Reward for Cold Case
New $25,000 reward offered for leads in 1987 disappearance of Carla Beth Anderson.
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Key Points
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Investigators and family described Anderson’s appearance at the time of her disappearance: she was about 4 feet 10 inches tall, weighed about 80 pounds, and had strawberry-blond hair and blue eyes.
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Wadena Police Chief Naomi Plautz emphasized the case hinges on someone knowing something, saying, “But someone knows what happened. Someone knows.”
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Dan Anderson, Carla Anderson’s brother, portrayed her as “a good person and fiercely independent,” and said she loved spending time with family—specifically noting the family “missed out” on her future with her nieces and nephews, including a young niece who was still a few years old when she vanished. He said, “Now obviously, there’s more nieces and nephews that she’s missed out. We’ve missed out on that. … Her whole future’s gone.”
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Officials said the investigation has involved “thousands of combined hours” and “hundreds” of tips, including interviewing witnesses and suspects and re-examining evidence over the decades.
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Spotlight on Crime’s track record was cited: since it was created in 2001, it has offered more than $1.4 million in rewards for 30 cases, according to Drew Evans of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Minnesota authorities have announced a $25,000 reward for information in the nearly 40-year-old disappearance of Carla Beth Anderson, a 23-year-old Wadena woman who vanished on Nov. 13, 1987, according to Wadena Pioneer Journal. Anderson was last seen returning to her Greenwood Apartments home around 8 p.m. after a shift at Hardee's. Her purse was still inside. The door was locked. She was never seen again.
At a Monday news conference, Wadena Police Chief Naomi Plautz, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans, and Anderson's brother Dan Anderson appealed for anyone with information to come forward. "Someone knows what happened. Someone knows," Plautz said, according to CBS News.
What Investigators Found the Night She Vanished
Anderson finished her Hardee's shift and returned home. Investigators believe she made it inside. A rented movie was still in her VCR. Her purse sat inside the apartment. When she didn't show up for her next work shift and didn't answer calls, family grew worried. She was officially reported missing shortly after, according to Brainerd Dispatch.
Police found no signs of forced entry or a struggle. The door was locked. Only two things were missing: her keys and her Hardee's jacket. Anderson stood 4 feet 10 inches tall and weighed about 80 pounds. She had strawberry-blond hair and blue eyes. Officials describe her as a vulnerable adult who they believe did not leave on her own.
Decades of Tips and Zero Arrests in Wadena
Investigators have spent "thousands of combined hours" on the case, according to Fox 9. They have followed "hundreds" of tips. Witnesses and suspects have been interviewed multiple times over the decades. Evidence has been reviewed again and again. Still, no arrests have been made.
The case went cold but was never closed. The BCA's cold case unit has since applied modern forensic tools — including touch DNA technology that did not exist in 1987 — to old evidence. Authorities confirmed they still have a narrow list of persons of interest but have not named anyone publicly.
$25,000 Reward Funded by Spotlight on Crime
The reward money comes from Spotlight on Crime, a nonprofit funded by the Minnesota business community. Since its founding in 2001, Spotlight on Crime has offered more than $1.4 million in rewards across 30 cases, according to CBS News. Officials hope the money will push someone who has stayed silent for nearly 40 years to finally talk.
Evans said the program creates a real incentive. A witness who was a teenager in 1987 is now in their 50s or 60s. Loyalties shift. Circumstances change. The $25,000 is meant to make speaking up worth the risk. Tips can be submitted to the Wadena Police Department or the BCA.
A Family Still Waiting for Answers After 38 Years
Dan Anderson, Carla's brother, spoke at Monday's news conference. He called her "a good person and fiercely independent." He said the family lost far more than a sister. "Her whole future's gone," he said, according to Brainerd Dispatch. Nieces and nephews grew up without ever knowing her.
"Now obviously, there's more nieces and nephews that she's missed out. We've missed out on that," Dan Anderson said. Carla Anderson was just 23 when she disappeared. Her family has spent nearly four decades without closure — and is now asking anyone with even a small piece of information to come forward.
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