Script B. Henderson

On Halloween morning in 1965, a grim discovery was made in the city of Fridley, Minnesota. In the passenger seat of a parked car alongside a local establishment called Red's Club on 61st Avenue, a man was found deceased. He was identified as 38-year-old Script B. Henderson, a Black / African American male. An examination revealed that he had not died of natural causes; he had been shot to death. Investigators with the Anoka County Sheriff's Office were called to the scene to begin a homicide investigation into a killing that would remain unsolved for decades.

The initial investigation suggested that Henderson had been in the vehicle since the previous evening, Saturday, October 30. The crime scene offered few immediate clues, but a crucial piece of information came from witnesses who recalled seeing someone near the car on the night before Henderson was found. They reported the presence of an adult African American woman in the vicinity of the vehicle. This witness account provided a potential direction for the inquiry, but it was not enough to lead to an arrest, and as days turned into years, the case grew cold.

Fridley, a northern suburb of the Twin Cities, was a growing community in the mid-1960s. The decade was a time of significant social and cultural change across the United States, but for the investigators tasked with solving Henderson's murder, the work relied on traditional, boots-on-the-ground policing. Without the benefit of modern forensic technology like DNA analysis, detectives had to rely on physical evidence, witness testimony, and intuition. Over time, leads dried up, memories faded, and the file on Script Henderson’s murder was eventually relegated to the archives of unsolved homicides.

Decades passed, but the case was never forgotten. The Anoka County Sheriff's Office established a Cold Case Homicide Unit, a dedicated team of law enforcement and forensic professionals tasked with re-examining unsolved killings using updated technology and fresh perspectives. Henderson's murder, assigned case number 65-000103, became one of the oldest cases on their books. The unit’s mission is to seek closure and justice for victims and families who have waited years, and sometimes a lifetime, for answers.

Despite the passage of more than half a century, investigators believe that there are still people who hold information about what happened to Script Henderson on that October night in 1965. The identity of the woman seen near the car remains one of the most compelling and unanswered questions in the case. Who was she, and what was her connection to Henderson? Was she a witness, or was she involved in the events that led to his death? These are the questions that detectives hope a new tip or a long-held secret finally brought to light could answer.

As of October 2025, on the 60th anniversary of the discovery, the Anoka County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the investigation remains active. They continue to seek the public's help, hoping to generate new leads that could finally solve the mystery of who was responsible for Henderson's death. Investigators have also noted the lack of a publicly available photograph of Henderson and have asked anyone who may have one to share it, a small but important step in putting a face to the name and reminding the public of the human loss at the center of this decades-old case.

The Anoka County Sheriff's Office urges anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to contact its Cold Case Homicide Unit. Tips can be sent via email to [email protected]. Tipsters are not required to provide their names, only the information they know.