In a chilling cold case from 1992, Indiana authorities have arrested a suspect in the gruesome killing of Tony Bledsoe, whose dismembered remains were found without a head, hands, or feet — making identification impossible for decades.
Tony Bledsoe, 24, disappeared on March 16, 1992, after leaving his home in Arcadia, Indiana. Weeks later, a dismembered torso was found dumped at a Putnam County landfill, about 29 miles from where Bledsoe lived. Due to the condition of the remains, identification wasn’t possible until 2018, when advances in DNA testing finally confirmed the body belonged to Bledsoe.
On Tuesday, Thomas Anderson, 53, was arrested and charged with murder in connection to the case. Anderson allegedly helped in the murder and dismemberment of Bledsoe, including placing body parts in a pickle bucket filled with concrete and dumping the torso in a ravine.
Investigators say the murder was sparked by an argument over a stolen $3,000 car stereo. Anderson’s nephew, Scottie Anderson, revealed that his uncle witnessed a friend, Andy Emmert, kill Bledsoe.
According to Scottie Anderson, the men had stolen a car, removed the stereo, and traded it with Bledsoe for auto parts. When Bledsoe realized the stereo was stolen, he demanded a refund and threatened to go to police.
Anderson reportedly accompanied Bledsoe to Emmert’s home in Noblesville under the pretense of recovering his money. Instead, police say Emmert shot Bledsoe in the head with a rifle, then stabbed him repeatedly after he survived the initial shot. Anderson admitted to striking Bledsoe over the head with a baseball bat during the attack.
To prevent identification, Anderson and Emmert severed Bledsoe’s head, hands, and feet. They wrapped the remains in nylon cord, spray-painted them black, and placed the body parts in concrete-filled pickle buckets. The body was transported in a car trunk and dumped in a ravine near Greencastle, covered with wood, and the tarp was set on fire.
Anderson confessed to involvement during multiple police interviews. In October 2024, police found a knife in Emmert’s safe matching descriptions given by Anderson, as well as two Oldsmobile Cutlasses at Emmert’s property — the same make and model Bledsoe drove.
Emmert has not been charged yet, and police have not disclosed the reason for this delay.
Sergeant John Perrine emphasized the investigation is ongoing: “This arrest is not the conclusion of our investigation.”
The case highlights how advances in DNA technology and new witness testimonies can reopen decades-old mysteries and bring justice after many years.
