Shivangi Sinha
In April 2024, Sade Robinson went out for dinner in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but never returned home. When she failed to report to work the following day, her coworkers grew concerned and raised the alarm. That same day, human remains were discovered at Warnimont Park, and in the days that followed, additional remains were found along beaches in Milwaukee and Illinois. As investigators retraced her steps from the night she disappeared, their inquiry led them to Maxwell Anderson, who was later apprehended in connection with the case. CBS’ ‘48 Hours: Sade Robinson and the Secret Beach’ details the investigation and the evidence that led to his arrest.
Disturbing Photos of Sade Robinson Were Found in Maxwell Anderson’s Phone
Maxwell Steven Anderson was born on May 26, 1990, and had long been living in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. On April 1, 2024, he texted nursing student Sade Robinson around 4–5 pm, asking her out to dinner at Twisted Fisherman, a restaurant where he had previously worked. According to surveillance footage and phone records, the two spent time there before going to a downtown Milwaukee bar and later heading to Anderson’s home on the city’s south side. Authorities concluded that he killed her during the night. They noted that the photos later recovered from his phone reportedly showed the teen unresponsive and covered in blood inside his residence.
Around 12:40 am, Anderson drove Sade’s car past Lakefront Brewery toward Warnimont Park. Prosecutors said he brought tools he had prepared in advance and used a secluded shoreline area, which he referred to as his “secret beach,” to dismember her. He reportedly left the area around 4:40 am. Afterward, he set her vehicle on fire near North 30th Street and Lisbon Avenue in Milwaukee using pre-filled gas cans. Surveillance footage showed him walking away from the scene, and he was later seen taking a bus home. On April 2, when Sade failed to report to work, her friends became concerned and alerted authorities. Soon after, a severed leg was discovered along the shoreline, prompting police to launch a full homicide investigation.
Using her phone records, police identified Anderson as the person Sade had spent her final hours with. After obtaining a search warrant for his home, investigators noted traces of blood and signs of attempted cleanup, though the DNA recovered did not match Sade’s. However, a search of his phone revealed photos showing Sade incapacitated and unconscious inside his residence. Surveillance footage of him walking away after setting her car on fire further strengthened the case. On April 4, 2024, Anderson was arrested during a traffic stop and charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, and arson.
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Maxwell Anderson is Serving a Life Sentence in Wisconsin Today
Maxwell Anderson’s trial began in May 2025, during which prosecutors laid out the full scope of their evidence. His defense team argued that the killing was a crime of passion, but prosecutors pointed to the tools he had brought with him and the gasoline cans he had prepared. They used those details to establish premeditation and intent. In June 2025, he was convicted on four charges, including first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, hiding a corpse, and arson. He never publicly revealed a motive for the crime. When he was sentenced in August 2025 to life in prison without the possibility of parole, he reportedly showed no visible emotion. Now 35 years old, Anderson is incarcerated at the Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin, where he will spend the remainder of his life.
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