In the early morning hours of June 4, 2022, a sense of unease lingered in a Gilbert, Arizona apartment complex. Inside her own home, 19-year-old Rachel Hansen, a female with a passion for training horses, was sleeping when her life was irrevocably altered. An intruder breached the presumed safety of her apartment and shot her. Despite the traumatic event, Rachel was able to make a desperate call to 911, reporting that she had been shot by an unknown person who had broken into her home.
Her pleas for help were urgent as she informed the dispatcher that she was bleeding profusely.
First responders arrived at the scene on South Coronado Road to find Rachel with a single gunshot wound. She was quickly transported to a nearby hospital, but tragically, she succumbed to her injuries during surgery. The initial shock of the violent act gave way to a complex and ongoing investigation by the Gilbert Police Department. As they delved into Rachel's life, a picture emerged of a young woman who had recently moved back into an apartment she had been subleasing.
In the days leading up to her death, there were unsettling occurrences. Two nights before the shooting, Rachel had texted her boyfriend to tell him that she had been awakened by an unknown person opening her bedroom door and looking in before leaving. The investigation also uncovered that the previous tenants of her apartment had been involved in drug-related activities and had numerous complaints against them. Furthermore, Rachel had been in a dispute with a horse ranch where she had previously worked.
Despite these various leads and the release of a heavily redacted 300-page police report that mentioned a person of interest, no arrests have been made in Rachel Hansen's murder. The case, which was at one point listed as suspended due to a lack of leads, is still considered an active homicide investigation. Her family, left with more questions than answers, has hired a private investigator and continues to plead with the public for any information that could lead to the capture of the person responsible for her death. In her memory, her family started Rachel's Rescue, an organization that has since rehomed hundreds of dogs. A reward of up to $15,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
