Deadliest Catch's Jake Anderson Is Convinced His Father Was Murdered
In 2010, in the midst of performing his deckhand duties on the F/V Northwestern, Jake Anderson received a harrowing phone call from his mother — his dad, Keith, was missing. This was disturbing news for Anderson, who felt helpless while in the middle of the Bering Sea. According to a report from KOMO News, this was very much unlike Keith, who never spent an evening away from his wife of 43 years. Something was definitely wrong.
For Anderson, receiving such concerning information came after much trial and tribulation in his life. Prior to Northwestern Captain Sig Hansen taking him under his wing, Anderson battled drug addiction and homelessness, all of which is chronicled in his 2014 book "Relapse."
Despite getting clean, life didn't get much easier. In 2009, one year before the mysterious disappearance of Keith, Anderson's sister Chelsea passed away due to complications from pneumonia after fighting Rheumatoid Arthritis, seizures, and drug addiction from pain medication. Anderson also received the news of her death via a heartbreaking phone call while stuck on the Northwestern, but deep down, he knew Chelsea would finally be at peace.
As for his father's disappearance, that was a different story. Keith was the one who got Anderson into fishing and instilled in him the family's proud Norwegian heritage. How could he just not come home? In Anderson's opinion, something sinister happened to Keith.
There was blood found in Keith Anderson's abandoned car
In one of the most heart-wrenching scenes of "Deadliest Catch," Jake Anderson received yet another call from his mother, informing him that Keith's truck has been found. However, his body is still missing and there's blood on the key fob and windshield. Though his mom urges him to stay hopeful, it's hard given the evidence. "That's when I thought someone killed my dad," says Anderson.
It wasn't until two years later that Keith's remains were found by a hiker, as reported by KOMO News. The discovery was made in Skagit County, about a mile from where his truck was discovered. Still, only assumptions continue to be made about what truly happened the night Keith didn't come home.
As reported by Perez Hilton, Keith was addicted to Oxycontin, which he was prescribed after a rotator cuff surgery. Anderson's brother Chris said, "He had been fighting to get off the drug, but it was difficult with the pain he was experiencing, coupled with the pressures he was under." According to Chris, his dad would go out to meet an acquaintance, obtain more pills, and return a few hours later. But this time was different.
While the family may never know specific details about what happened to Keith, Anderson was able to feel connected to him during a fishing expedition in Norway, as seen on "Deadliest Catch: The Viking Returns." With Sig Hansen's blessing, Anderson is able to track down long-lost relatives who knew Keith when he was truly happy. "The last time my dad was healthy in mind, body, and spirit, he was here," says Anderson.
Though Anderson has yet to get answers on his father's death, he obtained invaluable information about his life, which may have been exactly what he needed.