kelsie
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Who killed innocent mother and grandmother Rachel Anthony as she finished up her shift at a liquor store on a freezing winter night in 2001? It's been 20 years with no arrests, and there is a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of her killer(s).
Rachel, age 50, was finishing up her shift at Ultimate Liquors in Pine River, Minnesota. She was working the night shift alone, as she had for the past year and a half. It was freezing cold outside, 19 degrees below zero, so Rachel decided to go out and start her Ford Escort. She then went back inside to close the store which was due to be locked up for the night at 10 p.m. A police officer discovered the car idling sometime after midnight and, upon checking the liquor store, found the back door unlocked with Anthony’s purse and coat still inside, but no signs of her.
The last purchase made that night was rung up at 9:56 p.m., but the transaction was never completed. Her coat, purse, cigarettes, and keys were where she always kept them inside the store. Nothing appeared to have been stolen and no money was missing from the cash register.
Despite no signs of a struggle, investigators immediately suspected Rachel had been taken against her will that night.
Detectives looked at receipts made at the liquor store during Rachel's shift that night - names, times, what type of alcohol was purchased. All those who made purchases from the liquor store during her shift were interviewed - every single person cooperated with the investigation and was eliminated as a suspect.
Nearby neighborhoods were vigorously canvassed, but there were no signs of Rachel.
Six weeks later on April 14, 2001, her body was found by four teenagers on horseback in a ravine off of Nelson Road near Breezy Point, about 15 miles away. The cause of death was asphyxia due to homicidal violence.
The red circle indicates where her body was discovered.
The case remains an open investigation with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension as well as the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.
Dave Bjerga, an investigator with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, has said it is believed that the crime was committed by someone who has connections to the Pine River area, and it is not thought that the perpetrator was someone who was just passing through.
Cass County Sheriff Tom Burch said his investigators have followed every single lead that has come their way - they have had no luck finding any clues as to what nightmare plagued Rachel that cold February night.
“We still get leads from time to time and some new leads tie back to previous leads and unfortunately time is not in our favor,” said the sheriff of Rachel's senseless murder. "This case is still open and active. If somebody has something, even if it's the smallest, most minute thing please say something. You never know, this little detail could make a difference.”
Rachel Anthony was born May 30, 1950, in Garfield Heights, Ohio. She was the second oldest of four children, and had a habit of 'mothering' her younger siblings - especially since Rachel's mom was on her own after their father died when Rachel was still a small child.
By the time Rachel was 50, she was a beloved mother, grandmother, and adamant animal and plant lover. Her family lived on a hobby farm with animals of all kinds, indoors and out, and a huge garden. However, Rachel's first love was always writing. She penned poetry, journalism, short stories, and even a children’s book about her farm animals. She freelanced regularly, and won an award for a 1984 poem about the drought in the southwestern United States and Mexico. She always cared about what others were going through.
In 1980, she wrote an advice piece for a local newsletter, addressing women’s safety in the wake of two rapes which terrified the community.
Rachel wrote:
Develop some kind of ‘buddy system’ with friends or neighbors, so that when you have to come home alone late at night, someone can be there to meet you that’s a friend instead of a foe.
Sources:
Reward offered in Minnesota cold case | Bemidji Pioneer
Homicide cold case still open: What happened to Rachel Anthony? | Brainerd Dispatch
https://dps.mn.gov/entity/soc/Documents/poster-spotlight-on-crime-rachel-anthony-acc.pdf
18 years later, killer of central Minnesota woman remains a mystery | Duluth News Tribune
Rachel Anthony murder 2001 | The Published Pen
Who killed Rachel Anthony? Mystery stumps a small Minnesota town since 2001 – Twin Cities
*I wrote this myself.*
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