Mary Thill Missing Person Case

Aug 01, 2012

Mar 13, 2024

Mary

Thill

73

22

65 inches

130 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

On a summer day in July of 1975, a 23-year-old woman named Mary Kathleen Thill disappeared in Seward, Alaska. At the time, her husband was away, working on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. On the morning of July 5th, a friend gave Mary a ride into town, dropping her off at a bakery or the local mini-mall where she planned to do some shopping. Mary, who had red, frizzy, bicep-length hair and blue eyes, was wearing a gray pullover sweater, a distinctive purple, orange, and yellow Army-style jacket, blue jeans, and brown leather boots. She also wore rose-colored glasses and carried a military-style hand or shoulder bag. A friend later reported seeing her between 1:30 and 2:00 p.m. near the waterfall on Lowell Point Road. After this sighting, Mary was never heard from or seen again. Her husband returned to Seward as soon as he was notified that his wife was missing. Friends and family told investigators that it was highly uncharacteristic of Mary to leave without telling anyone where she was going, and foul play was suspected from early on in the investigation. For years, her case remained cold, a painful mystery for those who knew her. The investigation, led by the Seward Police Department, had few leads to follow. The mystery of her disappearance, however, would eventually become linked to one of Alaska's most infamous criminals. Years later, investigators began to suspect a connection between Mary's disappearance and the serial killer Robert Hansen, also known as the "Butcher Baker". Hansen, who was convicted in 1984 for a string of brutal crimes, had been in Seward on the very day Mary vanished. When authorities searched Hansen's home, they discovered a map with "X" marks on it, which corresponded to the locations where he had buried his victims. There were more marks on the map than the 17 murders he confessed to, including two unaccounted-for marks in the Seward and Resurrection Bay area. Although Hansen denied having any involvement in Mary Thill's case, a former inmate later claimed that Hansen had confessed to killing her and dumping her body in Resurrection Bay. While many of Hansen's known victims were sex workers or dancers, Mary did not fit this profile. Despite the strong suspicions, no definitive proof has ever linked him to her case, which officially remains unsolved.

Jul 05, 1975

Seward

Alaska

Kenai Peninsula Borough

No

22104

Seward Police Department

Seward

Alaska

Kenai Peninsula Borough

99664

Sean Corrigan

Officer

PO Box 2208, Alaska

9072243338

Local

Law Enforcement

Seward Police Department

Red/Auburn

Blue

Blue

07/17/2026