PATRICE'S PERSPECTIVE
By Patrice Bumstead
General Manager of McKenzie County Media LLC
Farmer Editor
It’s been an entire year around the sun for those of us left behind. For you however, your sun no longer rises, and I can’t help but ask myself hundreds of questions about the moment your life was taken from us.
Did you know? Did you feel pain? Did you know how loved you were and still are? And Why?
Why did someone shoot you? Why hasn’t there been an arrest? Why is the person who shot you on the evening of March 22, 2023, still free as a bird while your loved ones live inside the prisons within their heads that hold so many unanswered questions. Why does justice have to take so long?
Here’s what we know. Brianne Anderson was shot in the abdomen on the evening of March 22, 2023, at a residence in Watford City and she died the next day at a Minot hospital. She was a beloved team member of The Farmer. She was only 32 years old and left behind two young children who still needed her.
Approximately six weeks after Brianne’s death the Farmer spoke with law enforcement, who informed us that the incident was an active investigation and several items of evidence were still being tested by various testing sites.
Law enforcement also confirmed, at that time, that the investigation centered on a single person who lives within the Watford City area, and that it was an isolated event.
The Farmer followed up again in December of 2023, after family disclosed that a death certificate had been issued for Brianne.
The North Dakota Health and Human Services Division (NDHHSD) ruled that Brianne’s cause of death was “homicide by another human.”
A representative from the NDHHSD has informed The Farmer that when they make a ruling on the manner of death, it is categorically determined how an individual died, it doesn’t imply a motive.
When Farmer staff spoke with the McKenzie County State’s Attorney Ty Skarda, regarding the death certificate, and asked if the ruling of homicide indicated anything of consequence in the investigation, the answer was no.
Skarda indicated that the death certificate pointed out that Brianne’s death was “obviously unnatural as far as different crimes that can be charged. But, there was an intent element that they needed to find out.” He also stated that they were looking into every charging option.
Prosecutors said that the investigation hinged on findings that were expected to come back from two external facilities, the North Dakota State Crime Lab in Bismarck and the FBI Lab in Quantico, Virginia. That evidence, according to prosecutors, is key to the investigation.
The North Dakota Attorney General’s Office has since then informed The Farmer that the evidence from both external facilities has been received.
Farmer staff also asked the state’s attorney the difficult question that continues to be asked by community members who call our office or stop in to discuss the unsolved case in December.
“The unsolved case has lingered without any charges for nine months (at the time of the interview). There is discussion in the community that perhaps if this case was the death of a prominent businessperson or city official, that progress would have been much faster.”
Skarda responded, “As a prosecutor, when you know that there’s more information out there - vital pieces of information out there that have yet to be returned, I think you owe the victim and family and the public and everyone involved…to make sure that you have all the information to make a knowledgeable and correct charging decision. I would hate to undercharge something and make a rash decision and then have it be the incorrect decision.”
Where are we now?
Brianne Anderson’s death is still considered an active investigation. It has been a full year since she was shot, and there are still no answers. No charges have been filed. Her family and loved ones still have no peace of mind. Prosecutors told The Farmer recently that they are reviewing all of the evidence surrounding the homicide.
As your local news provider, The Farmer will continue to vigorously press for answers in the 2023 shooting death of Brianne Anderson, and we will report those answers as they are provided.