On the shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin lies Warnimont Park, a quiet, rocky, and wooded area seldom visited by many. It was here, on April 2, 2024, that a grim discovery was made—a severed human leg found by a young man out for a walk with a friend. This unsettling find marked the beginning of a harrowing investigation led by Detective Jo Donner of the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office.
Detective Donner immediately recognized the seriousness of the situation. With only a leg recovered, she was left with critical questions: Where was the rest of the body? Who was the victim? There was no weapon, no suspect, and no clear direction. Over the next hours and days, the pieces began to come together, revealing a tragic story centered around a young woman named Sade Robinson.
Sade Robinson, a 19-year-old college student, had vanished the night before the leg was found. On the evening of April 1, 2024, she was supposed to go on a date but never returned home. Detective Donner and her colleagues, including Milwaukee Police detective Nora Donegan, quickly focused on Sade as their likely victim after learning that her car had been found burned behind an abandoned building three miles from her apartment.
The charred remains of Sade’s vehicle provided crucial clues. Despite being heavily damaged, the car’s interior emitted the smell of a petroleum distillate, leading investigators to conclude it was deliberately set on fire—arson. Inside, they recovered Sade’s purse tucked under the driver’s seat, suggesting robbery was unlikely. More disturbingly, her clothing—pants, underwear, jacket, and shoes—were found in the trunk. The pants were turned inside out, with the underwear still attached, a red flag indicating possible foul play.
Another significant discovery was the position of the driver’s seat, which suggested that someone other than Sade had driven the vehicle. Tests with deputies of varying heights revealed the car’s seat was positioned for someone at least six feet tall, while Sade was shorter, making it impossible for her to have been the last driver. This detail added to the suspicion surrounding Sade’s disappearance.
The day after the discovery, Sade’s mother, Sheena Scarbrough, was notified. The news shattered the family, who initially hoped it was a mistake and that Sade would be found safe. They shared her phone’s location history through the Life360 app, a GPS-based tool that records historical phone locations. It revealed that Sade’s phone battery died at 4:35 a.m. in Warnimont Park—the very place where the leg was found. This chilling detail confirmed the area’s significance to the investigation.
Tracing Sade’s last known movements, investigators pieced together the timeline of her final day. Sade was a hardworking young woman balancing two jobs—one at a country club and another at a restaurant called Pizza Shuttle—while attending technical college full-time. She was about to graduate with an associate’s degree in criminal justice and had plans to join the Air Force.
On Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024, Sade spent time with her family and appeared happy and hopeful. The next morning, she was seen leaving her apartment and arriving at work, where she was well-liked for her positive attitude and dedication. After finishing her shift, she texted a man named Maxwell Anderson to arrange their date that evening.
Security footage showed Sade and Maxwell meeting at a restaurant called The Twisted Fisherman. Detective Donner observed that Maxwell seemed distant, interacting more with the bartender than with Sade—a dynamic that felt unusual for a date. Later, the couple went to a nearby bar, Duke’s on Water, where Sade appeared to enjoy herself briefly while playing beer pong. They left the bar together around 9 p.m., and the Life360 app tracked their movements to Maxwell’s house and later to other locations.
Sade’s car was seen driving aimlessly through Milwaukee late into the night, with fogged-up windows suggesting something was amiss. At nearly 3 a.m., the car arrived at Warnimont Park, where Sade’s phone died. Surveillance footage captured a figure, believed to be Maxwell Anderson, dragging an unknown object to the lake—an ominous image that solidified his connection to the crime scene.
Who was Maxwell Anderson? He was a 33-year-old man who had briefly served in the Navy but had a