Bio

Robert Christian Hansen was born on February 15, 1939, in Estherville, Iowa. He was the son of Christian and Edna Hansen. His father was a Danish immigrant and worked as a baker, a trade Hansen later followed. Accounts of Hansen’s early life describe him as quiet, socially withdrawn, and physically self-conscious. He had a severe stutter and serious acne during his youth. Later accounts state that he was bullied and had difficulty forming relationships with girls and women. These details are frequently cited in biographical summaries of the case, but they should be treated as background information rather than an explanation for his crimes.

In 1957, Hansen joined the United States Army Reserve and served for about one year. He later worked in Iowa and married his first wife in 1960. That marriage ended after his first major criminal conviction.

On December 7, 1960, Hansen was arrested for burning down a school bus garage in Pocahontas, Iowa. He was sentenced to prison and served about 20 months of a three-year sentence. His wife divorced him while he was incarcerated.

After his release, Hansen remarried. In 1967, he moved with his second wife to Anchorage, Alaska. In Alaska, Hansen built a public image as a family man, baker, pilot, and skilled hunter. He opened a bakery and became known locally as an outdoorsman.

Behind that public image, Hansen continued to have contact with the criminal justice system. In 1972, he was arrested in cases involving the attempted rape of a housewife and the rape of a sex worker. He served a short jail sentence after a reduced charge. In 1976 or 1977, he was arrested again for stealing a chainsaw and was convicted of larceny. Reports also state that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed lithium, though records indicate he was not consistently required to take the medication.

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, Hansen had a wife, children, a business, hunting experience, and access to a private plane. These factors allowed him to maintain a respectable public identity while committing crimes against women who were often marginalized and whose disappearances were not always immediately investigated as suspicious.

Murder Story

Robert Hansen’s murders occurred in and around Anchorage, Alaska, during the 1970s and early 1980s. The victims were mostly women who worked as sex workers, topless dancers, or bar employees. Hansen targeted women he believed would be less likely to be reported missing or taken seriously by authorities.

His method involved abducting women, assaulting them, and taking them to isolated areas outside Anchorage. In some cases, he drove victims to remote locations. In other cases, he used his private plane to fly them into the Alaskan wilderness.

Investigators later learned that Hansen sometimes released victims in remote areas and hunted them with a rifle or knife. His primary firearm was identified as a .223-caliber Ruger Mini-14 rifle. Some victims were shot, while others were stabbed.

The first major sign of a serial murder pattern came in 1980, when remains were found near Eklutna Road. The unidentified victim became known as “Eklutna Annie.” That same year, the body of Joanna Messina was found in a gravel pit near Seward. Later discoveries, including the body of Sherry Morrow near the Knik River, increased investigators’ concerns that multiple missing women were connected to one offender.

The investigation changed in June 1983 after Cindy Paulson, a 17-year-old sex worker, escaped from Hansen. She told police that Hansen had kidnapped, raped, and threatened her before taking her toward his airplane. She escaped while still wearing a handcuff on one wrist.

At first, Hansen denied the accusation and was not immediately treated as the main suspect. His public image as a local businessman and family man worked in his favor. However, investigators later reexamined him after more bodies were linked to the same pattern.

Alaska investigators worked with FBI behavioral analysts. The profile suggested that the killer was likely an experienced hunter, socially insecure, familiar with the wilderness, and someone who might keep trophies from victims. Those details matched several aspects of Hansen’s life.

Police obtained search warrants and searched Hansen’s home on October 27, 1983. Investigators found firearms, newspaper clippings, jewelry and personal items linked to victims, and a map marked with locations in remote areas. Ballistics testing connected Hansen’s rifle to bullets recovered from crime scenes.

Hansen eventually entered a plea agreement. On February 18, 1984, he pleaded guilty to four murders: Eklutna Annie, Joanna Messina, Sherry Morrow, and Paula Goulding. He also admitted to killing other women and led investigators to burial sites in the Alaskan wilderness.

As part of the case, Hansen confessed to 17 murders and approximately 30 rapes. Only 12 bodies connected to his confession were recovered. Some victims were never found, and some remains were never identified.

On February 28, 1984, Robert Christian Hansen was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 461 years. He was first imprisoned in the federal system before later being returned to Alaska custody.

Hansen remained incarcerated for the rest of his life. In 2014, he was moved from Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward to Anchorage for medical treatment. He died at a hospital in Anchorage on August 21, 2014, at the age of 75.