Thaine Lee Anderson, 74, was found dead in a pond on his property at 21079 Douglas Road, about seven miles northeast of Cherryvale near Big Hill Lake. Law enforcement responded on the afternoon of Friday, July 7, 2023, after a family friend who had been asked to check on him discovered the body. The Labette County Sheriff’s Office determined Anderson died of a gunshot wound to the head; the Kansas Bureau of Investigation assisted and the death was ruled a homicide. Investigators estimated the killing occurred on Wednesday, July 5, 2023.

A significant development came when a deputy found a 14-year-old male, identified as Trenton Scott Anderson, walking along a rural road roughly seven miles from the scene. He was taken into custody and charged as a juvenile with first-degree murder and held at the Southeast Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Girard. Motive and the full circumstances of the shooting remain under investigation.

If anyone knew Thaine Anderson or has information about his movements or contacts in early July 2023, please share what you know with investigators.