Thirteen-year-old Bradley Blake Hanson departed from his residence in Phoenix on the morning of November 10, 1995, ostensibly for a day at school. However, unbeknownst to Bradley’s mother, Centennial Middle School had canceled classes in observance of Veteran’s Day, leading Bradley to forge alternate plans. Instead of attending school, Bradley embarked on his mountain bike journey towards the Ahwatukee Custom Estates, situated in the 3200 block of East Piro Street, to spend the day with his friend and classmate, Jeremy Bach.
As the hours passed, Bradley’s mother came to the realization that school had indeed been canceled for the day. She attempted to reach out to him, seeking to ascertain his whereabouts. Throughout the afternoon, she paged Bradley incessantly, yet received no response. Upon her return home in the evening, Bradley was nowhere to be found, prompting his mother to contact the authorities and report him as missing. Subsequently, upon discovering that Jeremy Bach was the last individual to have seen Bradley, the authorities interrogated him, uncovering an intriguing narrative. Jeremy asserted that he and Bradley had engaged in handling firearms, resulting in Bradley inadvertently discharging a gun, causing a bullet hole in the wall. Jeremy claimed that upon realizing the gravity of his actions, Bradley succumbed to panic and hastily departed on his mountain bike.
This account sufficed for the police, who categorized Bradley as a runaway. However, two months later, sanitation workers collecting refuse at the Bach residence made a startling discovery of bloodstains on the family’s trash can. Alerting the authorities, a subsequent search revealed traces of blood and bodily fluids inside the trash can, along with bloodstains within the Bach's kitchen. Authorities revisited Jeremy, who now altered his narrative, admitting to accidentally shooting Bradley in the chest and disposing of his body in the trash can destined for Butterfield Station Landfill. Jeremy's inconsistent explanations and the circumstantial evidence led authorities to believe that the shooting stemmed from a dispute, potentially over a romantic involvement with a mutual acquaintance. Despite an extensive two-month search costing $100,000 at the landfill, Bradley's remains were never recovered.
In February of 1996, at the age of fourteen, Jeremy was charged with Bradley’s murder, marking him as the youngest individual to stand trial as an adult in the state of Arizona. Subsequently, in January of 1998, Jeremy was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to a maximum term of 22 years in prison. He was granted parole in 2018.
Upon discovering that the murder weapon belonged to Jeremy’s stepfather, Bradley's family filed a lawsuit against him, alleging improper firearm storage. There were speculations that the Bach family aided in disposing of Bradley's body and participated in a cover-up, though the details of any settlement remain undisclosed.
Regrettably, Bradley remains missing to this day, presumed dead, with authorities surmising that his body rests within the confines of Butterfield Station Landfill, beyond recovery. While Jeremy served a lengthy sentence for the crime, his release at the age of 36 afforded him the opportunity to resume his life—a chance denied to Bradley at a tender age.
If, by some chance, Bradley still exists, he would be turning 40 this November. Described as standing between 4’8-4’11, weighing 60-75 pounds, Bradley was last seen wearing a black collared shirt, a white t-shirt, black jeans, green paisley-patterned boxer shorts, black sneakers with red laces, and an Armitron watch. He had dyed black hair and piercing blue eyes. The fate of his mountain bike remains unknown.
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