now wondering about whether this is a laundry bag, like the kind people typically travel with in their luggage--Ben had just gotten back from an out-of-town trip, so maybe the clothing on the floor was just his to-be-washed clothes? Wondering if there was a travel bag or suitcase visible anywhere in the apartment, and--if so--if it'd been unpacked or was in disarray.
Also wanted to note this passage (bolded by me):
"[Ben's aunt] said she hadn’t heard from Anderson at all, and was growing increasingly concerned. So Stahoviak said he’d stop by Anderson’s condo to look for him. He tried Anderson first, but his phone was off, according to Stahoviak. When he got to Anderson’s place, Stahoviak let himself inside.
“His work laptop was still on his desk, the screensaver was on, nothing was awry,” said Stahoviak, whose friendship with Anderson goes back more than two decades. “It did look like he left in a little bit of a hurry, there was a half-drank bottle of water, his credit cards were still there, some cash, there was laundry on the floor of his kitchen. And there was a wet towel on his bed. He’s a pretty tidy person, he wouldn’t just leave things lying around. We don’t know the meaning of that, it’s possible he could’ve just changed his clothes really quickly. But he makes his bed every morning, and the wet towel on the bed—Ben would never.”
The description of the clothing on the kitchen floor as "laundry" makes me picture something different than a set of clothes an individual person might've been wearing shortly before shedding them. I am now wondering about whether this is a laundry bag, like the kind people typically travel with in their luggage--Ben had just gotten back from an out-of-town trip, so maybe the clothing on the floor was just his to-be-washed clothes? Wondering if there was a travel bag or suitcase visible anywhere in the apartment, and--if so--if it'd been unpacked or was in disarray.
Last edited:
I went over to the main sites and prepared this video. Pretty choppy but it should give everyone an idea of the locations.
Benjamin main points.mp4
This AM:
1) Went to see about video of his car leaving his apartment. There is a big newer building called Alta Uptown Phoenix. My hunch is that is his residence. LE should have pulled video by now. However, if he lives in one of the smaller older complexes nearby, there is a chance of no video. I talked to my mechanic friend at the corner of 7th St. and Maryland. He does not have security cameras. The Shell station (good deli BTW) and the Jack in the Box have cameras but only cover their pumps and pay window, so no street coverage.
2) Talked to staff at Super 8. LE has NOT been there and not pulled footage. Told them they may well be contacted and should preserve Dec. 31st video. Met with indifference (I'm just some random Dude...). Mentioned that housekeeping should be aware of any rooms closed for remodel or not been "turned" yet from the weekend.
3) Went to Sheraton Crescent. A little nicer, newer and has been kept in good shape. Got lucky, the nice woman who was on duty New Years Eve was working. She recalls the friends coming in and a couple of detectives. No Benjamin Anderson registered there. Detectives have video (hopefully of interior and registration data also).
4) Last, I went to the Deer Valley Water Treatment plant on Dunlap and 31st Ave. This is the first spillway downstream from the burnt out car location. Very nice security staff explained that the canal is maintained by Salt River Project and that grates in descending width trap debris PRIOR to intake for water treatment. They have sensors then at that point that would indicate low flow and as far as she knew none had been set off. I forget that there is access to the far side of that spillway via an old parking lot on the northside. I will take a peak tomorrow. The entire section of the canal is to be drained in the next 2 weeks for maintenance (clean out). This is a routine procedure along all the canals and not related to this incident.
Benjamin main points.mp4
This AM:
1) Went to see about video of his car leaving his apartment. There is a big newer building called Alta Uptown Phoenix. My hunch is that is his residence. LE should have pulled video by now. However, if he lives in one of the smaller older complexes nearby, there is a chance of no video. I talked to my mechanic friend at the corner of 7th St. and Maryland. He does not have security cameras. The Shell station (good deli BTW) and the Jack in the Box have cameras but only cover their pumps and pay window, so no street coverage.
2) Talked to staff at Super 8. LE has NOT been there and not pulled footage. Told them they may well be contacted and should preserve Dec. 31st video. Met with indifference (I'm just some random Dude...). Mentioned that housekeeping should be aware of any rooms closed for remodel or not been "turned" yet from the weekend.
3) Went to Sheraton Crescent. A little nicer, newer and has been kept in good shape. Got lucky, the nice woman who was on duty New Years Eve was working. She recalls the friends coming in and a couple of detectives. No Benjamin Anderson registered there. Detectives have video (hopefully of interior and registration data also).
4) Last, I went to the Deer Valley Water Treatment plant on Dunlap and 31st Ave. This is the first spillway downstream from the burnt out car location. Very nice security staff explained that the canal is maintained by Salt River Project and that grates in descending width trap debris PRIOR to intake for water treatment. They have sensors then at that point that would indicate low flow and as far as she knew none had been set off. I forget that there is access to the far side of that spillway via an old parking lot on the northside. I will take a peak tomorrow. The entire section of the canal is to be drained in the next 2 weeks for maintenance (clean out). This is a routine procedure along all the canals and not related to this incident.
Mccrackenator
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Well, *advertiser censored*:
Man previously reported missing found dead in desert of New River
Man previously reported missing found dead in desert of New River