Sade Robinson was reported missing before she was found murdered. At least 3 women remain missing in Milwaukee County
Over the past few weeks, Milwaukee has been rocked by the disturbing and unfolding case of the murder of Sade Robinson, a 19-year-old Milwaukee woman.
On April 2, Robinson was reported missing by a friend after she didn't show up to work or return phone calls.
Maxwell Anderson, 33, was later charged with the first-degree murder of Robinson and the dismemberment of her body. Anderson and Robinson met for a first date on April 1.
Separately, a 41-year-old woman named Tomitka Stewart, who was reported "critically missing," was found dead in Milwaukee. Stewart was found dead on April 17 in the 4500 block of North 29th Street. A 41-year-old man was taken into custody on suspicion of homicide, police said.
In 2022, almost 550,000 missing persons were reported to the National Crime Information Center. The vast majority of these persons, nearly 99%, were removed from NCIC's list because they were found, returned home or because the record was invalid.
Since January 2020, 4,814 women ages 18 to 99 have been reported missing to law enforcement and entered into the nationwide database, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
Families of missing women of color face additional barriers
There has long been discussion of the disparities surrounding missing people of color. In 2022, Black women and girls made up approximately 18% of all missing persons cases despite accounting for about 7% of the population, according to data from NCIC and U.S. Census Bureau.
Indigenous women face higher rates of abduction and murder than the national average. Many people feel that cases of missing Indigenous women are overlooked and others go unreported in the data.
While 98% of children reported missing to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children are located within days, the majority of those who are not are Black. As investigated by USA TODAY, for reasons ranging from the racial makeup of media and law enforcement agencies to Black children being disproportionately classified by authorities as runaways, police, the media and the public are less likely and equipped to give their best efforts for missing Black children.
While social media can help find missing children, USA TODAY found that, in 375 videos featured on Facebook by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the average views on posts about missing white girls was more than 63,000; for Black girls, it was 38,300.
This lack of media attention, compared to the urgency with which people seem to search for missing white people, has been termed "missing white woman syndrome." USA TODAY cited the example of the 2002 cases of Alexis Patterson, a 7-year-old from Milwaukee, and Elizabeth Smart, a 14-year-old from Utah, who went missing a month apart. Hours after Smart, who's white, went missing, her case received widespread national media attention. Patterson is Black, and her case received very little national attention, especially at first.
Smart was found nine months after her abduction; Patterson is still missing.
More: Alexis Patterson vanished one month before Elizabeth Smart. Here’s how their cases differ.
The women and girls who've been reported missing in Milwaukee since 2020
The Wisconsin Department of Justice maintains a list of missing child and adult residents. As of April 18, 2024, 170 people are on the list, including some who have been missing for as many as eight decades.
These women and girls were reported missing from Milwaukee County after 2020 and have not been found. It should be noted that this list may be incomplete. These are the only persons who have been reported missing to the database, but other missing people may have not been reported:
Ayanna Krzyzanowski
Ayanna Krzyzanowski, a Milwaukee teenager, has been missing since March 29, 2023. According to her missing person flier, she was last seen on March 23, 2023, and her family is concerned for her safety. She has black hair and brown eyes and is approximately 5-foot-4 and 130 pounds. Anyone with information should contact the Milwaukee Police Department, (414) 935-7405.
Current age: 16
Missing since: 03/29/2023
Last known location: Milwaukee
Race: Black
Link to missing person flier: Ayanna Krzyzanowski_NamUs.pub (wi.gov)
Joniah Walker
Joniah Walker was last seen around 2:30 p.m. on June 23, 2022, near the intersection of East Reservoir Avenue and North Buffum Street in Milwaukee carrying a large book bag and wearing a green T-shirt and blue jeans. She has black hair with long braids and brown eyes.
The day she went missing, Walker was supposed to be picked up from her house at about 4 p.m. by her father. Her mother was at work, and the two exchanged text messages in the afternoon. Phone records show Walker tried to call her therapist around 3:27 p.m. and, later that night, sent her therapist a text indicating she had run away from home. Walker's mother said her daughter has a history of mental illness and likes reading, baking and animals.
Walker's mother was frustrated that Milwaukee police did not classify her daughter as a "critical missing." The criteria for a critical missing include a person with a history of physical, mental or cognitive disability, drug dependency or other at-risk issue, among other factors.
Current age: 16
Missing since: 06/23/2022
Last known location: Milwaukee
Race: Black
Link to missing person flier: JoniahWalker.pub (wi.gov)
More: A month later, Milwaukee teenager Joniah Walker is still missing. Her family is asking you for help.
RELATED: 'Help me find my children': How race affects social media efforts to find missing kids
Sandra Eckert
Sandra Eckert, then 70, was last seen in her home in Franklin on the evening of March 26, 2021, after she left her residence following an argument with her husband, Wes. Eckert is approximately 5-foot-7 and 130 pounds, with blonde hair and green eyes. She was last seen wearing black leggings, colorful tennis shoes, and a large navy blue and teal North Carolina Tar Heels starter jacket.
Eckert's car was seen on March 27, 2021, at 3 a.m. traveling southbound on Racine Avenue, westbound on Tans Drive and then southbound on Crowbar Drive. Neither Eckert nor the car, a gray 2005 Dodge Stratus sedan (Wisconsin license plate 319-LGT), have been found.
In summer 2021, the Franklin Police Department began treating Eckert's case as a homicide. Eckert's family is offering a $50,000 reward if a tip leads to a conviction. Her children told the Journal Sentinel that they believe their father, Wes, might be to blame. Wes denied having anything to do with his wife's disappearance and suggested it could be related to several thousand dollars in cash Eckert took with her when she left. Anyone with information should contact the Franklin Police Department, (414) 425-2522.
Current age: 73
Missing since: 03/26/2021
Last known location: Franklin
Race: White
Link to missing person flier: SandraEckertPoster.pub (wi.gov)
More: One year later, Sandra Eckert is still missing from Franklin. Her children are hoping for answers.
What to do if you're searching for a missing person in Milwaukee
Milwaukee police recommend you file a missing person report as soon as possible. You can go to your nearest Police District with a recent photo of the missing person. If you can't go to a police district, you can call 911 so an officer can take the report.
Families can notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at (800) THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or online at www.missingkids.com
You can register to use the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System at www.namus.gov.
Click here to sign up for the Wisconsin Crime Alert Network and receive AMBER, Silver, Green and Missing Endangered Person alerts.
RELATED: Amber Alerts are rare. A Milwaukee grandmother thinks one could have saved her family.
RELATED: What happens when a child disappears in America?
Journal Sentinel reporter Ashley Luthern contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Missing persons in Wisconsin: Milwaukee area women missing since 2020
