Sade Robinson homicide; parents navigate grief ahead of trial

MILWAUKEE - Their daughter was found dead and dismembered after a first date last April. It’s an unimaginable pain the parents of Sade Robinson can’t escape.

The sunrise is warm, radiant and full of promise, resembling the light Sade Robinson’s parents say she carried within. A glow extinguished before reaching its full potential.

"She had the most angelic glow, aura around her," said Robinson's mother, Sheena Scarbrough. "This is so difficult because we want our baby in the physical realm and she did not deserve to be taken like this."

The backstory:

On April 1, 2024, prosecutors say 19-year-old Robinson disappeared after a first date with 33-year-old Maxwell Anderson.

Within 24 hours, her car was found torched – and her severed leg with pink toe polish discovered in Warnimont Park.

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In the following days, weeks and months, more human remains and body parts were located throughout Milwaukee County.

"It had me on edge," said Robinson's father, Carlos Robinson.

Some were discovered inland, others washing up along Lake Michigan, reaching as far as Waukegan, Illinois.

"Every time I had a 414 area code call me, my heart would start palpitating because I didn’t know what was going to happen," said Robinson's father.

Grieving parents

What we know:

Robinson was born May 10, 2004, to Carlos Robinson and Sheena Scarbrough. To them, she was and is everything.

FOX6 News: At what point did you realize your child was missing, and she wasn’t coming back?

Carlos Robinson: I think when the sheriff's department came at 1 a.m. to get my DNA, it kind of hit home because I was in denial. I would tell Sheena it’s not her, there has to be a logical explanation for this. I’m probably still in denial at some point. I just can’t help it. I can’t accept this mentally. I can’t accept it. I feel like I might lose the last bit of my sanity if I do.

Robinson's mother said she had just talked with her the day before she vanished.

"I had just got in at 1 o’clock on April 3, and there is a loud bang at the door. My baby, that Sunday at Easter, we just had family dinner at my parents.  Monday morning she had Facetimed me on her way to work," Scarborugh added. "That Monday morning was the last time mommy got to talk to her baby."

Now, she hears Sade's voice through a stuffed animal.

Sade's bright future

What They're Saying:

Robinson was independent with her own apartment in the Brewer's Hill area.

A friend reported her missing after she missed a shift at Pizza Shuttle.

She was described as the heart of the east side restaurant where a mural now lives in her honor.

"She was at the highest peak possible. You can’t ask for any other daughter or child for the age she was at 19years old," said Scarbrough.

Her ambition drove her to study criminal justice at Milwaukee Area Technical College. Her younger sister accepted a posthumous degree in her honor last May.

"My baby was a boss, and she overcame every hurdle and barrier that came her way. She was undefeatable," said Scarbrough. 

Seeking justice

Big picture view:

FOX6 News: What does justice look like for you?

Carlos Robinson: For me it’s impossible for our justice system to justify this, because of what was done. If you do something like this, you deserve the same punishment I feel. Justice for me would be him getting the same thing he did unto him, and to add to that it would be fulfilling if I was the one to do it.

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Her mother said in addition to justice, she wants to see people held responsible – from Anderson's family, to the establishments that served her alcohol and the Waukegan alderman who posted a photo of Sade's severed arm on social media.

"Anyone, any entity that was a part of harming my baby, you know throughout this process, the system, all individuals are going to be held accountable," Scarborough said. "Everyone who has disrespected or did something out of context from the alderman up in Waukegan, some people just doing stuff."

Life After Loss:

FOX6 News: A year later, where are you finding your source of strength to carry on?

Scarborough: It’s through my baby's spirit, it’s a higher power. That’s the only other way I am able to describe how I am able to get up and maintain and not be suicidal or homicidal ideations.

Turning her purpose to pain, Scarbrough has launched the Sade's Voice Foundation.

"We will continue to carry Sade's legacy, but we will also be the voice for all of the other missing and murdered black indigenous people of color," Sade’s mother said.

When asked if there's life after the tragedy, her father responded, "They say there is. Everybody tells me there is. Anybody that knew me knew my daughter, they knew she was my center, she was my motivation. I don’t know." 

Trial around the corner

What's next:

As Anderson heads to trial after his initial trial date was pushed back to last December, Robinson's parents are once again preparing to see their child's accused killer face-to-face.

They hope Sade will be made whole in court as they long for closure that remains out of reach.

"We still don’t have my baby's crown, her head," said Scarbrough. "Have the demon tell us where the rest of her remains are."

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