Anita Knutson was murdered and the killer is still on the loose

Anita Knutson

Gordon and Sharon Knutson had adopted Anita when she was just a baby. She was the girl everybody wanted to know. Anita was attractive and driven. She possessed that rare quality that made her the center of attention and loved by all. The Knutsons were a close and supportive family.

In 2007, Anita Knutson was an 18-year-old Minot State University student majoring in elementary education. She  juggled three part-time jobs while attending college. Despite a busy life, Anita Knutson kept in regular contact with her family. When she went two days without returning phone calls, her father went to her off-campus apartment on June 4, 2007. When repeated knocks went unanswered, her father had the building manager open the door. Her father stepped inside and he found his daughter’s lifeless body face down on her bed. Her bed was covered with blood that had soaked the entire mattress and spilled over into puddles on the floor..Authorities determined she had been stabbed multiple times, more than a day before her body was found. The murder weapon, a knife, was found discarded in a sink. Detectives found that someone had cut the screen in Anita's apartment window in order to make it look like someone broke in. There was no robbery or sexual assault. No drugs or alcohol were found in Anita's system and she had no known connections to questionable people or activities.

“I definitely think that she knew the person who killed her — at least in passing,” said Anita's sister Anna Knutson. “It may not have been that they were close friends, but possibly acquaintances.”

Police investigated neighbors, classmates, and people who patronized the same club she liked to spend weekend nights at. No promising leads turned up. They questioned the janitor several times. He was the one who knew about the window and he also had access to a pass key to her apartment. He denied any involvement and police seemed to drop him as a suspect. Less than a year after her murder, the janitor committed suicide.

Anita had a female roommate who she did not get along with. She had complained to her family about the girl many times. She even confided that they had had several arguments that turned physical. The roommate had hurt Anita's foot on one occasion and threatened her repeatedly. Anita told several people she was frightened of the girl and that she feared for her life. Police tracked the girl down and questioned her but she denied involvement. The girl's mother showed up at Anita's funeral to angrily confront Sharon about the police questioning her daughter. Police were concerned with the history between the two but her roommate had a firm alibi corroborated by her parents who claimed she spent the entire weekend at their house. Anita's father believed that at the time Anita was murdered, the girls had settled their differences and Anita had decided to remain living in the apartment.

Sadly, Daniel Knutson, Anita's younger brother never recovered from her murder. He committed suicide in 2013.

There is no new leads and no new suspects.

If you have any information that cold help the investigation, please contact the Minot Police Department at (701) 852-0111.

In Loving Memory of Anita Knutson