Robert Christian Hansen: The "Butcher Baker" of Alaska
Background and Early Criminal History
Robert Christian Hansen was born on February 15, 1939, in Estherville, Iowa. He later became one of Alaska's most notorious serial killers. After moving to Anchorage in 1967, Hansen built a seemingly ordinary life as a husband, father, baker, pilot, and experienced hunter. Behind that respectable appearance, however, he developed a long pattern of violent crimes against women. By the time he was finally arrested in 1983, Hansen had sexually assaulted numerous women and had murdered at least 17. Investigators believed the true number of victims may have been higher.
Hansen had a criminal record before the Alaska murders began. In 1960, he was convicted after setting fire to a school bus garage in Iowa and served time in prison. After moving to Alaska, his crimes became increasingly violent. In December 1971, he was arrested in separate cases involving the abduction and attempted rape of one woman and the rape of another. Despite these warning signs, Hansen continued living in Anchorage and eventually operated a bakery while pursuing his interest in hunting and aviation.
His Method of Abduction and Murder
Hansen generally targeted women in Anchorage, including dancers and sex workers. He sometimes approached them by offering money for photographs or companionship. Once a woman was inside his vehicle, Hansen could use a firearm to threaten and control her. Victims were sometimes taken to his Anchorage home before being transported to more isolated locations.
Hansen owned a small airplane, giving him access to wilderness areas that were difficult to reach by road. Several victims were taken to remote locations around the Knik River, Knik Arm, and other areas of Southcentral Alaska. Hansen admitted that he sometimes forced victims into the wilderness before killing them. Accounts of his crimes describe him using his hunting experience to pursue some women after allowing them to run, then shooting them with hunting weapons. Other victims were shot or stabbed without such a pursuit.
The isolation of these locations helped Hansen conceal his crimes. Bodies could remain undiscovered for months or years, and several women he admitted killing have never been found.
Known and Admitted Victims
- "Eklutna Annie" - identity unknown: Hansen admitted killing the unidentified young woman known as Eklutna Annie and described her as his first murder victim. She was probably killed sometime between late 1979 and mid-1980. Hansen said he stabbed her in the back after she attempted to escape from his vehicle. Her remains were discovered near South Eklutna Lake Road in the Eklutna area north of Anchorage in July 1980. Her exact date of death has never been established.
- Joanna Messina, 24 - May 19, 1980: Messina was in Seward, Alaska, when she encountered Hansen. Hansen later admitted taking her into the Snow River area outside Seward. During the encounter he struck her with a handgun and then shot her. He also killed her dog. Messina's body was left in a gravel pit and was discovered on July 8, 1980. Her death is associated with May 19, 1980, the date of her final encounter with Hansen.
- Roxane Easland, 24 - June 28, 1980: Easland disappeared in Anchorage on June 28, 1980, after reportedly planning to meet a man near Fourth Avenue. Hansen eventually admitted killing her. Her body has never been recovered, so the precise location and medical date of death could not be independently established. Her disappearance date is generally treated as the date of her death.
- Lisa Futrell, 41 - September 1980: Futrell disappeared after encountering Hansen in September 1980. Her remains were later found south of the former Knik Arm Bridge on May 9, 1984. Because her body was recovered years later, an exact medically established day of death is not available; her disappearance occurred in early September 1980.
- Sherry Morrow, 23 - November 17, 1981: Morrow disappeared after telling friends that she planned to meet a photographer who had offered her money to pose for photographs. Hansen abducted and murdered her. Hunters discovered her shallow grave along the Knik River on September 12, 1982. She had been shot three times in the back with a .223-caliber weapon. Investigators determined that her clothing did not contain corresponding bullet holes, indicating that she had probably been unclothed when she was shot and was dressed afterward. Her disappearance and accepted death date was November 17, 1981.
- Andrea Mona "Fish" Altiery, 24 - December 2, 1981: Altiery disappeared after leaving to meet a man for what she believed would be paid photographs or dancing work. Hansen later admitted abducting her and taking her toward the Knik Arm area. According to his confession, he sexually assaulted and then shot her with a .22-caliber handgun. He said he weighted her body and disposed of it from a bridge. Her remains have never been found. December 2, 1981, is the last confirmed date she was seen alive.
- Sue Luna, 23 - May 26, 1982: Luna met Hansen after accepting what she believed was an offer for a paid photography session. Hansen abducted her and took her into the Knik River area. He admitted killing her by gunfire after taking her into the wilderness. Luna was reported missing the following day. Her remains were eventually recovered near the Knik River on April 24, 1984. Her disappearance and presumed death occurred on May 26, 1982.
- Tamera "Tami" Pederson, 20 - August 1982: Pederson was an Anchorage dancer who told family members during an August 7, 1982, telephone call that she had been offered money to pose for photographs. Hansen abducted and murdered her. After his confession, he showed investigators the area where he had left her body. Her remains were recovered on April 29, 1984, approximately one and a half miles from the Old Knik Bridge. The exact day of her death has not been medically established, but she disappeared in August 1982.
- Robin Pelkey, 19 - approximately 1983: Pelkey was known for decades only as "Horseshoe Harriet" because investigators did not know her identity. Hansen admitted killing the young woman, and her remains were found near Horseshoe Lake north of Anchorage in April 1984. Advances in DNA and genealogical research eventually allowed Alaska authorities to identify her in 2021 as Robin Pelkey, originally from Colorado. Her precise date of death remains uncertain.
- Angela Lynn Feddern, 24 - approximately February 1983: Feddern was last seen in Anchorage around February 1983. Hansen admitted abducting and murdering her. Investigators recovered her remains on April 26, 1984, near a small lake in the Figure Eight Lake area. Because she had been missing for more than a year, an exact date of death could not be determined.
- DeLynne Renee "Sugar" Frey, 22 - approximately March 1983: Frey disappeared in Anchorage during March 1983. Hansen admitted killing her. A bush pilot later discovered a woman's remains on a sandbar along the Knik River on August 20, 1985. The victim was initially buried without identification. In 1989, authorities identified her as Frey after an Alaska State Trooper recognized jewelry associated with her. Her precise date of death is unknown.
- Teresa Watson, 22 - March 25, 1983: Watson was last seen in Anchorage on March 25, 1983. She reportedly told her roommate that she was going to meet a man who had offered her money for her company. Hansen admitted killing her in the Scenic Lake area. He left her body above ground because the frozen earth prevented burial. Investigators recovered her remains on April 26, 1984. March 25, 1983, is regarded as the date of her disappearance and presumed death.
- Paula Goulding, 30 - April 25, 1983: Hansen abducted Goulding on April 25, 1983. He later admitted taking her to a remote location, where she fought him and attempted to escape. Hansen shot her with a .223-caliber rifle. Her body was found in a shallow grave near the Knik River on September 2, 1983. Investigators noted that she had been shot in the back and that her clothing was not damaged by the bullets, suggesting that she had been unclothed when shot and dressed afterward. Her death occurred on April 25, 1983.
- Malai Larsen, 28 - approximately July 1981: Larsen was reported missing on July 10, 1981. Hansen was linked to her murder, and her remains were recovered near the Knik Arm Bridge area in April 1984. The amount of time between her disappearance and recovery prevented investigators from establishing a precise medical date of death.
Other Disappearances Investigated in Connection With Hansen
Authorities also examined the disappearances of several women whose deaths were suspected of being connected to Hansen but were not established as conclusively as the murders he admitted. Among them were Megan Siobhan Emerick and Mary Kathleen Thill. Thill disappeared from Seward on July 5, 1975. Hansen acknowledged being in Seward that day but denied murdering her. Investigators were particularly suspicious because Hansen's aviation map contained marks in the Resurrection Bay area. Her remains have never been recovered.
Celia "Beth" Van Zanten, 18, has also sometimes been discussed as a possible early Hansen victim. She was abducted in Anchorage on December 22, 1971, escaped or was released into extremely cold conditions, and died from exposure. Her body was discovered on December 25, 1971. Hansen denied killing her, and authorities never established his responsibility conclusively.
The Escape of Cindy Paulson
The most important surviving victim in the investigation was 17-year-old Cindy Paulson. On June 13, 1983, Hansen approached Paulson in Anchorage and offered her money. Once she entered his vehicle, he pulled a gun and abducted her. Hansen took Paulson to his house, restrained her, and sexually assaulted her. He then drove her toward Merrill Field, where his airplane was located.
Hansen intended to fly Paulson away from Anchorage, but while he was preparing his aircraft, he temporarily left her unattended. Paulson escaped from the vehicle and ran toward a nearby roadway while still partially restrained. A passing motorist helped her reach safety, and she immediately described her attacker and what had happened.
Paulson provided police with detailed information about Hansen, his vehicle, his home, and his airplane. She also told investigators that she had intentionally left her shoes inside Hansen's vehicle, giving police potential physical evidence connecting him to the kidnapping. A security employee at Merrill Field had also noticed suspicious activity and recorded information connected to Hansen's vehicle.
The Investigation and Search of Hansen's Property
Alaska State Trooper Glenn Flothe became one of the central investigators in the case. Investigators had already been examining several bodies recovered around Southcentral Alaska, including Eklutna Annie, Joanna Messina, and Sherry Morrow. The similarities between the killings suggested that one offender might be responsible.
The investigation also received assistance from FBI criminal profiler John Douglas. The behavioral profile suggested that the offender was likely an experienced hunter who knew the wilderness, had access to transportation, collected trophies or souvenirs from victims, and maintained an outwardly ordinary life. Hansen matched important elements of that profile.
Police obtained a search warrant for Hansen's property in October 1983. The search produced crucial evidence. Investigators found firearms, jewelry and personal possessions belonging to missing women, and an aviation map marked with numerous locations in the wilderness. Some of those markings corresponded with places where bodies had already been discovered.
Ballistics evidence further connected Hansen to the murders. A .223-caliber Ruger Mini-14 rifle associated with Hansen was linked to evidence recovered in the investigation. Faced with the physical evidence, the testimony of Cindy Paulson, and the marked map, Hansen's denials became increasingly difficult to maintain.
Confession and Recovery of the Victims
Hansen eventually agreed to cooperate with investigators as part of a plea agreement. He confessed to killing 17 women and explained markings on his aviation map. He accompanied investigators or directed them to remote locations where victims had been buried or abandoned.
Some of the sites had never previously been known to police. The investigation recovered remains belonging to several missing women, while other victims Hansen admitted killing were never found. Additional unexplained marks remained on Hansen's maps, which contributed to suspicions that his actual number of victims may have exceeded the number he confessed to killing.
Hansen's descriptions revealed a pattern of deliberate predation. He selected women he believed might be less likely to receive immediate attention from authorities, isolated them from populated areas, sexually assaulted them, and used the Alaskan wilderness to conceal their murders. His knowledge as a hunter and pilot allowed him to reach places where discovery was unlikely.
Conviction and Sentence
Hansen was formally prosecuted for four murders: Joanna Messina, Sherry Morrow, Paula Goulding, and the unidentified woman known as Eklutna Annie. He was also prosecuted for the kidnapping and sexual assault of Cindy Paulson. As part of his agreement with prosecutors, Hansen provided information about additional killings and burial locations.
In February 1984, Hansen pleaded guilty and received an extraordinary sentence totaling 461 years in prison without the possibility of parole. The sentence effectively guaranteed that he would spend the remainder of his life incarcerated.
Death and Legacy of the Case
Robert Hansen remained imprisoned for approximately three decades. During his incarceration he spent time in federal custody as well as Alaska correctional facilities, including Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward. In 2014, declining health resulted in his transfer to Anchorage.
Hansen died at Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage on August 21, 2014. He was 75 years old.
The Hansen case remains one of the most disturbing criminal investigations in Alaska history because of the length of his killing period, the isolation of the crime scenes, and the number of victims whose disappearances initially received limited attention. Several victims were not identified or recovered until years after Hansen's arrest, and questions remain about women whose disappearances may have been connected to him.
The case also demonstrates the importance of Cindy Paulson's escape and testimony. Her detailed account provided investigators with the evidence and direction necessary to focus on Hansen. Combined with forensic evidence, the marked aviation map, recovered belongings, and the work of Alaska State Troopers, her survival helped expose a series of crimes that had remained hidden across the Alaskan wilderness for years.
