The brother of slain Jamestown businessman Joe Anderson is in town with a twofold mission.
He wants to find out who was responsible for the 1991 murder, and he wants to make sure his brother is recognized as an innovator in farm equipment.
"I'm offering a $10,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of whoever killed Joe," Bob Anderson of Greeley, Colo., said. "The money will be put in the bank in an account ready to be claimed for at least 10 years."
Joe Anderson's body, clad only in underwear and wrapped in a bedsheet, was found Sept. 16, 1991, in the trunk of his car in the parking lot of the Gladstone Inn & Suites. He was last seen at the Duck's Unlimited Banquet several days before. Investigators pursued several leads but no arrests were made. The crime is listed on the Web site of the North Dakota Cold Case Unit.
Bob Anderson is distributing business cards with Joe Anderson's picture, from his World War II days in the Army Air Forces, on the front with information about the crime and phone numbers to call with information on the back. Bob Anderson said he had developed the cards but they were being distributed with the assistance of the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
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"He sent one to the Attorney General's Office," said Liz Brocker, spokesperson for the Attorney General's Office. "We haven't endorsed it but if it generates a tip that's great."
Brocker had a similar comment about the reward.
"The $10,000 reward has nothing to do with us," she said. "But if this encourages someone to step forward it is everything we hope for."
Brocker said the Joe Anderson murder case continues to be an active case under investigation by the BCI Cold Case Unit.
"All cold cases are treated as a high priority," she said.
But Bob Anderson said he hopes not only to see his brother's murderer apprehended but some recognition for the work he did.
"Joe Anderson should be recognized for his innovation for agriculture," he said.
Joe Anderson developed a tub grinder for processing hay in his farm shop in the 1950s. He began building the machines on a commercial scale first in Minot and later in Jamestown. His Haybuster line of equipment expanded over the years to include hay grinders, hay stackers and no-till seeding equipment. The company is now known as DuraTech and builds farm and industrial grinders and other equipment in a plant south of Jamestown.
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"Joe deserves recognition by the North Dakota Historical Society for his contributions to the advancement of technology in agriculture," Bob Anderson said. "He had experimented with no-till (planting) for several years when no one thought it would work. Now it's common practice."
Anyone with information regarding Joe Anderson's murder is asked to contact the BCI tip line at 701-328-5500.
Sun reporter Keith Norman can be reached at
(701) 952-8452 or by e-mail at knorman@jamestownsun.com
