A human jaw and teeth found on a Milwaukee lake shore belong to Sade Robinson, local television station Fox 6 has reported.
A passerby made the discovery along the water and reported the findings to local police officers. Forensic medical examiners subsequently examined the recovered remains and determined that they belonged to Robinson, who was killed and dismembered in 2024.
Milwaukee, the largest city in Wisconsin, is situated along the western shore of Lake Michigan. The massive freshwater lake features expansive public coastlines, harbors, and beaches where shifting currents and seasonal weather patterns can cause items to wash ashore or emerge from the water long after an event occurs.
Forensic medical examiners regularly examine jaw fragments and dental remains to establish positive identifications in missing person inquiries. Human teeth are the hardest substance in the human body, enduring decomposition and water exposure far longer than soft tissue, and specialists cross reference dental records and radiographs against recovered teeth to reach definitive conclusions.
Disappearance and murder investigation
Robinson disappeared in 2024 after going out for the evening in the city. On the night of April 1, she traveled to a bar with a man identified as Maxwell Anderson and never returned home.
The next day, investigators found her car abandoned and burned. Surveillance cameras operating near the scene captured footage of Anderson walking away from the scorched vehicle before boarding a public bus.
A criminal investigation revealed that Anderson had planned the fatal attack on Robinson several weeks before it took place. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime, though he never disclosed the location of her remains to authorities.
Search for remaining body parts
The discovery of the jaw and teeth marks the latest finding in a protracted effort to locate Robinson's body. In May 2024, searchers recovered her severed arm along the shoreline area.
Broadcaster Fox 6, which reports across southeastern Wisconsin, noted that Anderson remains incarcerated under his life sentence without having assisted police in finding the rest of Robinson's body. In the United States, a life sentence mandates that an offender remain behind bars for the rest of their natural life, but a convict's refusal to speak often leaves searches unresolved.
Robinson's mother described the ongoing recovery as a true trauma for the family. She explained that relatives still want to locate her child's skull, stating that she still does not have her child's skull as the family continues to search for the remaining parts of her daughter.
