Milwaukee man charged with homicide in missing person case

A Milwaukee man has been charged in the death of a 19-year-old Milwaukee woman who was reported missing earlier this month. 

Maxwell Anderson, 33, was named a person of interest in the missing persons case of Sade Robinson and has been in custody. On Friday morning, Anderson was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse and arson. 

Robinson was reported as “critically missing” by the Milwaukee Police Department on April 3. Police said she was last seen on the city’s north side on April 1. 

In the days that followed, body parts began to be found across the Milwaukee area, including a severed human leg found in a park in Cudahy. In a criminal complaint, police said they believed the leg, found at Warnimont Park, appeared to be “sawn off.”

According to the criminal complaint, detectives using phone records learned Anderson and Robinson had met for a date on the night of April 1. 

After Robinson went missing, her friend was able to access a location-based services app on her phone, which allows users to share their location with others. After she checked the app, she found that Robinson’s phone was at Warnimont Park on the morning of April 2.  That app revealed she was near Anderson’s home on city’s south side before that. 

After executing a search warrant at Anderson’s home on April 4, detectives found blood on bedding in one of his bedrooms and blood on the walls near the basement. 

Police also found a human foot near where Robinson’s car was set on fire, according to the complaint. 

A GoFundMe page set up for Robinson said she was attending the Milwaukee Area Technical College.

“Sade was a loving daughter, a cherished sister, and a dear friend to many,” the page said.

Anderson will make his initial appearance at the Milwaukee County Courthouse Friday morning. His attorney did not respond to a reporter’s request for comment on the charges.

The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office is holding a 10 a.m. press conference to share more details about the case.

Editor’s note: This story will be updated.