Tales of A Serial Killer: Robert Hansen

In the years between 1971 and 1983, a man known as the Butcher Baker used the wilderness in Alaska to hunt down his victims as a sick and twisted game of cat and mouse. Before he’d set them free in the wild, he would take them back to his home, hang them up, and rape them. He’s killed at least 17 women, but it’s suspected that he’s killed as many as 37. There’s a movie based on this case called, “The Frozen Grounds.”

Who Was Robert Hansen?

Hansen was born on February 15th, 1939, in Estherville, Iowa. He was the oldest of three children to Edna Margret Hansen Peterson, and Christian Hansen. His father owned a bakery, which Hansen would later work at. He and his family moved to Richmond, California, in 1942, but moved back to Iowa in 1949, and settled in Pocahontas. When he was a child, he was extremely shy, which caused a bad stutter, and also had bad acne which left scarring on his face. He was also described to be quite quiet and a loner, and struggled to form a healthy relationship with his father. To deal with his stress and toxic household, he started to become passionate with hunting and archery, which would later aid in his ability to hunt down his victims. He also served one year in the United States Army Reserve in 1957 before being discharged. He later worked as an assistant drill instructor at a police academy in Pocahontas, Iowa, where he met his wife, whom he married in the summer of 1960. The two later got divorced, and he married his second wife in 1963, and had two children together.

Early Crime Spree

Hasen started his life of crime in late 1960. On December 7th, he was arrested for burning down a Pocahontas County Board of Education school bus garage, as revenge due to not being popular in high school, and consistently being bullied. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison, but only served 20 months. While he was in prison, a psychiatrist diagnosed him with manic depression, with periodic schizophrenic episodes. That psychiatrist stated that Hansen had an infantile personality and was obsessed with seeking revenge on the people who thought wronged him in some way. While he was serving his time in prison, his first wife filed for divorce. Over the next several years, he was jailed for multiple petty thefts, and moved to Anchorage, Alaska, with his second wife.

He was arrested twice in December of 1971, once for abducting and attempting to rape an unidentified woman, and the second time for raping an unidentified sex worker. He pleaded no contest to assault with a deadly weapon in the offense involving the first woman, and the rape charge involving the prostitute 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. In 1976, Hansen pleaded guilty to larceny after he was caught stealing a chainsaw from an Anchorage Fred Meyer store. He was sentenced to five years in prison and required to receive psychiatric treatment for his bipolar disorder. His sentence ended up being reduced, and he was released with time served.

The Murders

It’s assumed that Hansen began his killing spree around 1972. He would pick up sex workers in his car and force them at gunpoint to his home. There, he would restrain, torture, and sexually assault them. Afterwards, he would take them to a secluded area in the wilderness and let them go before hunting them down and killing them. He would give them a head start since he knew that wilderness very well, and knew there was no way that they could escape.

On June 13th, 1983, Hansen came across a 17 year old woman named Cindy Paulson, and offered her $200 to perform oral sex on him in his car. Once she was inside, he pulled out his gun and drove her to his home in Muldoon. He held her captive and began to rape and torture her. He had her chained up by her neck on a pole in his basement, and decided to take a nap. When he woke up, he unchained her, put her back into his car, and drove to the Merrill Field Airport, and told her he was going to take her back to his cabin in the Knit River area of the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, which you could only go to by bush plane or boat. Cindy was crouched in the backseat of his car with her wrists cuffed in front of her body when she saw a chance to escape. While Hansen’s back was turned, Cindy crawled out of the back seat, opened the driver’s side door and ran toward nearby Sixth Avenue, where she was able to flag someone down for help.

Cindy told police that she left her blue sneakers on the passenger side floor of the sedan’s backseat as evidence that she was inside of his car. She explained that Hansen panicked and started to chase her, but gave up when he saw her flag down a truck and get inside. He drove her to the Mush Inn, where she jumped out of the truck and ran inside. Cindy described her attacker to the police and they were able to track him down, however, he denied the accusation, and claimed that she was just trying to cause trouble for him because he wouldn’t pay her extortion demands. Even though Hansen had several prior run-ins with the law, his demeanor and humble occupation as a baker, along with an alibi from his friend John Henning, kept him from being considered as a serious suspect.

After bodies started being discovered in that area, it was suspected that they were dealing with one killer. Special Agent John Douglas was 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 killer might stutter. Using this profile, Flothe investigated possible suspects until he reached Hansen, who fit the profile and even owned a plane, which would give him access to getting to the area.

Due to the profile and Cindy’s testimony, a warrant to search Hansen’s plane, vehicles, and home was granted. On October 27th, 1983 investigators uncovered jewelry belonging to some of the missing women as well as several firearms in Hansen’s attic. They also discovered an aeronautical chart with 37 little “x” marks on it, hidden behind his headboard. Many of these marks matched sites where bodies had been found previously (others were discovered later at the locations marked on Hansen’s murder map).

When confronted with the evidence found in his home, Hansen initially denied all of it, but he eventually started to blame the women and tried to justify his actions. He eventually confessed to each item of evidence, and he admitted to a spree of attacks against Alaskan women starting in 1971. Hansen’s earliest victims were girls or young women, usually between ages 16 and 19 and not prostitutes, unlike the victims who led to his discovery.

The Victims

Celia Beth Van Zanten (18): December 22nd, 1971. Her chest had been sliced with a knife, and she was bound and raped. She was dumped, while still alive, into a deep ravine before passing away from exposure. According to forensic evidence, she attempted to climb back up the slope but was unable to do so due to her bindings. Hansen was accused of killing her because of an “x” on his aircraft map, but denied responsibility for both her death and other women’s homicides who were not involved in the prostitution.

Megan Siobhan Emerick (17): July 7th, 1973. She was last spotted leaving a dorm laundry room while attending the boarding school Seward Skill Center. She has not been seen or heard from since. Megan left behind all of her personal items, including her identification. Before contacting the police, her roommate conducted a three-day search for her. Hansen denied killing her to authorities, but he did admit he was in Seward on the day Megan vanished. Due to an “x” on his aircraft map in the Seward region, it’s assumed that he’s responsible. Apparently, Hansen admitted to a former inmate that he transported Megan to a cabin in the Seward region that was only reachable by boat, where he killed and buried her.

Mary Kathleen Thill (22): July 5th, 1975. She disappeared from Seward, Alaska. Her husband was away working on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and she lived on Lower Point Road. She was driven into town by a friend, who then dropped her off at a local bakery. Between 1:30 and 2:00 pm, a different acquaintance saw her by a waterfall 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 aviation chart in the vicinity of Resurrection Bay raised suspicions about him. According to a former prisoner, Hansen admitted to killing her and discarding her body in Resurrection Bay.

Eklutna Annie: July 21st, 1980. Her remains were discovered buried next to a power line in a wooded area, one mile south of South Eklutna Lake Road in Eklutna, Anchorage, Alaska. Hansen admitted to stabbing her in the back after she made an effort to flee from his car. She was either a topless dancer or a sex worker. Hansen also claimed that she was his first murder victim. Despite his claim that Eklutna Annie might have come from Kodiak, Alaska, troopers think she might have arrived in Alaska via California. Her body had already been largely consumed by wildlife when it was found in a shallow grave near Eklutna Lake Road.

Joanne Messina (24): She was a local topless dancer who went out to dinner with Hansen on May 19th, 1980, while she was working in Seward, Alaska. Before she offered him sex in exchange for cash, Hansen claimed that 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 hit her with a .22 caliber revolver, and then shot her twice, and her dog once. He brought Messina’s body to a gravel pit nearby and dumped gravel over her body. The dog and Messina’s belongings were thrown into the woods, and the gun was thrown into the Snow River. On July 8th, 1980, her severely decomposed body was found after it had been destroyed by wildlife.

Roxanne Easland (24): She had been residing at the Budget Motel on Spenard Road in Anchorage, Alaska, with her boyfriend for the previous two weeks. On that day, she was scheduled to meet an unnamed man downtown on 4th Avenue. She has not been seen or heard from since. Although Hansen admitted to killing her, her body was never discovered.[32]

Lisa Futrell (41): She met Hansen at the nightclub she worked at in Anchorage, on September 6th, 1980. When she failed to return home, her two younger roommates reported her missing. Her body was discovered on May 9th, 1984, buried next to a gravel pit south of the former Knik Arm Bridge.

Sherry Morrow (23): She was a topless dancer who was supposed to receive $300 for nude pictures, and told friends she was seeing a photographer on November 17th, 1981. She was never seen again. A shallow grave was discovered by hunters on the banks of the Knik River, which borders Anchorage, on September 12th, 1982. Morrow, who was reported missing a year earlier, was identified from the remains. She had 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.

Andrea Mona “Fish” Altiery (24): She was last seen boarding a taxi to go to the Boniface Mall in Anchorage, Alaska, at 11:00PM on December 2nd, 1981. She intended to meet an unnamed man for a photo shoot and to perform exotic dances for him, 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, blindfolded, and handcuffed her. Near the Knik Arm Bridge, they took a car to a service road off Palmer Highway. After they arrived, he took off her restraints and sexually assaulted her. He 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 her corpse, and threw her off the bridge into the Knik River. Her body was never found.

Sue Luna (23): She was an exotic dancer who voluntarily agreed to attend a $300 photo shoot offer with a nightclub patron. On May 26th, 1982, she met Hansen in a parking lot at a diner in Anchorage, Alaska. Hansen abducted, killed, and buried Luna in the Knik River. She was discovered on April 24th, 1984.

Robin Pelkey (19): Her partial remains were found on April 25th, 1984, in Palmer, Alaska, close to Horseshoe Lake. It was determined that she was stabbed and shot to death. It’s unclear if she was involved in sexual activity, as Hansen went for women fitting that description. In October of 2021, forensic genealogy was used to determine her identity. She had the moniker “Horseshoe Harriet” before she was identified. In the early 1980s, Pelkey resided in Anchorage, Alaska, and went missing on July 19th, 1983.

DeLynne “Sugar” Renee Frey (22): She was a former resident of Anchorage, Alaska, and was last seen sometime in March of 1983, but was not immediately reported missing. She was abducted by Hansen and was buried as “Jane Doe’’ in an Anchorage cemetery after her body was discovered on a Knik River sandbar. It wasn’t until 1989 that she was identified when an Alaska State Trooper recognised her jewelry in a case file photo.

Paula Goulding (30): She was a dancer in Anchorage when, on April 25th, 1983, Hansen offered her money before kidnapping her. He drove her to his aircraft, shackled her, and demanded she exit the aircraft under threat of being shot. She fought with him and attempted to get away once they reached a remote spot. She fled, and he fired a .223 rifle at her, killing her. On September 2nd, 1983, she was discovered on the Knik River, buried in a shallow grave. She was shot in the back, but because her clothing was unharmed, it’s possible that she was shot while still naked and then clothed after her death.

Cindy Paulson (19): She met Hansen on June 13th, 1983, in Anchorage. After agreeing to pay for sex, Hansen pulled a .357 Magnum on her and kidnapped her. She was taken to his home, bound, tortured, and sexually assaulted before Hansen took her to Merrill Field, where his airplane was. Hansen left Cindy alone in his car while he began loading his plane, threatening to kill her if she ran away. She ran away anyway after he had his back turned, toward Fifth Avenue, and was picked up by a truck driver. Cindy was brought to a safe location and contacted the police. At about the same time, a security guard at the Merrill Field noticed some suspicious activity, and although he made no contact, he noted the license tag for Hansen’s car.

Malai Larsen (28): She was a dancer who was reported missing on July 10th, 1981, from Anchorage, Alaska. On April 24th, 1984, her body was discovered in a parking lot close to the Knik Arm Bridge.

Teresa Watson (22): She was a dancer and was last seen in Anchorage on March 25th, 1983. She told her roommate that she would be meeting with a man who offered to give her $300 in exchange for an hour or two of company. At Scenic Lake, Hansen abducted and killed her. Hansen was unable to bury her since the earth in the region was still frozen. Instead, he abandoned her where he killed her. Her body was found on May 17th, 1984.

Angela Lynn Feddern (24): She was last seen on Fourth Avenue in Anchorage sometime in February of 1983, and wasn’t reported missing until May. The owner of a nightclub reported that Feddern, one of his dancers, had gone missing. Hansen had kidnapped and killed her. Her body was found on April 26th, 1984, at a small lake near the larger Figure Eight Lake.

Tamera “Tami” Pederson (20): She was a dancer at a nightclub in Anchorage. Her family last heard from her during a phone call on August 7th, 1982, where she claimed to have been offered money to pose for photographs. She was kidnapped and murdered by Hansen. Her body wasn’t found until after Hansen confessed and pointed to her body’s location on a map. She was found 1.5 miles from the Old Knik Bridge on April 29th, 1984.

In The End…

Hansen pleaded guilty to the four homicides that 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 17 grave sites in and around Southcentral Alaska, 12 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 belong to the graves of Mary Thill and Megan Emrick, whom Hansen has denied killing. The remains of 12 of a probable 21 to 37 victims were exhumed by the police and returned to their families.

He was sentenced to 461 years in prison without the possibility of parole, and died at the age of 75, on August 21st, 2014, due to natural causes from lingering health conditions.