Robert Hansen was a respected businessman in Anchorage, Alaska - the owner of a successful bakery, a father of two, and an avid hunter. For 12 years, he led a double life of unimaginable horror. Between 1971 and 1983, Hansen abducted at least 17 young women - most of them prostitutes and exotic dancers - and flew them in his private plane to a remote cabin in the Alaskan wilderness. There, he would release them, give them a head start, and hunt them through the forest with a hunting knife and a .223 caliber rifle. He was the hunter. They were his prey. Hansen was finally caught in 1983 when one of his intended victims, 17-year-old Cindy Paulson, escaped from his vehicle while he was loading his plane. She ran barefoot through the snow for miles before flagging down a truck driver who took her to police. Hansen denied everything. But when investigators searched his home, they found a map hidden in his headboard marked with 37 X's - locations where he had buried his victims. Hansen confessed to 17 murders and was sentenced to 461 years plus life in prison. He died in 2014 at age 75, taking the full truth of his crimes to the grave.
The Victims: Hansen confessed to 17 murders but is suspected of many more. His known victims were: Lisa Futrell (17), Malai Larsen (21), Sue Luna (23), DeLynn Frey (19), Paula Goulding (30), Andrea Altiery (23), Sherry Morrow (23), Angela Feddern (24), Teresa Watson (24), and others. All were young women. Most were sex workers or exotic dancers - people whose disappearances might not be immediately noticed. Hansen exploited the vulnerability of his victims and the vast, empty Alaskan wilderness that concealed his crimes.
🔪 The Hunt
Hansen's method was terrifying in its simplicity. He would pick up women from Anchorage's bars and streets, sometimes offering them large sums of money for modeling work. He would drive them to his plane at Merrill Field. Once airborne, he would fly them to his remote cabin in the Knik River Valley. There, the nightmare began. Hansen would strip his victims, rape them, and then release them into the wilderness. He would give them a head start - sometimes minutes, sometimes longer - before pursuing them with his rifle and knife. He hunted them as he hunted bear and moose, tracking them through the Alaskan wilderness until he caught them. He killed them, buried their bodies in shallow graves, and returned to Anchorage. He was a baker. A father. A husband. A respected member of the community. And one of the most sadistic serial killers in American history.
🗺️ The Map
After Cindy Paulson's escape and Hansen's arrest, investigators searched his home. In the attic, hidden in the headboard of his bed, they found a map of the Knik River Valley. The map was marked with 37 X's. Hansen initially claimed the marks were locations for his construction business. But when investigators flew over the areas marked on the map, they began finding bodies. Hansen then confessed - not to all 37 locations, but to 17 murders. He drew detailed sketches showing where he had buried his victims. The bodies were recovered. Hansen pleaded guilty to the murders and was sentenced to 461 years plus life without parole. He spent the rest of his life in the Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward, Alaska, where he died in 2014 at the age of 75.
"I just snapped. I couldn't control myself. I took them out there and I hunted them. It was like hunting animals."
Conclusion: Robert Hansen was a predator who used the vast Alaskan wilderness as his killing ground. For 12 years, he hunted women, burying their bodies in remote locations that might never have been discovered. The escape of Cindy Paulson - a teenager who refused to become another X on Hansen's map - ended his killing spree and brought justice to his victims. Hansen died in prison, never having revealed whether all 37 X's on his map corresponded to victims. The remaining marks may be nothing. Or they may represent women whose bodies were never found, whose names were never known, whose families still wait for answers. The Alaskan wilderness keeps its secrets. So did Robert Hansen.