Overview

Last Seen: May 17, 2020
Location: Kenosha, Wisconsin, with his residence located in the 3700 block of 15th Street
Age: 40
NamUs: MP69854
Status: Victim of homicide; remains have not been recovered

Gutierrez was last seen on May 17, 2020. After he failed to report to work, police conducted an investigation at his apartment. His vehicles remained outside, while investigators discovered a large amount of blood inside, furniture that appeared to have been moved and a missing area rug.

Zachariah Anderson, the former boyfriend of the woman Gutierrez had been dating, became the focus of the investigation. Anderson was ultimately convicted in March 2023 of first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse and stalking-related offenses.

Gutierrez’s remains have never been located.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Rosalio Gutierrez Jr.: The 2020 Kenosha, Wisconsin Disappearance and Homicide Case

Rosalio “Pocho” Gutierrez Jr., a 40-year-old father of two from Kenosha, Wisconsin, disappeared in May 2020 under circumstances that quickly led investigators to suspect violence. Nearly three years later, a Kenosha County jury convicted Zachariah Anderson of murdering Gutierrez and hiding his body, despite Gutierrez’s remains never being recovered.

The case became an unusual “no-body” homicide prosecution built largely on physical, DNA, digital and circumstantial evidence.

Brief Case Summary

Last Seen: May 17, 2020
Location: Kenosha, Wisconsin, with his residence located in the 3700 block of 15th Street
Age: 40
NamUs: MP69854
Status: Victim of homicide; remains have not been recovered

Gutierrez was last seen on May 17, 2020. After he failed to report to work, police conducted an investigation at his apartment. His vehicles remained outside, while investigators discovered a large amount of blood inside, furniture that appeared to have been moved and a missing area rug.

Zachariah Anderson, the former boyfriend of the woman Gutierrez had been dating, became the focus of the investigation. Anderson was ultimately convicted in March 2023 of first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse and stalking-related offenses.

Gutierrez’s remains have never been located.

Rosalio Gutierrez Disappears in Kenosha

Rosalio Gutierrez Jr. was last seen in Kenosha on May 17, 2020. When he did not report to work beginning May 18, concern grew about his whereabouts.

On May 19, Kenosha police responded to Gutierrez’s residence in the 3700 block of 15th Street for a welfare check and missing-person investigation.

Both of his vehicles were still in the apartment complex parking lot.

Inside the apartment, investigators encountered circumstances that transformed what could have been an ordinary missing-person investigation into a suspected violent crime scene.

Authorities found a substantial amount of blood. Furniture appeared to have been moved, the patio door was open and an area rug was missing.

Gutierrez himself was nowhere to be found.

Investigators Focus on Zachariah Anderson

Attention soon turned toward Zachariah Anderson, the former boyfriend of the woman Gutierrez had recently been dating.

According to court reporting, investigators learned of allegations that Anderson had been stalking his former girlfriend. Prosecutors later presented evidence they said demonstrated that Anderson had been monitoring her and gathering information concerning Gutierrez.

Anderson was arrested shortly after Gutierrez disappeared and initially faced stalking allegations.

The investigation continued as authorities searched Anderson’s property, vehicle and other locations connected to him.

Blood and DNA Evidence

One of the most significant developments came from Anderson’s vehicle.

Investigators reported that carpeting had been removed from part of the van and that the vehicle smelled of bleach. Testing of material recovered from the vehicle produced DNA evidence associated with Gutierrez.

The blood and DNA evidence became an important part of the prosecution’s eventual homicide case.

Authorities also investigated burn pits associated with Anderson and his family.

At Anderson’s Mequon property, a cadaver dog reportedly alerted near remnants of clothing, boots and a burned bleach container. Another burn area at a Saukville-area tree farm associated with Anderson’s family was investigated as well.

Investigators recovered remnants of clothing there, including material reportedly consistent in appearance with a shirt Gutierrez had been wearing.

Surveillance and Digital Evidence

Investigators also reconstructed Anderson’s movements and activities through electronic records and surveillance evidence.

Evidence presented in the case included information from phones and other digital records that prosecutors argued demonstrated Anderson’s interest in and surveillance of Gutierrez before the disappearance.

Investigators also obtained surveillance footage showing Anderson at a Walmart in Saukville on May 18, 2020, where he reportedly purchased items including garbage bags, latex gloves and bleach.

Prosecutors ultimately argued that the physical evidence, digital information, purchases and events surrounding Gutierrez’s disappearance collectively demonstrated that he had been murdered and his body concealed.

A Murder Case Without Rosalio’s Body

Gutierrez’s remains were never recovered.

That meant prosecutors would eventually ask a jury to convict someone of murder without presenting the victim’s body as evidence.

In December 2020, Anderson was charged with first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse in connection with Gutierrez’s disappearance.

The case proceeded through the Wisconsin court system for more than two years before reaching a jury in 2023.

The prosecution maintained that Anderson killed Gutierrez and disposed of his body. The defense disputed the state’s interpretation of the evidence and argued that investigators had focused on Anderson while overlooking alternative explanations.

Anderson maintained that he was innocent.

Zachariah Anderson Goes on Trial

Anderson’s trial began in Kenosha County in 2023.

Prosecutors presented the blood and DNA evidence, evidence concerning Anderson’s vehicle, digital information, alleged stalking behavior, burn-pit evidence and his activities surrounding the period in which Gutierrez disappeared.

The defense emphasized the circumstantial nature of much of the case and the fact that Gutierrez’s body had never been located.

After a trial lasting several weeks and approximately 10 hours of jury deliberations, jurors reached a verdict on March 22, 2023.

Anderson was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse and stalking charges.

Life Sentence for Rosalio Gutierrez’s Murder

On May 16, 2023 — almost exactly three years after Gutierrez disappeared — Anderson was sentenced to life in prison.

The sentence allows the possibility of supervised release after Anderson serves 40 years of the life sentence. Additional consecutive prison sentences were imposed for the other offenses.

Anderson continued to maintain his innocence during sentencing.

For Gutierrez’s family, the conviction answered the legal question of responsibility for his death but did not resolve the question they had faced since May 2020:

Where is Rosalio?

Latest Investigation and Case Status

Rosalio Gutierrez Jr.’s remains have still not been publicly reported as recovered.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice Clearinghouse for Missing & Exploited Children & Adults continues to maintain an active public page for Gutierrez. It lists him as missing since May 17, 2020 and specifically notes Anderson’s March 2023 homicide conviction and May 2023 life sentence.

The state’s current listing says that the location of Gutierrez’s remains remains unknown.

The Wisconsin DOJ continues to ask anyone with information to contact the Kenosha Police Department.

The criminal case has also continued into the post-conviction stage. Anderson and his supporters have continued to challenge his conviction, and publicly available material from his supporters shows that deadlines for filing a notice of appeal or post-conviction motion were extended during 2024 and 2025. Those claims should be distinguished from the established court record: Anderson was convicted by a jury in 2023 and sentenced to life imprisonment, while he continues to maintain his innocence.

As of the latest official Wisconsin missing-person information available, the central unresolved part of Rosalio Gutierrez’s case is therefore not who was convicted of killing him, but where his remains were taken after his death.

Anyone who possesses information about Gutierrez’s remains, locations connected with the events of May 17-19, 2020, or other evidence potentially relevant to the case should contact law enforcement.