Minnesota mystery: No sign of missing man

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota man who called his wife days ago and said he'd been kidnapped by two men who he believed would harm him had withdrawn $1,000 in cash from a local bank just a half hour before he was last seen, authorities said Monday.

Matthew Anderson, 29, of Shoreview, appeared to be alone when he withdrew the money about 1 p.m. Friday, according to the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office. Anderson was last seen a half hour later at the Roseville apartment complex where he worked. He called his wife that night, saying he'd been kidnapped and was somewhere in Iowa.

His maroon minivan was found Sunday in downtown Chicago, but as of Monday evening, there was still no sign of Anderson.

"We've tried contacting the phone. Texting. Calling. There is nothing," said his brother, Andy Anderson, of Star Prairie, Wis.

When Matthew Anderson called his wife Friday night, he told her in a hushed whisper that he'd been kidnapped, and then said "oh no, no, no" before the called ended, his brother said.

According to a national crime alert issued Saturday, Matthew Anderson's cell phone was traced to the Wisconsin Dells area at some point, but its location hasn't been picked up since.

"I've been just looking for anything, any clues," Andy Anderson said Monday, adding that he's been scouring the Internet for reports of men with amnesia or unidentified people found by the side of the road.

"You don't know what to do. Every phone call that comes your heart races at one second, it seems to stop the next. You don't know if it's good news or bad news," he said.

Andy Anderson and his father, Bill Anderson, both said Matthew is the type of person who would help anyone in need — and they believe he might have helped the wrong person.

"Matt is such a happy-go-lucky, affable person," Bill Anderson said. "If somebody saw him in a parking lot and they were looking for transportation, they probably thought they could dupe him. ... He's a very sweet kid."

Matthew Anderson is charge of maintenance at the Rosewood Village Apartments, his brother said. Matthew and his wife also volunteer at the local Humane Society and Matthew has a soft spot for stray dogs.

When asked if something in Matthew Anderson's life may have led to his disappearance, Andy Anderson said that would be the best-case scenario, because then family members would know he didn't face an outside danger.

But he said he saw his brother less than a week before he disappeared, at a small party to celebrate the first birthday of Matthew's daughter.

"He was just as happy as I've ever seen him. ... He was definitely in one of the best places I've seen him in his life," Andy Anderson said. "He's just a nice guy ... I could never stack up to him."

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