Every officer with a decent amount of time on the job knows the unexpected turns an investigation can take. Seeing a major case through to completion often involves giving up on a theory and taking your investigation in a different direction as new information becomes available. In How to Catch A Criminal, we look at the many ways not-so-perfect crimes are solved. This month, the bonds of love prove to be a bit too strong.

The question “Who would you call to help you hide a body?” or “Who do you know that you would help hide a body?” occasionally pops up as a meme, an icebreaker, or other forms of hypothetical conversation pieces not meant to be taken seriously. The idea is to spark a conversation about who you trust the most, not to conspire to give someone the Jimmy Hoffa treatment. Obviously aiding someone in disposing of a corpse is a one-way ticket to the big house. The question does remain thought-provoking, however. If, for whatever reason, you had to hide a body, do you know anyone you could trust to help and not spill the beans? Do you think of a family member? A close friend? Your significant other? What if the question was not who you could convince to help you hide the body, but who you could talk into carrying out the killing itself? Would that change your answer from your most trusted companion to, perhaps, your most gullible?

On December 26, 2007, postal worker Linda Thiele made her way to the Anderson residence in Carnation, Washington. She arrived, not for a delivery, but to check on her friend and coworker, 61-year-old Judy Anderson. Judy hadn’t showed up to work that morning, sparking concern. When nobody came to the door, Linda looked in a window. She knew the worst had come to pass when she saw what she believed to be Judy’s body lying on the floor, in a pool of blood, next to a male in the same state, whom she believed to be Judy’s husband, 60-year-old Wayne Anderson. Linda called 911 to report the massacre, and deputies from the King County Sheriff's Office rushed to the scene. When they entered the home, they made a shocking discovery. The bodies inside were actually those of 32-year-old Scott and Erica Anderson, Wayne and Judy’s son and daughter-in-law. They had both been shot multiple times, including in the head. Nearby, Scott and Erica’s children, 5-year-old Olivia and 3-year-old Nathan, were found, also shot dead. The question of Wayne’s and Judy’s fate was quickly answered, and any hope they might be okay was dashed. Their bodies were found behind the home, dumped there after being shot in the head.

Three generations of the Anderson family were murdered inside the family home, and on Christmas, of all days. The crime appeared to have been personal and premeditated due to the efficient brutality of execution-style headshots to each victim. There was no forced entry, indicating whoever did this was allowed to come inside or was even expected. A check of recent calls for service revealed that deputies had been dispatched to the Anderson residence late on Christmas Eve. A short 911 call had been placed, and some shouting could be heard in the background before the line disconnected. When deputies arrived, they found the gate at the end of the driveway was locked. No other calls had been placed, and the area was all quiet, so the call was cleared without contacting anyone at the residence. The hangup was probably chalked up to one of many accidental 911 calls that occur on a daily basis.

Naturally, several big questions were on the deputies’ and detectives’ minds, such as who would want to harm any member of the Anderson family? What would make them want to target all four adults? Why kill the children too? Partial answers came when a vehicle pulled into the driveway. Two people exited and approached the detectives. They introduced themselves as Michele Anderson and her boyfriend of five years, Joseph McEnroe, both 29 years old. Michele was the youngest child of Wayne and Judy. The couple stated they had been headed to Las Vegas to get married over the holiday but decided to turn back and put their nuptials on hold. This ill-fated road trip may have saved their lives. Had they stayed home for Christmas with the rest of the family, they may have been killed as well. Though, something stood out to the detectives. Michele and Joseph hadn’t asked why the family property was swarmed with law enforcement, where the rest of the family was, or even if everyone was OK. They had jumped straight into their whereabouts during the time of the murders.

That red flag was enough for Michele and Joseph to be brought in for questioning. Michele explained that she and Joseph had been together since meeting in an online role-playing game in 2002. Joseph eventually moved to Carnation from Arizona to be with her. After living together in an RV park, financial troubles led the pair to move their RV to Wayne and Judy’s property in 2006, free of charge. Detectives wanted to verify Michele and Joseph’s whereabouts during the Christmas Eve massacre. Michele started off by explaining how the trip to Vegas was plagued with issues from the start. They left but had to return because she forgot her wallet. Then their cat, who was tagging along for the Sin City road trip, became anxious, and they had to pull over repeatedly to allow the cat to calm down. Next, they got lost, and then they had a flat tire, leading the couple to call off the trip and return home, conveniently avoiding the annihilation of her family. When asked why she didn’t ask about her loved ones when she came home and saw police vehicles and personnel, she stated she didn’t think she was allowed to do that. She guessed that maybe there was a fire or her dad suffered a heart attack. When reminded there were no firetrucks or ambulances at the house, Michele began to crack. She claimed Joseph didn’t do it, and it was all her fault.

Michele went on to explain that her brother, Scott, hadn’t been the same since he married Erica. He borrowed her car and was refusing to give it back. On top of that, he borrowed money from her years before and wouldn’t pay it back. Michele needed that money, and on Christmas Eve she enlisted her parents to help settle the dispute. Not only did they take Scott’s side, but they told Michele she and Joseph would have to start paying rent to keep the RV parked on their property. This betrayal was too much for her to bear, leaving her with only one option. But she couldn’t do it alone. She haphazardly pieced together a revenge plot and enlisted Joseph to help her. Joseph McEnroe is apparently the type of man to do anything for the person he loves, because he went along with the plan without hesitation. He armed himself with a .357 revolver while Michele grabbed her 9mm pistol. They went to Wayne and Judy’s home as expected to join them for a holiday meal. Scott and Erica would be coming over later so the whole family could celebrate together. This gave the pair the window of opportunity they needed. Joseph spoke with Judy while Michele approached her father in another room. She drew her gun, and fired, but it jammed. Joseph came to her aid and fired his gun, executing Wayne. When Judy ran into the room, McEnroe shot her, apologized to her, and shot her again, this time in the head. Aside from her weapon malfunction, Michele’s plan was going perfectly thanks to Joseph’s gung-ho spirit. They dragged Wayne and Judy’s bodies into the backyard and cleaned up the blood in the living room.

When Scott and Erica arrived with their children, they didn’t know anything was amiss until an emotional Michele drew her gun and aimed it at Scott. He rushed her to grab the gun, but she fired, striking him repeatedly. She then fired twice at Erica, who managed to crawl away and dial 911. Before she could get any words out, McEnroe smashed the phone and executed her. Erica then made one more request of her partner in crime. She asked that he execute Olivia and Nathan as well so they wouldn’t have to grow up with the trauma of seeing their parents killed. He obliged, firing once at each child. They decided the best thing to do would be to flee to Canada and hopped in the car, locking the gate on the driveway as they left. After processing the crime for a day, they lost their nerve. They decided to return and call 911, to claim they stumbled upon the murders, something Linda Thiele had beaten them to.

McEnroe followed Michele’s lead yet again by confessing to the murders as well. Michele’s and Joseph’s trials faced years of delay thanks to debate about the applicability of the death penalty in Washington at the time. At trial, Joseph McEnroe insisted Michele was the dangerous one, and he had simply been manipulated by her, adding that he thought he had no other choice but to go along with her. He also stated to the jury, “If you want to kill me, go ahead and kill me. I don’t care.” Prior to her trial, Michele gave interviews insisting the only appropriate punishment for her was death. In 2015 and 2016, respectively, Joseph McEnroe and Michele Anderson were each convicted of six counts of aggravated murder. They both received six consecutive life sentences.