WADENA — Carla Anderson, then 23, disappeared from her apartment in Wadena, Minnesota, in November 1987. The case remains active, with police suspecting foul play.

On the night of her disappearance, Anderson had dinner with her mother and stepfather, celebrating her employee of the month recognition from Hardee's, where she worked as a cook. Police reports indicate she was dropped off at the Greenwood Apartments around 8:00 p.m. A rented movie was inside her VCR, and the apartment door was locked with her purse still inside. There were no signs of robbery, but her keys and Hardee's jacket were missing.

Anderson did not report to work at Hardee's the following Monday. Wadena Police Chief Naomi Plautz stated that officials suspect foul play because Anderson would not have voluntarily disappeared and remained missing. Carla Anderson's boyfriend and family members passed polygraph tests, according to Plautz. A US$25,000 reward is offered for information regarding her disappearance; the family had offered a US$10,000 reward in the initial weeks after she went missing.

Carla Anderson was 1.47 meters tall and weighed 40 kilograms. She had a learning disability and was participating in a life skills program, meeting with a social worker prior to her disappearance. Dan Anderson, Carla's brother, recalled his mother's call around 9:00 a.m. on the Monday after his sister disappeared, prompting him to drive to Wadena from Eagan. "Someone knows what happened," Plautz said.

Dan Anderson described his sister's aspirations, stating, "After high school, she was eager to start on her own, and she did... she had a job, she had her own place. She was excited about what was to come. She was like many other young women... waiting to find the right person and possibly have a family." Roberta Wells, Carla's mother, installed a shared headstone for Carla and her brother Scott Anderson, who died in 2007, before Wells' own death.