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Robert Christian Boes Hansen[2] (February 15, 1939 – August 21, 2014), also known as the Butcher Baker, was an American serial killer active in Anchorage, Alaska, between 1972 and 1983, abducting, raping and murdering at least seventeen women. Many of his victims were released by Hansen into the wilderness and hunted with a Ruger Mini-14 and hunting knives. Hansen was captured in 1983 and sentenced to 461 years' imprisonment without the possibility of parole.[3][4] He died in 2014 of natural causes at age 75.

Key Information

While serving a prison sentence for arson in the early 1960s,[4] Hansen was diagnosed with manic depression with periodic schizophrenic episodes.[5] The psychiatrist who made the diagnosis noted that Hansen had an "infantile personality" and that he was obsessed with getting back at people who he felt had wronged him.[5][6]

Early life

[edit]

Robert Hansen was born in Estherville, Iowa, on February 15, 1939, the elder of two children to an American mother, Edna Margret Hansen (née Petersen; October 27, 1916 – April 24, 2005)[7] and a Danish father, local baker Christian "Chris" Hansen (September 16, 1907 – August 12, 1983).[8] Robert was employed at his father's bakery. The family moved to Richmond, California, in 1942, but returned to Iowa in 1949 and settled in the city of Pocahontas.[9]

In his youth, Hansen was painfully shy, had a stutter and suffered severe acne that left him permanently scarred. Throughout childhood and adolescence, he was described as a quiet loner who had a difficult relationship with his domineering father. Hansen took to practicing both hunting and archery, often finding refuge in those pastimes.[10] In 1957, Hansen enlisted in the United States Army Reserve and served for one year before being discharged. He later worked as an assistant drill instructor at a police academy in Pocahontas. There, he began a relationship with a younger woman, whom he married in 1960.

First crimes

[edit]
Hansen (right) poses with a taxidermized dall sheep in an August 19, 1971, issue of the Anchorage Times

On December 7, 1960, Hansen was arrested for burning down a Pocahontas County Iowa school bus garage, as revenge for his mistreatment in high school.[1] He served twenty months of a three-year prison sentence in Anamosa State Penitentiary, during which his first wife divorced him.[4] During his incarceration, Hansen was diagnosed with manic depression with periodic schizophrenic episodes.[5] The psychiatrist who made the diagnosis noted that Hansen had an "infantile personality" and was obsessed with getting back at people he felt had wronged him.[5][6]

Over the next few years, Hansen was jailed several times for petty theft.[11] In 1967 he moved to Anchorage, Alaska, with his second wife, whom he had married in 1963 and with whom he had two children. In Anchorage, Hansen opened his own bakery, was well-liked by his neighbors and set several local hunting records.

In December 1971, Hansen was arrested twice, first for abducting and attempting to rape an unidentified housewife, then for raping an unidentified sex worker. He pleaded no contest to assault with a deadly weapon in the former offense; the rape charge involving the sex worker was dropped as part of a plea bargain. Hansen was sentenced to five years in prison; after serving six months of his sentence, he was placed on a work release program and released to a halfway house.[12]

In 1976, Hansen pleaded guilty to larceny after he attempted to steal a chainsaw from an Anchorage Fred Meyer store. He was sentenced to five years in prison and required to receive psychiatric treatment for his manic depression.[13] The Alaska Supreme Court reduced Hansen's sentence, and he was released with time served.[14]

Murders and capture

[edit]

Hansen is believed to have begun killing around 1972.[4] His modus operandi is believed to have been to stalk a woman to learn her habits, eventually picking her up in his car and forcing her at gunpoint into his home, where he would rape her, then stab or shoot her.[3] Some of the women Hansen murdered were sex workers; many were teenagers.

It is believed by authorities that Hansen's first murder victim was 18-year-old Celia van Zanten. Van Zanten was kidnapped on December 22, 1971, and froze to death in the wilderness after escaping from her abductor; her body was discovered on December 25. The abduction occurred three days after Hansen committed his assault on the sex worker for which he was imprisoned. While there are some similarities between Hansen's modus operandi and Van Zanten's abduction, there is no conclusive evidence linking him to the attack and Hansen himself denied involvement.[15]

On June 13, 1983, Hansen offered 17-year-old Cindy Paulson $200 to perform oral sex; when she got into the car, he pulled out a gun and drove her to his home in Muldoon. There, he held her captive and proceeded to rape and torture her. Paulson later told police that after Hansen chained her by the neck to a post in his basement, he took a nap on a nearby couch.[16] When he awoke, he put her in his car and took her to Merrill Field, where he told her that he intended to take her to his shack near the Knik River area of the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, accessible only by boat or bush plane. Paulson, crouched in the back seat of Hansen's car with her wrists cuffed in front of her body, saw a chance to escape when he was busy loading the cockpit of his airplane, a Piper PA-18 Super Cub. While Hansen's back was turned, Paulson crawled out of the back seat, opened the driver's side door and ran toward nearby Sixth Avenue.[17]

Paulson later told police that she had left her blue sneakers on the passenger side floor of the sedan's backseat as evidence that she had been in Hansen's car. Hansen panicked and chased her, but Paulson reached Sixth Avenue and managed to flag down a passing truck. The driver, Robert Yount, alarmed by Paulson's disheveled appearance, stopped and offered assistance. He drove her to the Mush Inn, where she jumped out of the truck and ran inside. While Paulson pleaded with the clerk to phone her boyfriend at the Big Timber Motel, Yount continued on to work, where he called the police to report the incident.

When Anchorage Police Department (APD) officers arrived at the Mush Inn, they were told that Paulson had taken a cab to the Big Timber Motel. APD officers arrived there and found Paulson in Room 110, still handcuffed and alone. She was taken to APD headquarters, where she described her attacker. Hansen, when questioned by investigators, denied Paulson's accusation, stating that she was trying to cause trouble for him because he would not pay her extortion demands. This excuse became one Hansen used on other occasions, but although he had several prior run-ins with the law, Hansen's meek demeanor and humble occupation as a baker, along with an alibi from his friend John Henning, persuaded police not to consider him a serious suspect.

Detective Glenn Flothe of the Alaska State Troopers had been part of a team investigating the discovery of several bodies in and around Anchorage, Seward and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley area. The first of the bodies was found by construction workers near Eklutna Road. The body, dubbed "Eklutna Annie" by investigators, has never been identified. Later that year, the body of Joanna Messina was discovered in a gravel pit near Seward, and in 1982 the remains of 23-year-old Sherry Morrow were discovered in a shallow grave near the Knik River.[18] Flothe believed all three women had been murdered by the same perpetrator.

Flothe contacted Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent John E. Douglas and requested help with an offender profile based on the three recovered bodies. Douglas thought the killer would be an experienced hunter with low self-esteem, have a history of being rejected by women and would feel compelled to keep "souvenirs" of his murders, such as a victim's jewelry. He also suggested that the assailant might stutter. Using this profile, Flothe investigated possible suspects until he reached Hansen, who fit the profile and owned a plane.[19]

Supported by Paulson's testimony and Douglas' profile, Flothe and the APD secured a warrant to search Hansen's plane, vehicles and home. On October 27, 1983, investigators uncovered jewelry belonging to some of the missing women as well as an array of firearms in a corner hideaway of Hansen's attic, which included a .223-caliber Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle. Also found was an aeronautical chart bearing thirty-seven written "x" marks, hidden behind Hansen's headboard. Many of these marks matched sites where bodies had been found (others were discovered later at the locations marked on Hansen's chart).

When confronted with the evidence found in his home, Hansen denied it as long as he could, but he eventually began to blame his victims and tried to justify his actions. Eventually confessing to each item of evidence as it was presented to him, he admitted to a spree of attacks against women starting in 1971. His earliest victims were girls or young women, usually between ages 16 and 19 and not sex workers, unlike some of the victims who led to his discovery.[20]

Victims

[edit]

Hansen is known to have raped and assaulted over thirty women and to have murdered at least seventeen, ranging in age from 16 to 41, although based on evidence, law enforcement suspect that Hansen killed at least twenty-one female victims.[21] The following is a list of Hansen's known victims and several other additional women who have been mentioned as possible victims. Of these eighteen women, Hansen was only formally charged with the murders of four: Sherry Morrow, Joanna Messina, Eklutna Annie and Paula Goulding. He was also charged with the abduction and rape of Cindy Paulson.

  • The remains of "Eklutna Annie" were discovered buried next to a power line in a wooded area, one mile south of South Eklutna Lake Road in Eklutna on July 21, 1980.[22] Hansen admitted to stabbing this victim in the back after she made an effort to flee from his car. She was either a topless dancer or a prostitute, according to Hansen, who also claimed that she was his first murder victim.[23] Despite his claim that Eklutna Annie might have come from Kodiak, troopers think she might have arrived in Alaska via California. Her body had already been largely consumed by wildlife when it was found.[24]
  • Celia Beth van Zanten, age 18, left her house on Knik Avenue, Anchorage, in the late evening of December 22, 1971, and walked a few blocks toward a nearby BI-LO supermarket.[25] She never reached the supermarket. Her disappearance was reported two days later. On December 25, Van Zanten's body was discovered at Chugach State Park. Her chest had been sliced with a knife, and she had been bound and subjected to a sexual assault. She had been dumped, still alive, into a deep ravine before dying from exposure. According to forensic evidence, Van Zanten attempted to climb back up the slope but was unable to do so due to her bindings. Hansen has been accused of killing Van Zanten because of an "x" on his murder map that matched the location of her body, but he denied responsibility for both her death and those of other women who were not involved in sex work.[26]
  • Megan Siobhan Emerick, age 17, vanished on July 7, 1973, in Seward. She was last spotted leaving a dorm laundry room while attending the Seward Skill Center, a boarding school. She has not been seen or heard from since. Emerick left behind all of her personal items, including her identification.[27] Before contacting the police, her roommate conducted a three-day search for her. Hansen denied killing Emerick to authorities, but he did admit he was in Seward on the day she vanished. Due to an "x" on his murder map in the Seward region, he is thought to be responsible. Apparently, Hansen admitted to a former inmate that he transported Emerick to a cabin in the Seward region that was only reachable by boat, where he killed and buried her.[28]
  • Mary Kathleen Thill, age 22, disappeared from Seward on July 5, 1975. Thill was driven into town by a friend who dropped her off at a local bakery.[29] Between 1:30 and 2:00 p.m., a different acquaintance saw her by a waterfall near her home on Lowell Point Road. She has not been seen or heard from since. Hansen acknowledged being in Seward on the day Thill vanished but denied killing her. An "x" on his murder map in the vicinity of Resurrection Bay increased suspicions about him in the disappearance. Hansen admitted to killing her and discarding her body in Resurrection Bay, according to a former prisoner.[30]
  • Joanna Messina, age 24, went out to dinner with Hansen on May 19, 1980, while she was working in Seward. According to Hansen, before Messina offered him sex in exchange for cash, everything was going smoothly. Hansen refused to pay and refused to release her, so he drove her and her dog to a distant place by the Snow River. He struck her with a .22 caliber revolver before shooting her twice and the dog once. He dumped Messina's body in a gravel pit, the dog and Messina's belongings into woodland and the gun into the Snow River. On July 8, her severely decomposed body was found after it had been eviscerated by wildlife.
  • Roxane Easland, age 24, vanished on June 28, 1980.[31] She had been residing at the Budget Motel on Spenard Road, Anchorage, with her boyfriend for the previous two weeks. On that day, she was scheduled to meet an unnamed man downtown on Fourth Avenue. She has not been seen or heard from since. Although Hansen admitted to killing her, her body was never discovered.[32]
  • Lisa Futrell, age 41, met Hansen at the nightclub where she worked and was subsequently kidnapped on September 6, 1980. When she failed to return home following her September 7 shift, her two younger housemates reported her missing. Her body was discovered on May 9, 1984, buried next to a gravel pit south of the former Knik Arm Bridge.
  • Malai Larsen, age 28, was reported missing on July 10, 1981. On April 24, 1984, her body was discovered in a parking lot close to the Knik Arm Bridge.
  • Sherry Morrow, age 23, told friends she was meeting a photographer who had promised her $300 for nude images on November 17, 1981. She was never seen again. A shallow grave was discovered by hunters on the banks of the Knik River on September 12, 1982. Morrow, who was reported missing a year earlier, was identified from the remains. She had received three gunshot wounds to the back, and cartridges discovered close to the body revealed that a .223 Ruger Mini-14 hunting rifle had been used to deliver the shots. An odd feature was that although the body was found fully clothed, there were no bullet holes in the clothing, suggesting that Sherry had been naked when shot, and had been redressed after death before being buried.
  • Andrea Mona "Fish" Altiery, age 24, was last seen boarding a taxi to go to the Boniface Mall on December 2, 1981. She intended to meet an unnamed male for a photo shoot and to perform exotic dances. She has not been seen or heard from since. When authorities searched Hansen's house, several of Altiery's possessions, including her fish necklace, were discovered. Hansen claimed that after he met her, he threatened her with a gun and abducted her, blindfolding and handcuffing her. Near the Knik Arm Bridge, they took a car to a service road off Palmer Highway. He unbound her there, abused her sexually and killed her with a .22 Browning automatic pistol after she retaliated. He then stole Altiery's necklace, weighted a duffel bag with gravel, tied it to the dead woman and threw her off the bridge. Her body was never found.[33]
  • Sue Luna, age 23, voluntarily agreed to a $300 photo shoot offer with a nightclub patron. On May 26, 1982, she met Hansen in a diner parking lot in Anchorage. The following day, Luna was reported missing. Hansen had abducted and killed her, then buried her near the Knik River. She was discovered on April 24, 1984. According to Hansen, he had her flee into the forest while “hunting” her like an animal while she was stripped naked. Luna had been killed via gunshot.
  • Tamera "Tami" Pederson, age 20, was a dancer at a nightclub in Anchorage. The last her family heard from her was during a phone call on August 7, 1982, when she claimed to have had been offered money to pose for photographs. She was kidnapped and murdered by Hansen. Her body was not found until Hansen confessed and pointed out its location on a map. On April 29, 1984, the body was recovered 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the Old Knik Bridge.
  • Angela Lynn Feddern, age 24, was last seen on Fourth Avenue, Anchorage, sometime in February 1983. She was not reported missing until May. The owner of a nightclub reported that Feddern, one of his dancers, had gone missing. Hansen had kidnapped and murdered her. Feddern's body was found on April 26, 1984, on a small lake near the larger Figure Eight Lake.
  • DeLynne "Sugar" Renee Frey, age 22, was last seen sometime in March 1983 but was not immediately reported missing; she was abducted and killed by Hansen. She was buried as "Jane Doe" in an Anchorage cemetery after her body was discovered on a Knik River sandbar by a pilot trying out new tires and practicing landings there on August 20, 1985. It was not until 1989 that she was identified when an Alaska State Trooper recognised her jewelry in a case file photo.[34]
  • Teresa Watson, age 22, was last seen in Anchorage on March 25, 1983. She informed her roommate that she was meeting a man who would give her $300 in exchange for an hour or two of company. At Scenic Lake, Hansen abducted her and killed her. Hansen was unable to bury her since the earth in the region was still frozen. He abandoned her where she had died. Her body was discovered on April 26, 1984.
  • Paula Goulding, age 30,[35] was lured and abducted by Hansen on April 25, 1983. He drove her to his aircraft and once they reached a remote spot, she fought with him and attempted to flee, at which point Hansen shot her with a .223 rifle. On September 2, 1983, Goulding's body was discovered near the Knik River, buried in a shallow grave. She had been wounded in the back, but because her clothing was undamaged, it is possible that she was shot while still naked and then clothed before being buried.
  • Cindy Paulson, age 17, met Hansen in Anchorage on June 13, 1983. After agreeing to pay for sex, Hansen instead pulled a .357 Magnum on her and kidnapped her. She was taken to his home, bound and sexually assaulted before Hansen took her to Merrill Field, where his airplane was. Hansen left Paulson alone in his car while he began loading his plane, threatening to kill her if she ran away. She instead fled toward Sixth Avenue. There, she was picked up by a passing driver, Robert Yount. Yount took Paulson to a safe location and shortly after, called police. At about the same time, a security guard at Merrill Field noticed suspicious activity; although he made no contact, he noted the license tag for Hansen's car. Police located and interviewed Paulson about the attack.
  • The partial skeletal remains of Robin Pelkey,[36] age 19, were found on April 25, 1984, in Palmer, Alaska, close to Horseshoe Lake. It was determined that she had been stabbed and shot. It is unknown if this victim was involved in sex work. In October 2021, forensic genealogy was used to determine her identity, having been known by the moniker "Horseshoe Harriet" before she was identified. Pelkey was residing in Anchorage when she vanished on July 19, 1983.[37]

Imprisonment and death

[edit]
Spring Creek Correctional Center, where Hansen was incarcerated for many years

Once arrested, Hansen was charged with assault, kidnapping, multiple weapons offenses, theft and insurance fraud. The last charge was related to a claim filed with his insurance company over the alleged theft of some hunting trophies; he used the proceeds to purchase his plane. At trial, he claimed he later recovered the trophies in his backyard but forgot to inform the insurer.

Hansen entered into a plea bargain after ballistics tests returned a match between bullets found at the crime scenes and Hansen's rifle. He pleaded guilty to the four homicides the police had evidence for (Morrow, Messina, Goulding and Eklutna Annie) and provided details about his other victims in return for serving his sentence in a federal prison, along with no publicity in the press. Another condition of the plea bargain was his participation in deciphering the markings on his aviation map and locating his victims' bodies. Hansen confirmed the police theory of how the women were abducted, adding that he would sometimes let a potential victim go if she convinced him that she would not report him to police. He indicated that he began killing in the early 1970s.

Hansen showed investigators seventeen grave sites in and around Southcentral Alaska, twelve of which were unknown to investigators. There remained marks on his map that he refused to give up, including three in Resurrection Bay, near Seward. Authorities suspect two of these marks are the graves of Mary Thill and Megan Emrick, whom Hansen has denied killing. The remains of twelve of a probable twenty-one to thirty-seven victims were exhumed by the police and returned to their families.

Hansen was sentenced to 461 years in prison without the possibility of parole. He was first imprisoned at the United States Penitentiary, Lewisburg in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.[6] In 1988, he was returned to Alaska and briefly incarcerated at Lemon Creek Correctional Center in Juneau. He was also imprisoned at Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward until May 2014, when he was transported to the Anchorage Correctional Complex for health reasons.[3] Hansen died on August 21, 2014, age 75, at Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage due to natural causes related to lingering health conditions.[4]

[edit]

Films

[edit]
  • Naked Fear (2007), about a serial killer who hunts and abducts women in the remote wilderness of New Mexico, is loosely based on Robert Hansen.
  • In The Frozen Ground (2013), John Cusack portrayed Hansen opposite Nicolas Cage as Sergeant Jack Halcombe (a character based on Glenn Flothe) and Vanessa Hudgens as victim-survivor Cindy Paulson.[38]

Documentaries

[edit]
  • The FBI Files episode "Hunter's Game" (1999) depicts Hansen's murderous rampage.
  • The Alaska: Ice Cold Killers episode "Hunting Humans" (January 25, 2012) on Investigation Discovery[39] covered the Hansen case.
  • Hidden City season 1, episode 12 ("Anchorage: Robert Hansen's Most Dangerous Game, the Legend of Blackjack Sturges, Eskimo Hu"; airdate February 21, 2012) on the Travel Channel covered the Hansen case.[40]
  • Mark of a Killer season 2, episode 6 "Hunted to Death" on Oxygen[41] covered the Hansen case.
  • The Butcher Baker: Mind of a Monster aired on September 2, 2020, on Investigation Discovery.
  • Very Scary People season 3 episodes 3 and 4, "The Butcher Baker: Terror In The Wilderness part 1" and "The Butcher Baker: The Girls Who Got Away part 2", on Crime and Investigation aired June 5, 2022.
  • Most Evil Killers series 7, episode 2 on Sky Crime tells Hansen's story.

TV series

[edit]
  • "Mind Hunters" and "The Woods", two episodes of the CBS TV series Cold Case that aired in November 2004 and May 2005, respectively, were inspired by Hansen's crimes.
  • In Criminal Minds, season 5, episode 21 ("Exit Wounds"; airdate May 12, 2010), Hansen is referred to by name.
  • Hansen's crimes inspired Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, season 13, episode 15 ("Hunting Ground"; airdate February 22, 2012), which depicts a serial killer who hunts women like wild game before killing them.
  • Kurt Caldwell, known as the Runaway Killer, played by Clancy Brown in Dexter: New Blood was loosely based on Hansen.[42]
  • Two 2014 episodes of Silent Witness, series 17, 5 & 6, "In a Lonely Place" depict a serial killer who abducts, rapes, and then kills women by hunting them in a remote forest area.

Other

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See also

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References

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Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Robert Hansen

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Robert Hansen (February 15, 1939 – August 21, 2014) was an American serial killer active in Anchorage, Alaska, from 1972 to 1983, who confessed to murdering at least 17 women, primarily sex workers and exotic dancers, by abducting them and hunting them down like big game in the remote Alaskan wilderness using a high-powered rifle. Known as the "Butcher Baker" for his daytime occupation as a baker and his methodical, predatory killing style, Hansen often used his pilot's license and small airplane to transport victims to isolated areas north of Anchorage, where he would release some to pursue them after raping others. He was arrested in October 1983 following the escape of a 17-year-old survivor who provided key details leading to evidence, including an aviation map marked with the locations of victims' graves, and ultimately received a sentence of life imprisonment plus 461 years after pleading no contest to four murders and confessing to 17 killings as part of a plea deal. Born in , Hansen faced significant challenges in his early life, including a severe stutter, , and that contributed to low and frustration, particularly in romantic and sexual interactions. As a teenager and young adult, he engaged in petty crimes such as and , including burning down his school's bus garage in 1960, for which he served 20 months in prison; he was also arrested multiple times between 1960 and 1971 for offenses including abduction and , serving additional time before relocating. In 1967, Hansen moved to Anchorage with his wife, Darla, and their two children, where he opened a successful in and earned a pilot's , establishing a facade of normalcy as a family man and respected community member while his criminal impulses escalated. Hansen's murders began in 1972, targeting vulnerable women from Anchorage's red-light district, luring them with promises of paid companionship before binding and transporting them—often by car to the Knik River area or by plane to more remote spots—where he subjected some to prolonged rape and torture before killing them, and others to a "hunting" ritual in which he armed himself with a .223-caliber Ruger Mini-14 rifle to track and shoot them as they fled. At least 12 victims' bodies were recovered, including those of 23-year-old Sherry Morrow and 30-year-old Paula Goulding in 1983, though many went missing without immediate notice due to their transient lifestyles, allowing Hansen's spree to continue undetected for over a decade. In 2021, one previously unidentified victim, known as "Horseshoe Harriet," was identified as 19-year-old Robin Pelkey through genetic genealogy. He also admitted to raping at least 30 women without killing them during this period. The breakthrough came in June 1983 when 17-year-old Cindy Paulson escaped from Hansen's attic after he attempted to bind and her; she provided a detailed description of her attacker, his vehicle, and an aviation map to police, who connected her to a composite sketch from another and later found bullets in Hansen's home matching those used in unsolved murders. On October 27, 1983, authorities arrested Hansen at his bakery, and under interrogation, he confessed to 17 murders in exchange for avoiding trials on multiple counts, leading to his conviction on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of with intent to . Sentenced to life without parole plus 461 years, he was initially incarcerated at in , later transferred to Anchorage for medical treatment in 2014 due to declining health, where he died of natural causes on August 21, 2014, at age 75. Hansen's case drew widespread attention for its brutality and the unique use of Alaska's vast wilderness, inspiring books, documentaries, and the 2013 film .

Early Life and Background

Childhood and Family

Robert Christian Hansen was born on February 15, 1939, in Estherville, Iowa, to Christian "Chris" Hansen, a domineering Danish immigrant who owned and operated a local bakery, and his wife, Edna Margret Hansen (née Petersen). The family briefly relocated to Richmond, California, in 1942 before returning to Pocahontas, Iowa, in 1949. As the eldest of two children, Hansen grew up in a strict household dominated by his father's rigid expectations, including mandatory early-morning shifts starting at 2 a.m. in the family business, even during school weeks. These demands left little time for leisure and contributed to his sense of isolation from a young age. Hansen struggled with personal challenges that shaped his formative years, including a severe stutter that emerged in childhood and intensified during , making verbal communication difficult and leading to frequent from peers. He also endured related to his skinny build, glasses, and disfiguring , which left lasting pockmarks on his face and deepened his and toward social interactions, particularly with girls. These experiences fostered early issues and a preference for solitary pursuits like and . Hansen attended Pocahontas High School in Pocahontas County, , where he graduated in 1957 amid ongoing academic and social difficulties stemming from his stutter and appearance. His early immersion in the family later influenced his career path as a upon relocating to in the .

Move to Alaska and Career

Hansen married in 1960, but the union ended in divorce shortly thereafter. He married Darla Henrichsen in 1963, with whom he had two children, establishing a family life that contrasted with his earlier instability. Seeking better work opportunities amid Alaska's economic expansion, Hansen relocated to Anchorage in 1967 with his wife and children. There, he built a career in , eventually owning and operating the successful Hansen's Family Bakery in . The business thrived, providing donuts and to locals, including , and earned him the affectionate nickname "Bob the Baker" for his unassuming, community-oriented persona. Hansen cultivated an image as a devoted family man and passionate outdoorsman, actively participating in and clubs. In the early , he purchased a small Piper Super Cub , which he flew without a pilot's for remote excursions into Alaska's , later aiding his crimes. His involvement in these activities reinforced his reputation as a respected figure in Anchorage society.

Criminal History

Early Offenses

Hansen's criminal history began in earnest in 1960, at the age of 21, when he was arrested for in . On , he convinced a teenager employed at his father's bakery to assist in setting fire to a local garage, an act driven by personal frustrations and a desire for against perceived slights in his community. Convicted of the charge, Hansen was sentenced to three years in prison but served only 20 months before his release in 1962. Following his , Hansen continued engaging in minor criminal activities in the early , including instances of petty theft in . These offenses, often resulting in arrests but not always formal charges, reflected his growing pattern of impulsive and antisocial behavior as he struggled with employment and . Such acts marked an escalation from his earlier , highlighting his inability to maintain a law-abiding life post-incarceration.

Rape Convictions and Escalation

Upon arriving in in 1967, Robert Hansen's pattern of criminal behavior intensified, leading to his first major confrontation with the in 1971. That year, he was arrested for following a to her home in Spenard and attempting to kidnap her at gunpoint, an incident involving a real estate as the victim. He pleaded no contest to assault with a , receiving a five-year sentence but serving only about 20 months before . During the same period in 1971, Hansen faced another arrest for the abduction and of a prostitute, whom he assaulted and then released. Although charges were pursued, he was ultimately convicted on the assault charge from the earlier incident, with the cases linked in his legal proceedings. The court noted his prior minor offenses but emphasized the violent nature of these events, recommending psychiatric treatment during his incarceration. In 1973, following his , Hansen encountered further legal trouble stemming from an assault on another sex worker, but through a deal, he avoided charges and was instead convicted of , receiving a . This outcome, combined with his earlier releases, highlighted systemic leniency in his cases. Over the prior 12 years, Hansen had been arrested three times in , twice specifically for abduction and , yet each time he received nominal sentences and was soon freed. These experiences appear to have bolstered Hansen's confidence, as he increasingly leveraged his successful bakery business to appear respectable while pursuing victims. His acquisition of a private airplane further enabled isolation and control, feeding a growing obsession with dominating women, often targeting workers whom he believed less likely to report assaults. Post-parole, his methods became more calculated, marking a clear escalation from sporadic assaults to repeated, premeditated .

Serial Murders

Modus Operandi

Robert Hansen targeted sex workers and exotic dancers in Anchorage's nightlife districts, exploiting their vulnerability by offering for sexual services or promising paid flights in his private plane. These women, often transients or runaways, were less likely to be reported missing, allowing Hansen to operate undetected for over a decade. Once lured into his vehicle, Hansen abducted his victims, binding their hands and eyes with handcuffs and ace bandages before subjecting them to prolonged and , often in his or a remote cabin. He then transported them—often by car to areas along the Knik River north of Anchorage or by his Piper Super Cub to more remote —where he would and kill them, sometimes releasing some naked to flee before pursuing and shooting them with a .223-caliber Mini-14 or killing them with a knife, treating the encounters as sport while retaining jewelry and other mementos from victims as trophies before burying the remains in shallow graves in remote locations. As of 2021, DNA technology has identified at least one additional victim from remains linked to Hansen. Psychologically, Hansen viewed his crimes as a thrilling challenge to outwit authorities, stemming from deep-seated resentment toward women rooted in his personal insecurities. He documented his activities on a bush plane aeronautical map found in his home, marking 17 X's to denote victim drop-off and burial sites in the Alaskan wilderness, though investigators suspected up to 21 victims based on the map and other evidence. Hansen confessed to 17 murders between 1971 and 1983, in addition to more than 30 rapes of women he did not kill. As mementos, he collected and hid jewelry from his victims in his attic, including rings and necklaces later recovered by authorities.

Capture and Confession

On June 13, 1983, 17-year-old sex worker Cindy Paulson was abducted by Robert Hansen in , after he offered her money for sex; he took her to his home, where he handcuffed, raped, and tortured her with a before driving her to airport to fly her to a remote location for murder. Paulson escaped when Hansen unlocked his airplane door to retrieve something, allowing her to flee half-naked and hitchhike to a , from where she contacted police and provided a detailed description of her assailant, his residence, and the small aircraft involved. Initial police response was skeptical due to Paulson's profession, but her account matched , and an airport security guard confirmed seeing her with Hansen that night, providing his vehicle's license plate number. By October 1983, investigators obtained a for Hansen's home, uncovering a .223-caliber linked to bullets from known crime scenes, jewelry belonging to , and an aviation map marked with 17 X's indicating remote burial sites in the Alaskan wilderness. Hansen was arrested on October 27, 1983, initially for the assault on Paulson and related charges. During interrogation on February 22, 1984, Hansen initially denied involvement but confessed after investigators confronted him with the marked map and threatened to excavate the sites, admitting to kidnapping, raping, and murdering 17 women between 1971 and 1983, often by flying them to isolated areas and hunting them as prey. He agreed to lead authorities to the burial locations, resulting in the recovery of 12 bodies, though he claimed some sites were inaccessible due to weather or terrain. Hansen's wife, Darla, was unaware of , having previously dismissed his behavior as minor indiscretions like visiting prostitutes, and she divorced him following the revelations. The shocked the Anchorage community, where Hansen was known as a quiet, churchgoing family man and successful bakery owner, leading to widespread disbelief among neighbors and associates who had viewed him as respectable.

Victims

Identified Victims

Robert Hansen was linked to several identified victims through physical evidence, his confession, and locations marked on an aviation map seized from his home during the investigation. In , he pleaded no contest to four counts of first-degree murder, specifically for the killings of Sherry Morrow, Joanna Messina, Paula Goulding, and Andrea Altiery. These cases were substantiated by the recovery of remains from sites corresponding to Hansen's map markings and matching descriptions provided by survivor Cindy Paulson. Andrea Altiery, a 24-year-old exotic dancer also known as "Fish," disappeared from Anchorage on December 2, 1981. Hansen confessed to abducting her and murdering her after she attempted to flee; no body was recovered, but her identity was confirmed through Hansen's possession of her custom necklace trophy and details matching his description of the . Sherry Morrow, aged 23 and working as a topless dancer, disappeared from Anchorage on , 1981. Investigators found nude photographs of her in Hansen's possession, which led them to a burial site marked on his map near the Knik River, where her remains were recovered in September 1983; evidence tied the scene to Hansen's .223-caliber rifle. Joanna Messina, a 24-year-old sex worker, went missing in early 1980. Her body was unearthed in July 1980 near Eklutna Road; Hansen admitted to flying her to the site and shooting her during his "hunting" ritual. Paula Goulding, 32 years old and employed as a dancer, vanished on April 25, 1983. Partial remains, including a jawbone and teeth, were found in September 1983 by hunters near the Knik River, aligning with a map site and Hansen's description of the murder; dental records confirmed her identity. Hansen also confessed to additional murders of identified women, though links were more disputed due to lack of physical evidence. Mary Kathleen Thill, 22, went missing from Seward on July 5, 1975, with no body recovered; Hansen's confession placed her among his victims, reportedly flown to a remote area and killed. Other identified victims whose remains were recovered based on Hansen's map include DeLynn Frey (found April 1984 at Horseshoe Lake), Angela Feddern (April 1984 at Figure Eight Lake), and Lisa Futrell (May 1984 south of Knik River), among at least eight more confirmed through post-arrest searches.

Unidentified Victims and Recent Developments

At the time of Robert Hansen's 1983 conviction, several of his victims remained unidentified, including two whose remains were discovered in 1980 and believed to be among his 17 confessed murders. One, known as Horseshoe Harriet due to the discovery site near Horseshoe Lake north of Anchorage, was found in a wooded area with partial skeletal remains. The other, referred to as Eklutna Annie, was located in a shallow near Eklutna Lake Road, estimated to be Hansen's first victim based on the timeline of his crimes. In October 2021, the Bureau of Investigation used forensic —uploading DNA from Horseshoe Harriet's remains to public databases like and cross-referencing with family trees—to identify her as Robin Louise Pelkey, a 19-year-old born in 1963 in who had grown up in and moved to in the early . A DNA sample from a living relative confirmed the match, providing closure to a case that had lingered for nearly 40 years. Pelkey's identification marked a significant advancement in resolution, highlighting the role of commercial genetic tools in linking anonymous remains to missing persons reports. Eklutna Annie, described as a petite Caucasian or mixed-race woman aged 16–25 with long light brown to reddish-blond hair, remains Hansen's sole unidentified victim as of November 2025. The Alaska State Troopers' Cold Case Investigation Unit continues efforts to identify her through genetic genealogy, including re-examination of DNA profiles against expanding databases and public appeals for tips from potential relatives. No new identifications have been announced since 2021, though investigators note the challenges posed by the transient lifestyles of Hansen's victims during Alaska's 1970s–1980s oil boom. Hansen's hand-drawn map of burial sites, provided during his , marked up to 21 locations, suggesting possible additional victims beyond the 17 he admitted to killing, though searches yielded only 12 bodies. Unconfirmed connections persist to cases like the December 1971 abduction and murder of 18-year-old Celia Beth van Zanten from Anchorage, whose bound, gagged, and strangled body was found in a near the Anchorage dump; similarities in method led investigators to consider Hansen a , but he denied involvement and no linked him.

Trial and Imprisonment

Hansen was arrested on October 27, 1983, after investigators linked him to the June 13, 1983, and of Cindy Paulson, a 17-year-old worker who had escaped from him. An Anchorage indicted him on November 3, 1983, on charges including first-degree , , and of Paulson, as well as five counts of weapons misconduct involving handguns, second-degree , and . Following his , Hansen was further indicted for the first-degree murders of four women: 30-year-old Paula Goulding (disappeared April 25, 1983), 24-year-old Joanne Messina (disappeared October 31, 1981), 23-year-old Sherry Morrow (disappeared June 28, 1981), and an unidentified victim known as "Eklutna Annie" (discovered in 1980). Negotiations leading to a occurred after his , with prosecutors offering to drop all other charges and forgo the death penalty if Hansen pleaded no contest to the four murders, confessed fully, and assisted in locating victims' remains. On February 27, , Hansen entered the plea in Anchorage . During the hearing, Ralph Moody accepted the plea after hearing from survivor Cindy Paulson, who described her abduction and assault, and from lead investigators who detailed the critical evidence of an aviation map found in Hansen's , marked with X's corresponding to body recovery sites in the Alaskan wilderness. Moody sentenced Hansen the same day to 461 years in prison plus a consecutive life term without for the murders, with the plea deal ensuring he would serve his time in a federal facility.

Sentence and Prison Life

Following his conviction in February 1984, Robert Hansen was sentenced by E. Moody to a total of 461 years plus without the possibility of . The sentence structure included 99-year terms for each of four first-degree murder counts and an additional charge, along with 30 years for , shorter terms for weapons misconduct and charges, and a consecutive life term for one murder count, ensuring Hansen would never be released. Initially incarcerated at the federal penitentiary in , Hansen was transferred in 1988 to the in , where he spent the remainder of his life. In prison, Hansen maintained a low profile and was described by correctional staff as well-behaved and low-maintenance, posing no significant disciplinary issues over his three decades of incarceration. He worked as a barber for much of his time at Spring Creek, though he had not held an assigned job in the years leading up to his death. Following his initial confessions and cooperation with investigators—which helped recover several victims' remains—Hansen declined further media or interviews, limiting additional insights into his crimes or unresolved cases. The impact on Hansen's family was profound and immediate after his conviction. His second wife, Darla, whom he had married in 1963 and with whom he had two children, filed for and obtained a shortly thereafter, severing ties amid the public scandal. Darla and the children relocated from to to escape harassment and scrutiny, and the family has since maintained strict privacy, with no known ongoing contact or reconciliation with Hansen.

Death and Legacy

Death

In his later years, Robert Hansen experienced a significant decline in health, suffering from multiple ailments that required specialized medical care. Diagnosed with heart disease and other chronic conditions, he was transferred from in Seward to the Anchorage Correctional Complex on May 11, 2014, where he was placed in medical segregation for treatment in a hospital-like setting. Hansen's condition worsened over the following months, leading to his admission to Regional Hospital in Anchorage shortly before his . He died there on August 21, 2014, at approximately 1:30 a.m., at the age of 75, from natural causes related to his ongoing health issues, as confirmed by the Department of Corrections pending the state medical examiner's report. Following his death, Hansen's body was cremated, with his ashes released to family members. Hansen's crimes had a lasting impact on victim identification efforts in Alaska. The Alaska Bureau of Investigation's Cold Case Investigation Unit, established in 2002, has utilized advanced DNA genealogy to identify several of his previously unidentified victims decades later, including Robin Pelkey in 2021. As of 2025, efforts continue to identify the last remaining unidentified victim, known as "Eklutna Annie," using genetic genealogy.

Depictions in Media

Hansen's crimes have been depicted in several films, most notably (2013), directed by Scott Walker, which dramatizes the investigation led by Alaska State Trooper Jack Halcombe (played by ) and the escape of survivor Cindy Paulson (), culminating in the capture of serial killer (). The film draws from real events surrounding Paulson's 1983 escape, emphasizing the trooper's persistence despite initial skepticism from authorities. Documentaries have extensively covered Hansen's case, including the two-part Oxygen series The Butcher Baker: Mind of a Monster (2021), which explores his double life as a and hunter, featuring interviews, archival footage, and his confession tapes to detail the abductions and murders in Alaska's wilderness. Earlier, aired Hansen vs. Hansen (2007), a special examining the family dynamics and psychological factors behind his crimes through expert analysis and victim accounts. Hansen also appears in episodes of series such as Cold Case Files on A&E, which revisited the forensic breakthroughs in identifying victims, Mark of a Killer Season 2, Episode 6 ("Hunted to Death," 2020) on Oxygen, focusing on his signature method of releasing women for "sport" hunts, and the A&E series First Blood Season 1, Episode 2 ("Robert Hansen: The Butcher Baker," 2022), which examines his first known kill and the progression of his crimes. Television portrayals include inspired elements in Dexter: New Blood (2021), where the antagonist Kurt Caldwell (), known as the "Runaway Killer," mirrors Hansen's modus operandi of targeting sex workers and hunting them in remote areas, though the series ran from 2006–2013 originally with this arc as a revival. In Criminal Minds Season 3, Episode 3 ("Open Season," 2007), the unsub's profile and hunting tactics in loosely draw from Hansen's case, highlighting behavioral analysis in rural predator hunts. Books on Hansen include Fair Game: A Story of Revenge, Triumph, and the Making of a Serial Killer (1993) by Bernard DuClos, the first major account based on police records, interviews, and transcripts, chronicling his 12-year spree and the investigative hurdles. Podcasts like True Crime Garage dedicated episodes 497 and 498 ("Hunting Humans," Parts 1 and 2, released June 22, 2021) to his story, using survivor testimonies and evidence details to narrate the case's progression. No significant new major media depictions have emerged after 2022. These portrayals generally underscore investigative shortcomings, such as delayed connections between assaults and the dismissal of victim credibility due to their professions, while spotlighting survivor resilience, particularly Paulson's role in leading to Hansen's arrest, without sensationalizing the violence.

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