Severed leg found in Cudahy; person of interest identified, new discovery
CUDAHY, Wis. - Authorities in Milwaukee County have investigated four separate scenes involving human remains in less than a week.
The first of those scenes surrounded the discovery of a severed human leg at Warnimont Park in Cudahy on April 2. A person of interest in the case appeared in court Tuesday, April 9, identified by the district attorney's office as 33-year-old Maxwell Anderson.
In the same Milwaukee neighborhood, police were called for body parts or human remains found this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Law enforcement have not said if the three Milwaukee cases or the Cudahy case are connected.
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Cudahy case
One week after someone found a severed human leg at Warnimont Park in Cudahy, Anderson appeared in court. Family members of 19-year-old Sade Robinson, reported missing and last seen on April 2, said investigators invited them to attend the hearing.
Milwaukee County prosecutors said they are working to strengthen their case against the man. FOX6 News learned Anderson was arrested after authorities, including the Wisconsin Department of Justice, searched his home last week.
Maxwell Anderson (Courtesy: Wisconsin DOC)
Prosecutors asked a court commissioner for more time to make a charging decision and to keep Anderson in custody while they do so. One prosecutor wants to review blood evidence results, and a court commissioner granted a 72-hour extension.
Police have not shared how Anderson became a person of interest in the case. He has not been charged.
Searching the area
The court development comes as Milwaukee police investigate human remains found in the city. Discoveries of remains and body parts centered in the areas of 30th and Lisbon, 31st and Walnut and 31st and Galena – each scene within a block or two of the others.
On Tuesday, April 9, Robinson's loved ones and other volunteers gathered at Warnimont Park again. FOX6 News had a crew on the scene as their search brought Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office deputies back out to the park in the early evening.
"Part of the search party found a bone of some sort," said Shana Wendt, a family friend who was out at the park. "We don’t know anything else beyond that."
Tuesday evening, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office said someone at Warnimont Park came across "two items" that authorities believe "may be related" to their investigation related to the leg that was found last week.
Officials confirmed deputies responded to the park, but said no further information is available and did not clarify what was found.
"I just know that Sade is a good girl," family friend Julea Ferrera said. "And we need to bring her back home or bring her some justice."
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Robinson was reported missing and last seen on April 2. Investigators have not said if the cases are linked.
Robinson’s relatives said they found Robinson's blanket in a wooded area near 31st & Galena Playground on Saturday.
"It’s crazy, it’s very shocking over here," said Jamell Matthews, who lives in the area. "How did it happen, and just the whole altercation? I’m interested in how it happened."