Both Nels and Annie Anderson were found bludgeoned to death with an ax they kept in their barber shop. They had four children which they left behind. There appeared to be no struggle and they both had money in their pockets, so the murders were not considered a robbery. They were leaving their barber shop, with jackets in hand, and were surprised by their killer. The police tried to get fingerprints from the sink in the shop where the killer had washed their hands, but no arrests were never made.