Plumbing

Homicide sufferer Kathy Anderson was former city arborist, widow of plumbing firm proprietor – Palo Alto Each day Publish

Kathleen Anne Hughes Anderson. Photo courtesy of Diantha Stensrud.

BY EMILY MIBACH
Editor of the Daily Post

Atherton's former arborist has been identified as the woman found stabbed to death in her Menlo Park home.

Kathleen Anne Hughes Anderson, 62, was the arborist for the City of Atherton for 22 years, from November 1989 until her retirement in November 2011. She was the widow of Billy “Andy” Anderson, who owned Dahl Plumbing on Alma Street in Palo Alto. Andy Anderson died in 2007.

Before his death, the two were married for about 30 years and had no children.

Anderson was from Decatur, Illinois, and came to California to attend school in the 1980s, said her brother-in-law, Barry Anderson, who also works for the post office. The couple were regulars at the Alpine Beer Garden in Portola Valley.

Anderson was known for her green thumb at work and at home. Barry Anderson said her garden at her home at 925 Valparaiso Ave. was “amazing.”

Atherton Town Clerk Theresa DellaSanta said Anderson “was very passionate about her work as an arborist.”

Franz Wolke

“She had a deep passion for landscaping and trees, and she shared that love with many of our town residents by spending time with them in their gardens and giving them insight into tree pruning and planting,” DellaSanta wrote. “It was the little things Kathy did around town that residents remember and came to love about her. Kathy was a beacon of positivity to all who came into contact with her, and her impact on the trees in Atherton will last for many generations to come.”

Police found Anderson stabbed to death in her home on Wednesday (Dec. 12) after receiving a 911 call from Daniel Baggett, a former tenant of Anderson's. Baggett told police to The Post he stopped by at 5 p.m. on Wednesday after driving by and noticing her garbage cans were still on the side of the road a day after garbage collection. He also saw that her bedroom window, which was normally open, was closed, he said.

Baggett said he saw the back door was open and went into the house. He spotted Francis Wolke, 36, of Cincinnati, Ohio, at the top of the stairs. Baggett called 911. Police arrested Wolke on suspicion of first-degree murder.

Was there a connection between the three people?

District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said Friday that his office and Menlo Park police are still investigating the connection between Wolke, Baggett and Anderson, if there is one. Wagstaffe said the relationship between Anderson and Baggett was not rosy and that investigators are “digging” into the pasts of the three people to find a connection.

Wolke had an arrest warrant issued by the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office for prowling and drug possession from a 2014 case.

While police believe Wolke's current address is in Cincinnati, records indicate he was living in San Francisco in 2014. Wagstaffe said Wolke has not made any statement about why he allegedly murdered Anderson.

Wagstaffe said Anderson died as a result of being stabbed in the head with a “sharp object,” but because the investigation is ongoing, he could not yet identify the object.

Wolke is in prison without bail.

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