BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA — A missing-person case that began in Milwaukee in 2022 has taken a startling turn after Joniah Walker, who disappeared at age 15, was found alive nearly four years later in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Walker, now 19, was located after Blacksburg police responded to a domestic-disturbance call at a residence on May 23, 2026.
Authorities later determined that the woman involved in the incident was the Wisconsin teenager who had been reported missing in 2022.
According to investigators, Walker had been communicating online with Owen Lars Anderson, who was 37 when he was arrested.
Authorities allege that Anderson developed a relationship with Walker online before arranging for her to travel from Milwaukee to Chicago in June 2022.
Investigators say Walker ultimately disappeared outside a Chicago movie theater on June 23, 2022.
Authorities allege that Anderson then transported her more than 700 miles to his home in Blacksburg, where she was held against her will for years.
According to information reported from the criminal investigation, Anderson gained her trust and convinced her that leaving home would provide her with a better and safer life.
Authorities further allege that after Walker met Anderson in Chicago, he discarded her cellphone and a second phone he had previously provided her, cutting off her ability to communicate with family and others.
Investigators say Walker was subsequently kept at Anderson’s Blacksburg residence and was allegedly prevented from attending school.
Authorities have also alleged physical and sexual abuse during the years she was missing.
The case changed dramatically in May 2026.
Blacksburg police responded to a domestic-disturbance call at a residence. The woman involved was initially taken to a local resource center.
Further investigation revealed that she was a missing juvenile from Wisconsin.
Police continued investigating the residence and obtained a search warrant.
Authorities subsequently identified the woman as Joniah Walker, ending a nearly four-year search for the missing teenager.
Investigators have described Anderson as potentially dangerous.
According to Blacksburg police, officers found him with two loaded handguns, including a Glock 17 and Glock 26, along with 14 loaded spare magazines, knives and OC/pepper spray when he was taken into custody.
Police said Walker’s warning about Anderson’s weapons influenced the way officers approached the arrest.
He was taken into custody without incident.
The investigation uncovered additional evidence
The case expanded after investigators searched the residence and recovered a significant amount of digital evidence.
By July, Anderson was facing 55 counts involving possession of child sexual abuse material in Montgomery County, Virginia.
The FBI became involved in reviewing the digital evidence, and authorities said additional federal charges could potentially follow.
Blacksburg police said an Internet Crimes Against Children investigator is working with the FBI as investigators continue examining the evidence.
Anderson has faced charges connected to the alleged conduct in Virginia, while Milwaukee County authorities have also filed charges connected to Walker’s disappearance.
Reported Virginia charges include:
- Abduction and immoral acts with a juvenile
- Strangulation
- Child abuse
- Preventing a 911 call
- Numerous child-sexual-abuse-material possession counts
Milwaukee authorities have also filed kidnapping and child-abduction-related charges.
The investigation remains active.
Walker’s disappearance also highlights how an online relationship can become a pathway to physical danger.
Milwaukee police have previously said they found no evidence that Walker was part of an organized human-trafficking operation.
Authorities have instead described the allegations as involving an individual accused of kidnapping and holding her against her will.
For Walker’s family, however, the most important development came after years of uncertainty: she was found alive.
She returned home at 19.
