PHOENIX — There are still many unanswered questions surrounding the death of a 41-year-old man who was reported missing on New Year’s Eve before his body was found in the desert.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of Benjamin Anderson but hasn’t released many details, based on information from friends and investigators, we’re breaking down the timeline of the case so far.
8:00 a.m. December 31
Friends of Anderson said they had plans to go to breakfast at 9:30 a.m. on New Year’s Eve morning.
“8 a.m. - Ben called me and had canceled,” Daniel Stahoviak, a close friend of Anderson’s said.
Stahoviak said Anderson said he was tired, which Stahoviak said wasn’t surprising given he had been driving and visiting friends the day before.
“Nothing was unusual,” Stahoviak said.
1:40 p.m. December 31
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said their call for service to a body found in the desert was initiated at 1:40 p.m.
MCSO said the body of Anderson was found in the desert near I-17 and Table Mesa Road.
6:30 p.m. December 31
Friends and family did not know that MCSO had found Anderson’s body on New Year’s Eve, and Stahoviak said they started to notice Anderson hadn’t contacted him since around 6:30 p.m.
Stahoviak said he went to Anderson’s home near 7th Street and Maryland Avenue at that time to try and see if he could find him.
“His car was gone when I got there,” Stahoviak said.
Stahoviak said credit cards and cash were left on the counter, with laundry strewn about the condo.
“I guess what struck me the most is there was a wet towel on his bed,” Stahoviak said. “Ben is very clean and tidy in his home and he would never do something like that.”
7:30 p.m. December 31
By 7:30 p.m., friends and family had reported Anderson missing to the Phoenix Police Department.
Stahoviak said they also had called Lexus, the maker of Anderson’s car, to see if they could GPS track the car.
“They could see the location, but they wouldn’t give it to us,” Stahoviak said.
Stahoviak said Phoenix police, who were given the information by Lexus, went to a Super 8 motel off I-17 south of Dunlap Avenue.
“The police officers called us, the vehicle wasn’t there,” Stahoviak said. “It had already moved.”
Stahoviak said a carload of people went to the Super 8 using the car.
“All we knew is he was somewhere near the Black Canyon Highway, and most businesses are closed, but there’s hotels. So we thought, ‘Let’s just drive through hotels.’,” Stahoviak said.
12:20 a.m. January 1
Twenty minutes into the new year, Stahoviak said they went through the garage at the Sheraton Phoenix Crescent near Dunlap Avenue and I-17.
Stahoviak said when they got to the fourth floor of the parking garage, they spotted Anderson’s car.
“There was his car, backed into a spot, three people around it. Ben wasn’t with them,” Stahoviak said.
Stahoviak said they followed the car out of the garage, down the frontage road and into a parking lot.
“They came back out, turned left going the wrong way on the frontage road,” Stahoviak said. “Obviously it’s now becoming very dangerous so we stopped.”
After calling 911, Stahoivak said Phoenix police came to try and find the car but didn’t have any luck.
Stahoviak said they then went back to Anderson’s condo to see if there were any more clues, while also calling Lexus back to see if they could get any more information.
“Lexus then told us after begging that the vehicle was now offline,” Stahoviak said.
4:00 a.m. January 1
Around 4:00 a.m. on New Year’s Day, Stahoviak said they discovered the Lexus in the parking lot of UEI College – which is adjacent to the Sheraton where they found the car originally.
“His car was found here destroyed, burnt,” Stahoviak said.
Stahoviak said Anderson’s duffel bag and lights he purchased were still in the back of the car.
January 3
MCSO did not release that the body was Anderson’s until Monday, Jan. 3.
The Homicide Unit is investigating Anderson’s death but hasn’t answered 12 News’ question if Anderson’s death has been ruled a homicide.
Unanswered questions
Stahoviak said that neither he nor the other friends that found the car recognized the three people they said were with it at the Sheraton.
Anderson’s body was found 30 miles away, which leaves questions unanswered as to what happened that led to Anderson being found dead.
12 News asked both Phoenix police and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for more details, but neither agency answered questions related to the timeline of the case, or where the investigation stands.
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