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MCSO details charges against suspect in Ben Anderson's death
Jaden Matthew Kaufman, 24, is facing several charges, including first-degree murder, in connection to the death of 41-year-old Benjamin Anderson who was discovered in the desert in Maricopa County. The specifics of the charges against Jaden's father, Richard, are pending the county attorney's review.
PHOENIX - The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has submitted charges against a father and a son for the 2021 death of 41-year-old Benjamin Anderson.
What we know:
MCSO first announced that charges were submitted on Sept. 5, but did not disclose the specifics until Sept. 9.
Officials said Jaden Matthew Kaufman, 24, is facing charges of first-degree murder, robbery, arson, theft of means, tampering with evidence, and abandonment or concealment of a dead body.
MCSO said charges have also been submitted for his father, 46-year-old Richard D. Kaufman, although the specifics of the charges are pending the county attorney's review.
Jaden is in the custody of the Department of Corrections, while his father is not currently in custody.
The charges could change following the review.
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(Related Video) Charges submitted for 2 in connection to 2021 murder
Benjamin Anderson went missing on New Year's Eve 2021. His car was found burned near I-17 and Dunlap; and his body was found later that day.
The backstory:
The body of Benjamin Anderson was discovered in the desert in Maricopa County after he went missing on New Year's Eve in 2021. According to a missing persons flyer shared on social media, Anderson was last seen at is home the morning of Dec. 31. After a friend found his car was burned near I-17 and Dunlap Avenue, his body was found later that day.
"On Friday, December 31st, 2021, MCSO responded to the location of Table Mesa Road, west of I-17, for a body found in the desert. The MCSO Homicide Unit assumed the investigation, and today the identity of the decedent was identified as 41-year-old Benjamin Anderson," MCSO Sergeant Calbert Gillett said in a statement released at the time.
Anderson's loved ones described him as a fun-loving and outgoing person. However, they are still left with questions, including how he was connected with the two suspects.
"Do we know, any of his friends, or any of us know them? Do they have friends that know them? Trying to piece together the different pathways that could connect Ben to these two individuals. We have yet to find one," Daniel Stahoviak, a friend of Anderson's said.
What you can do:
A GoFundMe was created "for donations for the reward for information resulting in the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible. If the money is not to be used for the reward, Ben's family would like to ensure the money goes to an animal charity on Ben's behalf. That charity is the PetFinder Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization that is based in Arizona."
The Source: This information was provided by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and FOX 10's Nicole Krasean, who spoke with Ben Anderson's friend.