According to police reports, Sandra and Elizabeth Andersen, aged 16 and 15 respectively, had become irritated of their mother "wasting. money on alcohol". Linda also had abusive relationships with men which also caused unrest for the girls. They were also unhappy that their friends had "better things like swimming pools and clothes". Because of their discontent, the sisters began to search on the Internet for ways to kill their mother. Elizabeth and Sandra Andersen believed that by killing their mother, they would be entitled to insurance money. This compensation, the sisters resolved, would be spent on a trip to Europe with their friends as well as a large house, with a backyard filled with marijuana. The sisters decided to drown Linda Andersen, because they believed it would be "fast and spectacular". 