Rachel Anthony

This past Sunday, February 27th marked the 21st anniversary of the disappearance and murder of beloved mother, grandmother, and friend Rachel Anthony.

It has been two decades since the frigid cold night when Anthony, a beloved mother of four, disappeared at age 50 from her late shift at work, never to be seen again. Anthony had been the only one on shift that evening at her place of employment, Ultimate Liquors located on Barclay Ave. in Pine River.

Anthony had disappeared that evening sometime during her shift. Investigators believe that the killer likely either had family ties to the area or lived in Pine River at that time.

“We have followed several leads since that has occurred but we have never really generated anything that really got us directed to a specific person,” says Cass County Sheriff Tom Burch. “We have released now over time that we believe there was a person that was at the establishment shortly before closing.”

With some new recent information released just this past week, it’s thought that the last person to make an incomplete purchase that evening around 9:56 PM., who bought a pack of Kool cigarettes and Mickey’s Malt Liquor, could very well be the person responsible for her death.

About six weeks later, on April 14th, Anthony’s body was found 10 miles away near Breezy Point. The autopsy revealed that Anthony had been strangled to death. Rachel Anthony would have been 71 years old today.

Investigators are hoping that these details released to the public for the first time on the purchase last Friday may spark people’s memories and give investigators a lead in Anthony’s cold case.

“Again, we’re very hopeful that somebody will come forward with something,” says Sheriff Burch. “Just a little bit of information that gets us going in the right direction, and we would really like to get some closure for the family and the community to help them heal from this tragic event.”

Today at the new liquor store, Barstock Liquors, there’s a picture of Anthony hanging on the wall in remembrance of her.

Anthony’s case remains as an ongoing investigation. Investigators are asking if anyone has any piece of information to please come forward. Anyone can contact Crime Stoppers MN or the Cass County Sheriff’s Office at 218-547-1424 or 800-450-2677 with any details.

By — Emma Hudziak