Hunting in Laska

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APR 10, 2011

Hunting in Alaska

Robert Hansen was born on February 15, 1939 in Estherville, Iowa. He worked at his families bakery during his childhood. People who knew him seemed to think he was just a regular boy other than his low self esteem. He suffered from severe acne and would shy away from crowds to limit his exposure to possible embarrassment. In 1960, Hansen tried to burn down the school bus garage and spent only 20 months in prison. That event was the only trouble he got into during his early adulthood.

Hansen soon married after being released from prison. He decided that he needed a change in his life and wanted to get away from his hometown. He and his wife moved to Alaska. He became quite the avid hunter. The thrill of stalking the animals was his ultimate motivation. Soon, Hansen got bored with hunting animals and chose to move on to something that would provide him with more of a thrill.

In 1971, Hansen decided to go on a man hunt. With his wife back in Iowa visiting family, he drove around 4th street stopping at all the bar's parking lots to look for prostitutes. This is where he found his first victim. He then lured her into his truck with money for sexual favors. Hansen was the thrill oriented type serial killer. Once she got into his truck he held her at gunpoint and tied her up. He owned a small bush plane that he used to fly his victim out into the desolate wild. Once they arrived at the Knik River, he unclothed her and gave her a head start. This is where he began his hunt. Tracking and stalking his victim is why he killed in the first place.

The Knik River covers such a vast area, that is only covered by plane, that it makes it the perfect place to bury a body. The silt sand is like that of quick sand. It is very unlikely that anything buried there would reappear. This is because, heavy objects sink to the bottom and move downstream, only to get pushed farther under the surface. The only person knowing of the grave sites is Hansen himself.

Serial killers tend to be very methodical. Hansen kept a detailed aviation chart. He marked many locations along the Knik River pinpointing where he buried his victims. He also kept trophies from an unknown number of victims. Later these findings would prove to be evidence towards his conviction.

Hansen Seemed to go unnoticed until he raped a woman in September of 1983. The women testified against him. One month later, the Anchorage police obtained a search warrant for Hansen's property. They found enough evidence to bring him in for assault, insurance fraud, theft, and kidnaping and rape. The police had wanted him for a long time and this was the first chance they got to bring him in.

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