An arm discovered on a beach in Illinois has been identified as part of the remains of Sade Robinson, a Milwaukee student who was dismembered after going on a first date with a man who police say killed her.
The arm was found on 11 May by someone walking along Waukegan Municipal Beach, about 50 miles from Milwaukee, according to the Lake County Coroner's Office.
A DNA analysis was used to match the arm to Robinson, according to the coroner.
The 19-year-old Milwaukee Area Technical College student was killed after going on a date with 33-year-old Maxwell Anderson in April. Robinson's family was notified of the discovery on Tuesday, according to NBC News.
"On behalf of the Lake County Coroner’s Office, I want to express our sincere condolences to Sade’s family and friends who continue to endure this tragic loss," the coroner, Jennifer Banek, said in a statement.
Robinson's mother, Sheena Scarbrough, "is devastated and feels like her heart is being cut out as she is constantly tortured with this accumulating news of her daughter's murder," according to Verona Swanigan, the attorney representing the victim’s family.
Other parts of Robinson's remains have already been found. On 18 April, more than two weeks after Robinson’s death, a torso and an arm were found on a remote beach on Lake Michigan, according to Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office.
The day after Robinson was killed, a severed right leg with a foot attached was discovered on a beach in Warnimont Park in the Milwaukee suburb of Cudahy. The leg appeared to belong to a Black female and was “severed just below the hip socket and appeared to have been sawn off,” according to Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office.
The police complaint also noted the foot’s toenails had pink nail polish, and did not appear to be in a state of decomposition.
On April 2, the day after Robinson's date, a 2020 Honda Civic was discovered with substantial interior damage caused by a fire, stated the complaint.
The vehicle and all of the remains found were identified as Robinson's.
Anderson, of Milwaukee, was arrested on 4 April and charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, and arson in connection with Robinson's death.
He has pleaded not guilty and is being held on a $5m bail.
Robinson and Anderson had scheduled a date for 1 April at the Twisted Fisherman seafood restaurant, according to Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office.
Surveillance footage from the restaurant showed the pair sitting at the bar enjoying drinks for around an hour before leaving together. Anderson was later identified as having been an employee at the bar.
A Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office criminal complaint says that video taken from a bus and a convenience store captured a man walking away from a burning vehicle on the night of Robinson's murder. A witness also told deputies that she saw a man exit Robinson's car from the driver's side door and toss a lit lighter into the vehicle.
The suspected arsonist, a male in dark trousers, a dark grey hooded top, and carrying a tan-colored backpack with tan straps, then boarded a city transit bus. Surveillance footage from inside the bus showed that Anderson was on board.
The burned-out Honda Civic was later searched and clothing consistent with that worn by Robinson – a black puffer coat, light blue ripped jeans, and white shoes – was found.
After the footage was recovered and adter Anderson was identified, deputies arrested him.
Robinson's family is hoping that law enforcement can convince him to confess to the killing.
"I want my daughter's remains! Sade should not have to spend eternity lost because of Anderson's evil agenda," Scarbrough said, via Swanigan. "I have in anxious torment waited 79 days without being able to see my child or know her whereabouts. I pray law enforcement or his family will finally get him to talk and set me free from this stabbing pain of not knowing what happened to my daughter or where her remains are located."
