‘Deadliest Catch’: Inside Jake Anderson’s Father’s Death
Captain Jake Anderson is a fan favorite in Deadliest Catch Season 19. This season, he connects with Sophia “Bob” Nielsen, especially when it comes to family loss. Jake’s father and sister died, and the details surrounding his father’s death remain mysterious. So, what happened to Jake’s father? Here are the known details.
What happened to ‘Deadliest Catch’ star Jake Anderson’s father?
Deadliest Catch Season 19 star Jake Anderson is no stranger to loss. In 2009, Jake’s sister, Chelsea, died from pneumonia complications. And a year later, his father went missing.
Keith A. Anderson vanished on Jan. 6, 2010. Keith was supposed to take a short trip to Snohomish County, Washington, and his family reported him missing when he never returned. In 43 years of marriage, Keith never spent a night away from his wife, which made the vanishing all the more surprising to his family.
Keith’s cell phone was initially found in mud puddle not far from his home, and his Ford Ranger pickup truck was found stuck on a logging road two weeks later. Despite a hefty search, the rescue team never found any trace of Keith. Two years later, in June 2012, a hiker found human remains roughly a mile from where Keith’s Ford Ranger was initially located. After cadaver dogs scouted the area, they found enough human remains to identify them as Keith Anderson.
He believes his father was murdered
The two major deaths in Jake Anderson’s family hit the Deadliest Catch star hard. And a key detail in Keith Anderson’s case made Jake believe his father was killed.
In a past episode of Deadliest Catch, Jake’s mom calls him when Keith’s truck was recovered. While Jake’s mother didn’t have any new information about Keith’s body, she told Jake that blood was found on the key fob and the windshield of the truck. “That’s when I thought someone killed my dad,” Jake said, according to Looper.
Unfortunately for Jake, he may never get answers as to what really went down with his father. “There are things about my father’s death that we’ll never find the answers to,” he said in Deadliest Catch: The Vikings Return Season 1 Episode 5.
Ultimately, Jake finds some peace while traveling to Norway, as that’s where his father’s side of the family came from. “My dad always wanted me to know more about Norway, where I came from,” he said, according to Distractify. “He was most proud of being a Norwegian American. I’m sure I would have come here a lot sooner if it wasn’t for what happened to my dad.”
Jake Anderson connected with Sophia ‘Bob’ Nielsen due to family loss
Sophia “Bob” Nielsen accompanies Jake Anderson on his crabbing vessel in Deadliest Catch Season 19. Bob lost both of her parents, and Jake connected with her due to the family loss she experienced.
“What attracted me to Bob was that she had a similar experience with her — we both lost a parent. She’s lost both of her parents,” Jake told Morning Blend St. Louis. “And I always felt connected to that and understood how hard it was for me, especially trying to learn in such a cutthroat industry, and get ahead, and I would work around her boat and with her brother about a month out of each year. So, we would see each other on a daily basis.”
While Bob will eventually captain the boat her father left for her, she’s taking the time to learn the ins and outs from Jake.
Elements of this story were originally reported by KOMO News.
Deadliest Catch Season 19 airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery Channel.
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