On December 31st, 2021, Maricopa County dispatch received a chilling call reporting a potential burning body in the desert outside of Phoenix, Arizona. The location was miles from the main road, isolated and desolate. Body camera footage, recently released, reveals the harrowing moments when the first responding sheriff’s deputy arrived at the scene.
First responders arrive at the scene of a fire in the Arizona desert. The fire was later determined to be a burning body.
Initial reports were unclear, with witnesses unsure if the burning figure was a human body or a mannequin. “I said I was trying to look at a place to go shooting, and we start to just try and—hear somebody. I was like, ‘Okay, might as well just—we hear the shooting.’ I was like, ‘Okay, might as well just go see what’s going on, uh, if there’s a place to shoot.’ And I got to where the fire was at, and it’s really rough for my car to go through—to keep going. I was like, ‘All right, I’m going to stop and get off the car, all right, and see what’s going on.’ And I said I recorded what I saw,” one witness told the deputy.
Body camera footage shows the burning body in the distance.
The deputy, approaching cautiously with a fire extinguisher, battled the flames and made a grim assessment: “It looks like a body. It looked like a mannequin because of the fire, but I saw kind of like a skin, like, right here. The way—the way it’s laying on the stomach, but nobody—but nobody was around. It—nobody. I tried to look if there’s anybody. There was nobody around.”
The deputy’s body camera captured the conversation with the witnesses, who shared their shock and confusion about the fire and the potential human remains. The uncertainty and gravity of the situation were palpable. The deputy, after a closer look, contacted his sergeant.
Body camera footage shows the aftermath of the fire, with investigators assessing the scene.
“Serge, I can’t… it’s possible this might be a body,” the deputy reported, his voice laced with urgency. He described the scene in detail, noting clothing remnants and what appeared to be blood at the top of the hill. The sergeant, recognizing the severity of the situation, instructed the deputy to secure the scene and call for homicide detectives.
The arrival of the fire department marked a turning point. Firefighters extinguished the remaining embers, confirming the deputy’s suspicions. “It’s a real person… we got to put it out,” a firefighter stated, his tone somber. The discovery of bone fragments left no doubt.
As investigators swarmed the area, a clearer picture began to emerge. The victim, later identified as Benjamin Anderson, had been deliberately moved to the ravine and set on fire. The calculated nature of the crime pointed towards homicide.
Investigators work to determine the identity of the victim and gather evidence.
The investigation, now focused on finding Anderson’s killer, involved interviewing witnesses, combing through forensic evidence, and retracing Anderson’s final days. While the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed identifying suspects, the investigation is ongoing.
This developing story highlights the crucial role of body camera footage in documenting crime scenes and providing valuable evidence. The investigation into the murder of Benjamin Anderson continues, leaving many unanswered questions about the motive and the individuals involved.
