Nationwide — Shannon Anderson, a 51-year-old woman from Nashville, Tennessee, was arrested after police accused her of collecting food stamp benefits in the name of her daughter, who has been missing for 9 years.
Metro Nashville Police said they arrested Anderson on Wednesday on felony food stamp fraud charges. Investigators alleged she used her daughter Jodie “Brooke” Anderson’s name to continue receiving government benefits after she disappeared.
Brooke Anderson was 18 years old when she was reported missing on August 9, 2017. Family members said she was last seen with her mother at a Jack in the Box on West Trinity Lane in Nashville.
Her aunt, De’Anna Anderson, said Shannon told investigators she stepped away to use the restroom and returned to find Brooke gone. The restaurant has since closed.
De’Anna said both mother and daughter were homeless at the time and were struggling with drug addiction. She also raised concerns about the delay in reporting Brooke missing, saying critical time was lost at the beginning of the investigation.
Metro Nashville Police said Shannon Anderson was in jail when Brooke was first reported missing, which may have delayed the official report. De’Anna disputed parts of that timeline and said Shannon was briefly out of jail in June 2017 and already aware Brooke was missing.
As the years passed, De’Anna said her hope faded that Brooke might still be alive. She said Brooke’s circumstances at the time placed her at significant risk, making the case even more difficult to process for the family.
De’Anna also pointed to Shannon’s past, saying she previously worked for the Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk’s Office and later as a school bus driver before her life declined due to addiction.
She criticized the alleged fraud tied to her missing niece, saying, “Your baby’s missing and you’re capitalizing by going and drawing government benefits that our vets can’t even get. That’s unacceptable.” She also questioned why Brooke’s identity was not flagged in benefit systems.
Despite the arrest, De’Anna said her focus remains on finding Brooke, whether alive or deceased, and bringing closure to the case.
Metro Nashville Police also said Anderson faces additional charges related to sex offender registry violations. She remains in custody on a $22,000 bond covering seven charges.