Conor Anderson,the Colorado man last seen Aug. 16 after flying to Nashville for a work conference, has been found dead, the Metro Nashville Police Department said.
"We are saddened to report that Conor Anderson was found deceased this evening in a wood line adjacent to a parking lot at 14 James Robertson Parkway," the department said a little after 9 p.m. Aug. 20 in a social media post. "There are no immediate indications of foul play. The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death."
Anderson, 31, flew into Nashville Aug. 15 for a work conference and checked into the Millennium Hotel Maxwell House Nashville, north of the city, Nashville Police said.
He was last seen when he approached a police officer in East Nashville.
"Anderson, around
1 a.m. on Sunday, flagged down two East Precinct officers as they were driving by to report an interaction he had with unknown individuals outside of a nearby bar," police said in a statement Aug. 19. "Anderson said he’d given the men $20 to 'show him around the area.'
Those men walked off with his cash, and Anderson wanted officers to know that, police said in their statement.
Nashville Police released 11 minutes of body camera video footage showing Anderson's interaction with the officer.
The video starts with the officer in his patrol car and window rolled down. He's parked in a parking lot off Main Street outside a veterinarian's office not far from the McFerrin Avenue intersection.
"What's up," the officer asked Anderson.
"Uh, I'm the one who called," Anderson responded, before the officer puts the car in park and rolls the window up.
Anderson starts to explain to the officers on scene that he's from out of town, that he'd met a couple of men and asked them to show him their neighborhood. Anderson gave the men money and followed them outside.
In the video Anderson speaks with pauses between his sentences and he often looks up or away as if trying to recall the sequence of events.
"Him and his friend acted as if nothing happened, and then he threatened me with violence if I didn't leave," he told the officers. "They threatened to like run me over or something."
Officers ask more questions about where this interaction took place, narrowing it down toward a cluster of bars around Attaboy, No Quarter, Up-Down and Lakeside Lounge.
"I'm going to be honest with you," the officer wearing the camera said to Anderson. "What this sounds like to me, and this is just my speculation here, ok, and I want you to be honest with me. Were you trying to buy drugs?"
Anderson's eyes widened at that question and he answered with an emphatic "No."
"Because you have him $20. He ignored you," the officer said. "And then you followed him outside. You gave him another $20. He ignored you and then he left. And then you're just here by yourself."
"I understand it seems that way," Anderson said. "On my life, that is not what happened."
"It's no judgement here," the officer said. "But if you want us to help you, you have to be forthcoming."
When the officer asked for his identification, Anderson paused then asked if he had to hand it to him.
"If you want us to take a report, we're going to have to have your ID," the officer said. "So you're declining a report, is there anything else you need from us?"
"I guess not," Anderson said shrugging. "Maybe just take note of the plates I gave you."
"Only advice I have to give you is don't give money to strangers," the officer said. "Go out with friends or co-workers or group of people and don't go out by yourself. Get to your place safely. Get an Uber."
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Colorado man Conor Anderson, missing since Aug. 16, found dead in Nashville
