PHOENIX — New Year's Eve marks two years since Benjamin Anderson, a beloved Valley man, went missing and was later found dead.
Anderson's car was found burned near the I-17 and Dunlap and his body was found 30 miles away off the I-17 near Table Mesa Road, 30 miles from his car.
It's been two years and there are still there are far more questions than answers.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has been investigating Anderson's horrific death since Dec. 31, 2021, but despite the shocking nature of the crime, no suspects have been publicly identified and no arrests have been made.
'There's video cameras everywhere'
“We have nothing. We have nothing. No answers," said Daniel Stahoviak, Anderson's friend. “Nobody’s sharing any information with us and we're sort of lost."
The anniversary is a somber reminder of who they have lost.
“It's been two years where I still go to grab my phone to call him. Or if it rings, I think oh, it might be him. What is he doing?" said Susan Dzbanko, Anderson's friend. "Even two years later, the loss that we all feel is still so profound.”
Two years ago, Anderson's friends were supposed to meet him for a New Year's Eve brunch in Scottsdale. Around 8 a.m., he canceled. They would never see him again.
“Everybody deserves answers in this community. It's not okay," said Amanda Smith, Anderson's friend.
They say Anderson was the kind of friend who constantly checked in, so when they didn't hear from him by that afternoon, they had a bad feeling.
“Sometimes you can talk to a friend, not talk to a friend for a week. But you don't talk to Ben for a day, something is wrong," Stahoviak said.
According to police reports, around 1:40 p.m., Anderson's body was found on fire off the I-17 near Table Mesa Road.
His car was found burned 30 miles away near the I-17 and Dunlap.
“There's video cameras everywhere," Stahoviak said.
MCSO continues to investigate Anderson's death. The lack of answers has grown increasingly painful and frustrating.
“The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office owes not only his family, us, this whole community answers as to why these people have not been arrested two years later," Smith said. "They're free out there doing whatever they're doing. They're capable of a heinous brutal murder in broad daylight in a five-hour window, and there's still no arrests.”
Authorities say Anderson's death is not connected to recent North Phoenix homicides
In the past month, Phoenix PD has linked two North Phoenix homicides to 21-year-old Leonardo Santiago.
Records show both victims, Bernardo Pantaleon and Osvaldo Hernandez Castillo, may have been targeted because of their sexuality.
Anderson was gay, too, leaving loved ones wondering if the suspect in those cases also killed him.
MCSO tells 12News Santiago and the gang members he's associated with are not their suspects.
“They solved that in less than 30 days. And I know evidence is case by case, every case is different. But that was solved in 30 days. And those people are off the street as they should be," Stahoviak said. "Here we are like, what's happening? We don't have answers.”
On the two-year anniversary, Anderson's friends met for brunch at that same Scottsdale restaurant he was supposed to meet them at.
“It was hard being there knowing that while we were sitting there, while we're sitting here today, two years ago, he was deceased and we didn't know it," Stahoviak said.
Together, they remembered him.
“I don't think you find that often where you click like that with somebody so quickly," Smith said.
“If you're lucky enough to stand, even within a bit of his orbit, for a minute, you were the luckiest person in the world," Dzbanko said.
Now, at the turn of a new year, they hope the next time they mark the somber anniversary, they will have some semblance of closure.
“We hope that MCSO gets whatever evidence that they're lacking, and that these people are brought to justice," Dzbanko said.
When 12News reached out to MCSO for an update on Anderson's case they released the following statement:
"Thank you for your patience on this case. As you know these cases can be very complex. In reference to the homicide of Benjamin Anderson, there really is no groundbreaking update. Our case agent has been in touch with the MCAO, and even did a case review/briefing on it to get their opinion and suggestions.
While our detectives do have person of interest targeted as good suspects, they still must comb through some digital data and records to gather more information. Unfortunately we cannot give a timeline on when things shall be complete, I can say that regardless of what is found with the digital record analysis, we will be submitting charges against the alleged suspects.
MCSO remains committed to see that the best case is put forward to the MCAO. We have also been aware that there are rumors that this case is related, or possibly related to other agency criminal cases, but detectives had worked with those agencies and there is no obvious relation. In addition, our detective remains in contact with Mr. Anderson’s family."
There is a $25,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in Anderson's case.
If you have any information about what happened to him, contact MCSO at 602-876-8477 or call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.
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