A Milwaukee man was charged Friday with homicide and mutilation of a corpse after a severed leg, believed to be that of a missing 19-year-old woman, was found earlier this month, officials said .
Maxwell Anderson, 33, who was a person of interest in Sade Robinson’s disappearance and was arrested last week, was charged Friday morning, according to authorities.
The severed leg was found April 2, Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball said at a news conference, and was previously identified as belonging to Robinson.
Milwaukee police also found human remains in three locations, including near train tracks, on April 5 and 6, but their identification is still pending, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said.
“It’s a horrible tragedy,” Norman said. He and Ball said their departments’ thoughts and prayers were with the Robinson family.
The prosecutor’s office charged Anderson with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse and arson of property other than the building, Ball said.
On April 3, Milwaukee police asked the public for help in locating Robinson, who was last seen on April 1 and was considered a “critically missing person.”
Anderson was designated a “person of interest” on April 4, two days after the leg was found, and he was arrested after a traffic stop, Ball said. A search was conducted at his home, but authorities did not say Friday what was found.
Authorities also have not revealed a motive, citing an ongoing investigation.
Ball said investigators believe Robinson and Anderson may have met at Anderson’s workplace, but are working to confirm that.
The investigation is ongoing and law enforcement continues to search for Robinson’s remains, Ball said. Investigators have no information indicating anyone else was involved, she said.
“We do not believe there are any additional victims and that the person responsible for this heinous crime has been arrested,” Ball said.
An attorney listed as representing Anderson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday evening. Anderson was ordered held in lieu of $5 million bail, according to court and jail records.
“It’s justice for Sade,” Robinson’s mother, Sheena Scarbrough, said Friday of the criminal charges, NBC affiliate WTMJ in Milwaukee reported.
Family members said they will continue to search for their loved one’s remains.