MINNEAPOLIS — The unsolved murder of Anne Dunlap continues to haunt the community, 30 years after her brutal death on New Year’s Day 1996. A successful marketing manager at Pillsbury, Dunlap’s body was discovered in the trunk of her car, which was abandoned in a Kmart parking lot with the keys still in the ignition.
Two days before her body was located, Dunlap vanished without a trace. Her husband, Brad Dunlap, played a prominent role in the search efforts, expressing hope that she would be found alive. “We just want to find her and bring her home,” he told local media at the time, maintaining that he had no involvement in her disappearance. Although he became a person of interest, he was never charged, and the case remains unresolved.
New information about the case emerged in 2020 when documents linked to a lawsuit involving a life insurance company were made public. Chubb Life Insurance was contesting a $1 million policy payout to Brad Dunlap, claiming he was responsible for his wife’s death. In a sworn statement, Sgt. David Voss, the lead investigator of the Minneapolis Police Department’s homicide unit at the time, identified Brad as “the only plausible suspect,” suggesting that financial motives were behind the alleged crime.
The autopsy revealed that Anne Dunlap had suffered multiple cuts to her throat. The medical examiner ruled out sexual assault as a motive and noted the absence of defensive wounds. This finding suggested with chilling clarity that she was likely taken by surprise.
During the court proceedings against Chubb, an expert hired by Brad argued that Anne was killed elsewhere and her body later transported to the car trunk. This version was consistent with Brad’s account that she had been abducted from the Mall of America. However, police maintained that the evidence pointed to foul play occurring at the couple’s home, where blood was discovered on the garage floor and other areas. DNA tests confirmed the blood belonged to Anne, leading investigators to theorize that the murder happened inside the residence.
Various reports highlighted that there were no blood stains found inside the vehicle. Retired FBI criminal profiler Gregg McCrary, who analyzed the case for Chubb, suggested the lack of blood indicated a calculated act. He posited that the offender likely changed clothes and cleaned up before driving the car to the Kmart lot, implying a level of planning and premeditation.
Despite the weight of the evidence, supporters of Brad Dunlap, including Anne’s parents, have continuously defended him, asserting that he could not have committed such an act.
The lawsuit with Chubb Insurance was resolved in 1998, but details of the settlement remain confidential. Attempts to reach Brad Dunlap’s attorney for comment were unsuccessful.
As the years pass, Dunlap’s chilling case continues to captivate and perplex, leaving both the family and community seeking closure to a haunting mystery.