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

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JJ Ray said:
I don't believe they knew they were spotted, the friends say they saw them but then went to get security. PD showed up 20 minutes later and they were gone. (12:25 am IIRC).
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This article says they chased them a short ways:
The three people drove off promptly in Anderson's car and the friends chased after them, going north through a dirt lot and over curbs. At one point, DS says that they thought the car was going to purposely back into them and that the three individuals in Anderson's car turned back down the frontage road going the wrong way with their lights off.​
 
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"When DS arrived at Anderson's apartment, much was amiss.

His lights were on, his car was gone, there was money strewn on the counter, and his credit cards were in a little bowl next to the front door. Anderson was not there.

The normally tidy Anderson had a wet towel on his bed, which was unmade, and there were some clothes on the floor in the kitchen.

DS started making phone calls but no one had heard from him.

Another sign something was awry: DS guessed Anderson's password to his 'Find My Phone' app on Apple, and the last time it showed a location was at Anderson's apartment before 9 a.m. on December 31.

"He never turned his phone off so the fact that his phone hasn’t been pinged since and isn’t broadcasting any signals since then is highly unusual," DS told The Arizona Republic.”

This certainly points more to something happening at home IMHO
Phone's last location was at his apartment before 9am. The phone hasn't been found correct?
Lights on
Money strewn about on the counter
Wet towel on the bed
Bed unmade
Clothes on the kitchen floor? This to me is very odd for someone who was normally tidy. Were they his clothes?
 
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KellyConQueso said:
This article says they chased them a short ways:
The three people drove off promptly in Anderson's car and the friends chased after them, going north through a dirt lot and over curbs. At one point, DS says that they thought the car was going to purposely back into them and that the three individuals in Anderson's car turned back down the frontage road going the wrong way with their lights off.​
Click to expand...
Thank You so much! (forgot that section after the garage sighting, was up late doing map and a little groggy this AM...)
see map for potential "dirt lot" and I assume they would then go the wrong way on the frontage road (south on the northbound that is in front of Sheraton.
 
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JJ Ray said:
A few questions/tidbits; but may be attributed to media interpretations of friends accounts.
1) The friends seem pretty sure of what he would have been wearing that day. Is this his 'normal' around the house attire and an assumption? Is it based on missing clothing? One announcement does say " may be wearing" shorts, black tee, and dark zip up hoody. It has been very chilly in the mornings the past weekend. IMO shorts does not make sense, particularly for someone raised in Glendale and a long term resident.
2) Its not clear from reporting if the friends specifically had Super 8 location from Lexus or only "near" Northern and I-17. If they didn't have exact, why go search hotels as they indicated they started doing? Many restaurants in the area...When they did have Super 8 IDed and did not discover his vehicle there, they started hitting the other Hotels along I-17. The friends indicate he didn't do drugs or rarely drank.
3) it generally takes at least a few hours for vehicle companies to go through their hoops to initiate a vehicle search.
4) He left credit cards and some cash in condo/apt (depending on account.)
5) IMO there is generally a 'whitewashing' initially at least of the victim based on Daniel Robinson and other missing persons accounts. An error, again IMO.

Main theories so far by WS;
1) a morning meet up where he only took the money he was going to need and was running late.
2) Home invasion while in shower and abducted.
3) feel free to add....
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4) Had an overnight guest who did something
 
Psychic Sleuth said:
True, but it could be they just wanted to eliminate fingerprints.
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Highly doubtful that police would go to the trouble of taking fingerprints if the only crime committed was joyriding. Police have little interest in "solving" low-value property crimes. The people that commit low-value property crimes generally know this.

Once the vehicle is torched - that might get their interest though.

I wonder how many extremely tall blond women with criminal records there are in Phoenix?
 
It's interesting that the cars last ping was at a hotel and it was seen (with the 3 people) in a parking garage of another hotel.

Was he trying to find a hotel for his unruly overnight house guest? (hypothetical possibility)
 
I am from that general area. I grew up about 2 miles from the intersection of the Sheraton crescent, my parents still live there; my high school jrotc ball was held at that hotel. I later lived a half mile north of the intersection and walked it daily as I worked at Metrocenter. It is a horrible area. Really all of Phoenix is, I moved away from the metro area 7 years ago.
My theory about the car being found at the Sheraton is that was the closest/most familiar place to the people who took his car that had a large parking garage to conceal the vehicle. I don't think Benjamin was with these people at either hotel location. I think they stole his car, did something to him closer to home, went to super 8 to make a drug deal, then tried to find a place to hide the vehicle to buy time. I'm super tired (have a particularly stressful situation related to another AZ crime going on right now) so probably missing some details and not making sense :/ moo.
 
12/31/2021 8:00 AM - BA calls DS to cancel breakfast plans
12/31/2021 8:03 AM - DS texts BA
12/31/2021 8:03 AM - BA replies to text
12/31/2021 9:00 AM - BA phone turns off
12/31/2021 6:00 PM - 6:45 PM - BA's aunt and friend, Susan, call DS because they cannot get in touch with BA.
12/31/2021 6:45 PM - DS arrives at BA's apartment, finds lights on, general messiness, wet towel on bed, cash in kitchen, credit cards in dish
12/31/2021 7:30 PM - DS is reported missing to police
12/31/2021 9:25 PM - Lexus calls police and tells them the vehicle was last located at the Super 8 by Wyndham off I-17 and Northern Avenue
12/31/2021 10:30 PM - 1/1/2022 12:25 AM Police say car is not there, friends continue searching area for BA's car
1/1/2022 12:25 AM - Friends see BA's car with people that are not BA on 4th level of Sheraton parking garage. Car leaves while they go to get help. They give chase. Car gets away.
1/1/2022 1:00 AM - 1/1/2022 3:45 AM - friends return to BA's apartment. Lexus agrees to reset his account password so friends can get into app. App fails to give vehicle location. Lexus gives friends last known location.
1/1/2022 4:00 AM - vehicle found burned at UEI College parking lot

Notes:
  • all times approximate
  • what a great group of friends BA has!
  • was something going on with BA that serious alarm bells went off so early when he could not be contacted? any previous depression/suicidal/bipolar episodes or drug abuse?
  • hats off to Lexus to helping his friends out when the police would not. I hope nobody lost their job over this!
  • seriously, nobody reported/investigated a vehicle burning in a parking lot in the middle of the night?
  • I have a feeling that the police know the identity of the blond by now.
  • just a note to how the vehicle app works - it locates the car via satellite. It's not particularly fast and only works when the vehicle is parked.
 
AC's Grandma said:
In my opinion, in order to say what he had on there must be video somewhere or someone saw him and is a witness.
Also I found it odd that Lexus would release information to anyone without a warrant unless it was the owner of the vehicle, BA is not the owner, according to the article it's owned by his aunt.
$10,000 award for safe return of missing Phoenix man Ben Anderson (azcentral.com)
Click to expand...

BBM it's probably more likely that the friends were able to get the info with the help of the Aunt. Was it the same Aunt who called the friend looking for BA? Probably so.
 
KellyConQueso said:
12/31/2021 8:00 AM - BA calls DS to cancel breakfast plans
12/31/2021 8:03 AM - DS texts BA
12/31/2021 8:03 AM - BA replies to text
12/31/2021 9:00 AM - BA phone turns off
12/31/2021 6:00 PM - 6:45 PM - BA's aunt and friend, Susan, call DS because they cannot get in touch with BA.
12/31/2021 6:45 PM - DS arrives at BA's apartment, finds lights on, general messiness, wet towel on bed, cash in kitchen, credit cards in dish
12/31/2021 7:30 PM - DS is reported missing to police
12/31/2021 9:25 PM - Lexus calls police and tells them the vehicle was last located at the Super 8 by Wyndham off I-17 and Northern Avenue
12/31/2021 10:30 PM - 1/1/2022 12:25 AM Police say car is not there, friends continue searching area for BA's car
1/1/2022 12:25 AM - Friends see BA's car with people that are not BA on 4th level of Sheraton parking garage. Car leaves while they go to get help. They give chase. Car gets away.
1/1/2022 1:00 AM - 1/1/2022 3:45 AM - friends return to BA's apartment. Lexus agrees to reset his account password so friends can get into app. App fails to give vehicle location. Lexus gives friends last known location.
1/1/2022 4:00 AM - vehicle found burned at UEI College parking lot

Notes:
  • all times approximate
  • what a great group of friends BA has!
  • was something going on with BA that serious alarm bells went off so early when he could not be contacted? any previous depression/suicidal/bipolar episodes or drug abuse?
  • hats off to Lexus to helping his friends out when the police would not. I hope nobody lost their job over this!
  • seriously, nobody reported/investigated a vehicle burning in a parking lot in the middle of the night?
  • I have a feeling that the police know the identity of the blond by now.
  • just a note to how the vehicle app works - it locates the car via satellite. It's not particularly fast and only works when the vehicle is parked.
Click to expand...
BBM
I think they were concerned so quickly because he was supposed to help his aunt S in Sun City with her bathroom project (bringing over the vanity lights) and he didn't show, which was likely very out of character. Moo.
 
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