Unsolved Mysteries Wiki
Unsolved Mysteries Wiki
Unsolved Mysteries Wiki
1,943
pages
in: 1987, California, Murder,
and 2 more

Charlie Anderson

Edit
Charlie anderson1

Charlie Anderson

Real Name: Charles Robert Anderson
Nicknames: Charlie
Location: Burbank, California
Date: January 24, 1987

Case[]

Details: Deputy Charlie Anderson was a fourteen-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. He was a highly skilled driver who taught hundreds of officers how to handle themselves and their vehicles in dangerous situations. He was also close to his two young sons. At around midnight on January 24, 1987, he, his wife, Beth, and their sons returned home from a visit to her parents. She, who was suffering from a back injury, waited in the car while Charlie went inside and took their older son upstairs. A few moments later, she heard what sounded like a car backfiring. Concerned, she went inside to see if everything was all right. At the top of the stairs, she found Charlie shot to death. She ran next door to the neighbor's house and called the police.
Initially, investigators believed that the Anderson house was being robbed and that Charlie had been shot when he interrupted the robbery. However, investigators noticed that the assailant(s) had carefully moved items in the house, which would be uncommon in a normal robbery. The drawers were either pulled out partially or had only one or two items missing from them. This led investigators to believe that the robbery scene had been staged.
Investigators also found that jewelry and other expensive items, which were in plain sight, had been left behind. This led them to believe that Charlie was killed by someone that he knew. His family also believes this; his sister, Trish, was at the scene that night and she believed that he had a shocked expression on his face, as if he had been betrayed. Interestingly, the only fingerprints found in the home belonged to relatives. This meant that either one was involved, or the perpetrator wore gloves.
Investigators received a possible break the next day, when a call came into the Burbank Police Department. The caller claimed that he had information about Charlie's murder. The dispatcher contacted the lead investigator who spoke with the caller. The caller claimed to know Charlie's killer's identity. However, when he learned that the call was being recorded, he did not want to speak with them. The investigators gave the caller his phone number so they could speak on a line that was not being recorded. However, the caller never contacted the investigators and was never heard from again.
On January 31, 1987, Charlie was laid to rest; since then, lack of evidence has dragged the investigation to a standstill. The Burbank police guarantee confidentiality for anyone coming forward with information.
Suspects: None known; initially, investigators speculated that Charlie's murder may have been related to that of Carol Montecalvo. Her murder occurred just a few blocks away from Charlie and she was also apparently killed in a robbery gone wrong. However, her widower, Dan, was later convicted of her murder. It is not known if he may be connected to this case.
Extra Notes:

  • This case first aired on the May 25, 1994 episode.
  • It was profiled on The Trail Went Cold podcast.

Results: Unsolved. In the late 1990s, investigators received a tip on this case. A yearlong investigation ensued; however, no arrests were made. In 1999, they presented their case to the Los Angeles D.A., but prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to charge any suspect(s). The investigators have looked into Beth as a possible person of interest, as she has refused to be interviewed by them since the night of Charlie's murder. The staged robbery and lack of physical evidence of an intruder have also made them suspicious of her. However, she has never been named a suspect in this case. She died on Christmas morning, 2018, at the age of 65.
Links:

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.