Sixteen-year-old Charles Anderson was shot and killed just after 2:10 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon in April 2025, gunned down in the 4400 block of Alan Drive near Wilkens Avenue. The case remains unsolved 17 months later, and Baltimore County homicide detectives are once again asking the public for help.
Officers who responded to the shooting on April 13, 2025, found Anderson suffering from at least one gunshot wound; he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to WBFF. The Baltimore County Police Department, per FOX45 News, says the circumstances surrounding his death remain unknown, and detectives are still seeking the public's help to solve the case. Neighbors described the Wilkens community as typically quiet, per the same WBFF report.
Anderson's mother, Stefanie Hartel, told WBFF in June 2025 that the last time she saw her son alive was when he smiled at her while crossing the street as she returned home from grocery shopping, shortly before he was shot. Family and friends knew him affectionately as “CA.”
A Mother's Renewed Plea
In a follow-up appeal, Hartel urged anyone with information to come forward, according to a post from WBFF. Investigators continue to seek tips in the case.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Baltimore County homicide detectives or Metro Crime Stoppers of Maryland, according to a Facebook post from the department. Tips can be submitted anonymously through Metro Crime Stoppers. Community members can also submit tips directly to county homicide detectives through the department's iWATCH portal at iwatch.baltimorecountymd.gov, the same post notes.
An Outlier in a County With Falling Violence
Anderson's case stands out against Baltimore County's broader crime trends. The county recorded 28 homicides in 2025, a 49% decrease from 55 homicides in 2021 and the fifth consecutive annual drop, according to The Baltimore Sun. Nonfatal shootings fell more than 45% over the same period, the paper reported.
The county police department also solved 26 of those 28 homicides in 2025, a 93% clearance rate, per the same Baltimore Sun report. Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough credited prevention, community engagement, and enforcement strategies for reductions in Baltimore County homicides and nonfatal shootings in 2025. Anderson's unsolved killing remains an exception in a jurisdiction otherwise known for closing cases.
A Street With a Painful History
The 4400 block of Alan Drive sits in the Wilkens community, according to Patch, which identifies incidents on Alan Drive with Precinct 1 Wilkens. The nearby 4300 block of Alan Drive is also referenced, but the available sources do not verify the details of any related case.
Anderson was born on March 19, 2009, and his funeral service was held on April 22, 2025, at Ambrose Funeral Home in Arbutus, according to Ambrose Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc. He was survived by his parents and a large extended family. For now, his mother's plea and the reward offered through Metro Crime Stoppers remain among the few tools pushing the case toward resolution.
