A new $25,000 reward is being offered up to help solve a decades-old disappearance of a woman from Wadena, Minnesota.
The family of Carla Anderson joined the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to plead for community's help, saying the 23 year old vanished after being dropped off at her Wadena apartment by her mother nearly 40 years ago.
It the day Carla had been named Employee of the Month at her job at Hardee's. Her mother and stepfather took her out for a celebratory dinner and to rent VHS movies.
She failed to show up for her shift the following day. Her family and police confirmed she made it inside her apartment because a soda cup she was carrying was on the counter, and one of the rented movies was still inside the VCR.
Her purse, money, and personal items were all left behind. The only things missing from the apartment were her keys and her brown and orange Hardee's work jacket.
The nonprofit group Spotlight on Crime is backing the renewed investigation with a 25 thousand dollar reward for information that could help solve the case.
Investigators added that Carla did live with a mild mental disability, making her a vulnerable adult.
Wadena Police Chief Naomi Plautz didn't share what lead to the renewed effort in the case but said they only need one good tip to solve it.
"Carla was a vulnerable adult, and we are confident she would not have chosen to disappear." says Plautz. " At the time of her disappearance, she was only 4 ft 10 inches tall, 80 pounds, strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes."
Carla's brother Dan Anderson says he's thankful for the new push in the case.
"It's easy to, you know to say ok, it's been 40 years, there's no sense in looking at this anymore," says Anderson, " but we've been in contact fairly regularly, and we know that they're putting in a lot of work to this. My sister Carla, she's like any other young woman, fiercely independent, loved her family."
Investigators say that they have conducted hundreds of interviews over four decades that they hope new leads, along with modern DNA technology will prompt a break in the case.
