The Butcher Baker of Alaska / Part 1 // 463

Summary

Podcast Summary: Going West: True Crime – "The Butcher Baker of Alaska / Part 1" (Episode 463)

Release Date: December 24, 2024
Hosts: Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman
Produced by: Dark West Productions

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Introduction

In the chilling premiere of the two-part special on "The Butcher Baker of Alaska," hosts Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman delve deep into the life and crimes of Robert Hansen, Alaska's most infamous serial killer. Released during the holiday season, this episode sets the stage for a haunting exploration of Hansen's transformation from a seemingly meek bakery owner into a relentless predator targeting women in his community.

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Early Life and Family Background

Robert Hansen was born on February 15, 1939, in Estherville, Iowa, to Edna and Christian Hansen. The family relocated briefly to Richmond, California, before settling in Pocahontas, Iowa, where Christian operated the beloved Pocahontas Home Bakery. The bakery became a central part of the community, with the Hansen family residing in an apartment above the shop—a seemingly idyllic setup.

However, behind the facade of small-town respectability, Robert struggled profoundly. As a child, he felt like an outcast, a sentiment that only intensified during his teenage years. Hansen grappled with a persistent stutter, making him a target for ridicule and social isolation. Reflecting on his childhood, Daphne recounts:

"Robert really struggled to fit in as a child both in California and Iowa, and his feelings of being an outcast only intensified." (00:54)

Christian Hansen, Robert's father, was described as harsh and domineering. In an attempt to help Robert fit in, Christian forced him to write with his right hand, despite Robert being naturally left-handed. Daphne elaborates:

"This was apparently done in a bid to help him fit in. Like, him being left-handed would make students tease like I don't know, you know." (06:26)

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Adolescence and Early Signs of Disturbance

From an early age, Robert's life was marked by hardship and emotional turmoil. He was forced to wake up as early as 2 or 3 a.m. alongside his father to help at the bakery before attending school. The combination of exhausting work hours and his stutter led to poor academic performance, including falling asleep in class.

Despite his social struggles, Robert was active in extracurricular activities—participating in the chorus, pep club, football, basketball, and track at Pocahontas High School. This juxtaposition highlighted his complex personality: an active participant in some areas while deeply isolated in others.

Daphne shares a poignant moment reflecting on Robert's personal insecurities:

"I looked like a freak and I sound like..." (08:04)

Heath adds context to Robert's psychological state:

"Robert blamed the rejection from girls in his adolescence for radicalizing him against them and spent the rest of his life taking it out on other women." (08:16)

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First Major Incidents and Escalation

After high school, Robert served in the U.S. Army Reserve and worked as an assistant drill instructor at the police academy. Upon returning to Pocahontas, his frustration with societal perceptions led him to commit his first significant crime: arson. In retaliation for perceived injustices during his school years, he burned down the barn housing old school buses, an act that injured a firefighter and led to his arrest.

The community of Pocahontas, a tight-knit town of around 2,000 people, was shocked by Robert's actions. His parents, fearing public embarrassment, sold the bakery and moved to Walker, Minnesota, purchasing a lakeside resort.

During his time in the reformatory, Robert was evaluated by a psychiatrist who diagnosed him with an infantile personality and a social disease. Despite his troubled history, Robert married Phoebe Padgett on April 1, 1961. However, the marriage was short-lived; less than a year after the arson incident, the couple divorced, further deepening Robert's resentment towards women.

Heath poignantly remarks on Robert's choices:

"He's choosing to let your childhood destroy you and let it turn you into a monster." (12:06)

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Relocation to Alaska and Emergence as a Serial Killer

In 1967, Robert and his wife Darla Hendrickson moved to Anchorage, Alaska, lured by the promise of adventure and the allure of Alaska's vast wilderness. Settling in the Muldoon neighborhood, Robert initially worked as a cake decorator at a Safeway grocery store before opening his own bakery, Hanson's Bakery.

Despite maintaining a friendly façade with locals, Robert remained a notorious loner, struggling to socialize. Darla, his wife, was deeply involved in her church and worked as an educator, supporting children with dyslexia. Together, they had two children, Christie and Johnny, who adored their father.

Robert's passion for hunting grew, and he began competing professionally, proudly displaying his trophies at home. His hunting obsession extended beyond wildlife; he found a dark parallel in his predatory behavior towards women.

Daphne highlights the normalcy of Robert's outward life:

"By all accounts, Robert's got a great life. He's doing what he loves, baking, and was able to open his own place, which is huge." (20:10)

However, beneath this veneer, Robert's sinister activities were beginning to surface. Alaska in the 1970s was experiencing a boom due to the Trans Alaska Pipeline, leading to an influx of newcomers and the growth of seedy establishments that often exploited vulnerable women. Robert frequented these places, scouting for his next victims.

Heath expresses frustration over the community's inability to recognize the danger:

"That's just wild to me that everybody knew who this guy was. They knew that he was a piece of shit. But they couldn't do anything about it at the time." (22:30)

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Crimes and Escalation of Violence

On November 22, 1971, Robert committed his first known violent act against a woman. He attempted to kidnap Susan Heppard, mistakenly believing her friendliness was flirtatious. When Susan rejected his advances, Robert pulled a gun on her but was thwarted by the intervention of her roommates. Despite denying his intentions, he was apprehended for attempted rape.

However, while out on bail, Robert's violent tendencies persisted. On December 19, 1971, he kidnapped and raped Patricia Roberts, a sex worker, threatening her family in the process. Patricia bravely identified him in a police lineup, leading to his arrest once more. Yet, the Anchorage Police Department made a baffling decision to strike a deal: if Robert pled guilty to Susan Heppard's charges, Patricia's charges would be dropped.

Daphne recounts the immediate aftermath:

"To this day, Beth has never been found and is believed to have been among Robert's first victims in Alaska." (34:32)

Shortly after his release, Robert's crimes continued unabated. In 1973, he was linked to the disappearance of Megan Emmerich in Seward, a port city in Alaska known for its natural beauty and prolonged daylight hours during summer. Megan, a 17-year-old student, vanished without a trace, fitting the profile of Robert's victims.

Despite mounting evidence, Robert managed to evade long-term psychiatric care, shuttled between various doctors who were either manipulated or deceived by his outwardly reformed persona. This lack of consistent treatment allowed his violent urges to remain unchecked.

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Psychiatric Evaluations and Systemic Failures

Throughout his encounters with the law, Robert underwent multiple psychiatric evaluations. Dr. J. Ray Langdon diagnosed him with dissociative identity disorder, noting his belief that his attacks were mere nightmares and highlighting his memory loss and schizophrenic episodes (30:14).

In subsequent evaluations, Dr. Allen H. Parker classified his kleptomania as obsessive-compulsive behavior, while Dr. Robert McManmon diagnosed him with bipolar affective disorder. Despite intermittent treatments with medications like Thorazine and lithium, Robert inconsistently adhered to his regimen, allowing his mental health to deteriorate.

During a 1977 sentencing for petty theft, Robert attempted to manipulate the judge by portraying himself as a reformed individual desperate to support his family:

"Your honor, there is no doubt I committed the crime, but I would like you to consider my wife and two small children." (37:31)

His pleas fell on deaf ears, and the judge recognized him as a repeat offender:

"It was a strong case... When we didn't put him away for a long time, we taught him to kill." (43:14)

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Community Impact and Police Frustration

Detective Ron Rice expressed deep frustration with the system's handling of Robert Hansen:

"We taught Hansen to kill. When we didn't put him away for a long time, we taught him who to kill." (43:14)

This sentiment underscores the systemic failures that allowed Hansen to continue his reign of terror. Despite clear patterns and multiple victims, bureaucratic red tape and inadequate psychological treatment enabled Robert to remain at large, leading to further tragedies.

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Conclusion and Cliffhanger

As Part 1 of "The Butcher Baker of Alaska" draws to a close, Daphne and Heath reflect on the harrowing journey of Robert Hansen—from a troubled youth to a serial killer who exploited systemic weaknesses to continue his crimes. The episode ends on a somber note, emphasizing the ongoing mystery surrounding some of his victims and the profound impact of his actions on the Anchorage community.

"Thank you so much, everybody for listening to part one of these episodes of Going West." (43:14)
"What a grim quote that we left off on at the very end. That was horrifying." (43:30)

Listeners are left eagerly anticipating Part 2, which promises to delve deeper into Hansen's subsequent murders and the eventual unraveling of his dark legacy.

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Notable Quotes

• Daphne: "Robert really struggled to fit in as a child both in California and Iowa, and his feelings of being an outcast only intensified." (00:54)

• Heath: "Robert blamed the rejection from girls in his adolescence for radicalizing him against them and spent the rest of his life taking it out on other women." (08:16)

• Daphne: "I looked like a freak and I sound like..." (08:04)

• Heath: "That's just wild to me that everybody knew who this guy was. They knew that he was a piece of shit. But they couldn't do anything about it at the time." (22:30)

• Daphne: "To this day, Beth has never been found and is believed to have been among Robert's first victims in Alaska." (34:32)

• Heath: "I'm not a serial killer." (17:24) (Note: This quote reflects a lighter moment between hosts and not Hansen's statements.)

• Daphne: "What a good guy he is." (37:31)

• Detective Ron Rice: "We taught Hansen to kill. When we didn't put him away for a long time, we taught him to kill. We not only taught him to kill, we taught him who to kill." (43:14)

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Final Thoughts

"The Butcher Baker of Alaska / Part 1" offers a comprehensive and unsettling examination of Robert Hansen's life, shedding light on the intricate web of personal struggles, systemic failures, and societal complacency that enabled one man's descent into serial killing. Daphne and Heath's meticulous storytelling ensures that listeners are both informed and deeply affected by the gravity of Hansen's crimes, setting the stage for a gripping continuation in the subsequent episode.

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Please tune in to Part 2 of this special two-part series, releasing on Thursday, December 26, 2024, as Daphne and Heath continue to uncover the dark realities of Robert Hansen's horrific legacy.

Transcript

[Heath]

Foreign. What is going on? True crime fans?

[Daphne]

I'm your host T. And I'm your host Daphne.

[Heath]

And you're listening to Going West.

[Daphne]

Hello everybody. Thank you so much for tuning in today. This one was recommended by Kate and Hannah, so thank you both so much. This is such a complex and horrible story about a seemingly meek man doing unacceptable things to women in his Alaska community, many of which take place over Christmas and the freezing winter months of Alaska. So Keith and I decided, since there is way too much information for just one episode to do a special two parter this week and make this the only case that we are discussing discussing during the holidays.

[Heath]

Yeah, I mean we think that this is going to be the perfect case for it and it just gets crazier and crazier as it goes on. So you guys definitely do not want to miss both parts.

[Daphne]

Yeah. Happy holidays. If you can't be with your family, we will be right here with you for a chilling extended case this week.

[Heath]

Yeah. If you're listening right away, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, or just happy whatever day it is. And without further ado, this is episode 463 of Going West. So let's get into it.

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[Daphne]

Between 1971 and 1983, an unknown perpetrator committed dozens of kidnappings, rapes, and murders, wreaking havoc on the state of Alaska. The assailant was elusive, striking against area women during the freezing winter temperatures and the extended daylight hours of Alaska's midnight sun alike. But eventually, the police uncovered the monster behind it all, who posed as a respected and unassuming father and bakery owner in Anchorage. This is the story of Alaska's most infamous serial killer, a man named Robert Hansen, now known as the Butcher Baker. Robert Hansen was born on February 15, 1939, to Edna and Christian Hansen in Estherville, Iowa. But after living there and a brief stint in Richmond, California, Robert, his parents, and his little sister Alice settled into Pocahontas, which is a small town situated in northwest Iowa. The family was well known and respected in Pocahontas because Robert's father, Christian, who's actually from Denmark, ran a beloved bakery on Main street there, called, of course, the Pocahontas Home Bakery, where locals loved popping in for traditional Danish pastries. The bakery opened in October of 1949, when Robert was 10 and his little sister Alice was 2. And the family of four actually lived in an apartment right above the shop, which is just so idyllic. But by Robert's own description, he really struggled to fit in as a child both in California and Iowa, and his feelings of being an outcast only intensified. As a teenager, Robert struggled with a stutter for the entirety of his life, and he was ridiculed for it by his classmates. He later recalled that he refused to answer questions in class even if he had been called on for fear of being teased. Robert described his father, Christian, as harsh and domineering and that Christian had little pity for Robert's struggles. His dad was allegedly even so controlling that he forced Robert to write with his right hand. Despite being born left handed.

[Heath]

I don't know why that would be such a big deal. I mean, those, like, people who write left and right handed exist, so.

[Daphne]

No, I know. I. I actually read that this was apparently done in, like, a bid to help him fit in. Like, him being left handed would make students tease like, I don't know, you know.

[Heath]

You know, what's kind of weird, though, is not to harp on this too much, but back in the day, I feel like it was not as acceptable to be left handed for some odd reason.

[Daphne]

Things used to be so messed up. I don't know. But Robert was also. This is horrible. He was reportedly forced to wake up early Sometimes as early as 2 or 3am alongside his dad in order to help at the bakery before then heading out for a full day of school in the 1950s. And I do know that a lot of kids, you know, in those days worked younger, but that's so early for a kid that's already having so much trouble in school. Like, these are just really long miserable days for him.

[Heath]

Yeah, and that's basically just bakery work, essentially.

[Daphne]

Yeah. I mean, you got to wake up that early to be a baker, basically. But, you know, because he was always so tired, you know, on top of him not wanting to participate in class because of his stutter, his performance really suffered and he often fell asleep in class. Robert was also very quiet and unassuming. So on top of not talking much in class, he really didn't have many friends. In addition to his stutter, he also suffered from acne, which left pockmark scars of which he was very embarrassed by for the rest of his life. He later said resentfully, quote, I looked like a freak and I sound like.

[Heath]

One now, like many violent males do. Robert blamed the rejection from girls in his adolescence for radicalizing him against them and spent the rest of his life taking it out on other women. So basically he was a bit of an incel. However, he was very active in extracurricular activities at Pocahontas High School, despite not having much of a social life. He participated in the chorus and pep club, played football and basketball, and he also ran track. So it's kind of, kind of weird here because he's sort of an outcast, but he's also, you know, playing a lot of sports and stuff.

[Daphne]

Yeah, he participates in some ways and then doesn't in others.

[Heath]

Exactly. Well, after graduating from high school, he spent a year in the U.S. army Reserve and then served as an assistant drill instructor at the police academy. When he returned to Pocahontas, so frustrated with the perception of him by women, he paid a sex worker to sleep with him for the very first time while serving in the Army Reserve. And his arrival back in Pocahontas brought with it his first major brush with the law. In an act of retaliation, he burned down the barn that contained his old school school buses, which he felt was vindication for the treatment that he received in his school age years. He even stayed to watch the barn burn, just completely proud of what he had done. Thankfully, nobody was killed, but a fireman was injured in this blaze. The mayor of Pocahontas later described Robert by saying he was an aberration the bad seed, so to speak. And by the way, during the time that Robert lived here and was growing up, the population was always around about 2,000 people. And remember, his family was well known in this town for the bakery. So many people, including the mayor, knew about Robert. When Robert was caught for burning down the school buses, his family was completely mortified. And of course, his prideful father Christian was especially furious about this. In October of 1961, 22 year old Robert was handed a three year sentence of which he served about 20 months until he was released in May of 1963. While Robert was living in a reformatory serving his sentence, he was forced to see a psychiatrist. And this doctor actually assessed that he had an infantile personality and a social disease. So now everybody in town was just basically turning against Robert. And his parents were so embarrassed at their reputation in their small town that they sold the bakery and moved a six hour drive north to Walker, Minnesota, purchasing and operating a lakeside resort.

[Daphne]

So from one family business to the next. Now, for all of Robert's talk of rejection and embarrassment at the hands of women and just general shame about his looks, he was married at just 21 to a woman from his hometown named Phoebe Padgett. So this was actually around the time of the bus burnings because they were wed on April 1, 1961, which was shortly after that arson incident. Robert swore to Phoebe, her family and his own that he was innocent and that the friend that he had been with that night had been letting him take the fall. With reservations about whether or not he was telling the truth. Phoebe married him anyway. But when he was found guilty, she realized that she could no longer trust him. So the two divorced less than a year after they got married. And you can imagine that this divorce made him so much angrier at women and the world, even though it was obviously all his doing. Like, to be fair, being bullied for a stutter or for having acne scars or whatever is completely unacceptable. Like, right, nobody should be subjected to that. But if he had just taken the high road, like, like as if burning the school buses was going to actually do anything good for you, you know, like the school buses didn't do this to you.

[Heath]

Right.

[Daphne]

So, I mean, I know it was more of a principal thing, but if he had just taken the high road and been with Phoebe, here's a woman who's willing to marry you. You could live a happy life with her. And you're, you're choosing to let your childhood destroy you and let it turn you into a monster.

[Heath]

Yeah, and that's exactly what he did basically throughout his life. And it's like, yeah, he shouldn't have been bullied for sure. But now he's taking out this revenge on the school, on women, on other people, and it's just going to get so much worse.

[Daphne]

Yes, so much worse. Well, to Phoebe's best friend, Rosemary, the arson conviction was gravely serious for those in Robert's circle, especially Phoebe, who didn't think her new husband had been capable of such an act. Rosemary remembered, quote, I did understand that he didn't think the way the rest of us did. After his release from prison for the arson, divorced and alone at the age of 24, Robert joined his parents at their resort in Minnesota, just helping them out until he figured out what he should do next. And it was there that he met Darla Hendrickson. Surprisingly, they were actually from the same small town in Iowa and had attended the same school and church. But Robert was four years older, so their paths had never crossed before. But it is weird because like you said, this is a six hour drive north, so it's not like the neighboring town. So it's very weird that they happen to cross paths.

[Heath]

But they did almost would seem like some sort of strange fate.

[Daphne]

Yeah. And you know, they were totally smitten with each other. Upon meeting, they bonded over both having felt like outcasts during their upbringing. So this seemed like a pretty good match. Like they could really understand each other. Because taller than most at her age, Darla was always that kind of, you know, unassuming wallflower at the school dances and shyly remembered feeling overlooked by teenage boys. I mean, were you, were you bullied in school?

[Heath]

Probably like middle school. I don't, I was kind of an emo kid in high school, so I didn't really talk to a lot of people.

[Daphne]

But you weren't bullied?

[Heath]

I wasn't, No, I wasn't bullied. I just, I just didn't really like people. I wanted people to fucking leave me alone.

[Daphne]

Really?

[Heath]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

I'm only asking because I was also way taller than the boys and the girls in my school. I mean, I'm five'ten now. I don't know how tall I was. Like throughout my school career. Obviously I was getting taller and taller, but I was, I wasn't bullied for it. I just totally felt like an outcast for being taller. Like, I felt like this tall freak person.

[Heath]

I don't know why that's. I literally don't understand why that's a thing.

[Daphne]

I don't know either. It's so weird. I mean, I was also bullied for just by one boy, for my big ears because I kind of have like stick out. And he literally called me dumbo. Like, what the fuck?

[Heath]

What an asshole. Well, you're beautiful, so fuck that guy.

[Daphne]

I mean, you. So, yeah, I mean. Darla was excited to cross paths with Robert because she had a lot to offer in a relationship and she always knew that about herself. She was smart and independent, but also wanted someone to take care of. Robert proposed to her at the end of the summer, but she wanted to finish school first. So he headed to Chicago for a three month pastry class at Wilton's Cake Decorating School while she completed her studies. And they dated long distance for a short time as Darla continued her education at the University of Iowa and Robert visited as often as he could. But by the end of 1963, they were fed up with doing long distance and got married. Despite Darla's wishes to finish her degree, she actually dropped out of school to move away with Robert, but later enrolled in the University of Minnesota, achieving her Bachelor of Science degree in education in March of 1967.

[Heath]

Well, together they bounced around throughout the Midwest for a few years where it's possible that Robert found his first victims, though he has never officially been connected to any murders outside of Alaska. His biographer, Leland Hale, who later penned a book about Robert and his victims alongside one of the officers who worked on this case, acknowledged that it's entirely possible that Robert has earlier victims. We just don't know about them. Well, after leaving Chicago, Illinois and Walker, Minnesota, Robert and Darla lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minot, North Dakota and Rapid City, South Dakota. But eventually Robert grew disillusioned with their quiet life and yearned for more adventure. By his account, I used to like to hunt and fish, and I always read all of these stories about Alaska. I approached her, I said, darla, I sure would like to go up to Alaska for a while. Despite Darla's no nonsense practicality, she did agree to this. And the Hansons moved to Alaska in 1967, which was a dream for Robert, who loved to spend time outdoors, but especially loved to hunt. They told their families that they were going to try it out for about six months to a year, but they ended up spending the next two decades there. And it's where Robert's despicable killing spree began. He and Darla settled on the east side of Anchorage, Alaska, in a neighborhood called Muldoon. Robert started out as a cake decorator at a Safeway grocery Store, but eventually went into the family business and opened up Hanson's Bakery.

[Daphne]

Heath, you used to work at the baker at Safeway too, didn't ya?

[Heath]

I did, but I'm not a serial killer.

[Daphne]

Heath actually used to make donuts as a teen.

[Heath]

I was. Yeah. Or I did. I was a donut fryer. And I had to go in to make those donuts at midnight. So I'd work midnight to about 8:30am Crazy. Which completely sucked ass because I hated being there. Like, you're there overnight, you're so tired. And this is when I was like 18. So it's like all my friends were going out and having fun and it's like I had to go to work at midnight.

[Daphne]

Yeah, well, like you said, bakers work so early, but tell them how you started your shifts or your days after.

[Heath]

Yeah, so I would basically just go into work and I would grab a maple bar and an energy drink. But it was so funny because I would be standing at the donut fryer and I would be like, basically half asleep. Like, my eyes were about to close. And then like, some grease or oil from the fryer would fly out onto my arm and that was like my wake up call. It would burn the shit out of me as I'm turning over the donuts.

[Daphne]

That's grim.

[Heath]

It was honestly such a sucky job.

[Daphne]

We both have bakery or like, bakery experience backgrounds. I used to work at a bakery as a teenager too. So. Yeah, funny.

[Heath]

You're getting. You're just getting a couple stories along the way because they do connect to this story a little bit.

[Daphne]

Yeah, sorry. But anyway, so. So he worked at Safeway as a cake decorator. Then Robert opened up Hanson's Bakery.

[Heath]

Right. And by most accounts, he was quiet and friendly to the locals and patrons who would come in for delicious baked goods. And because he was known to be shy, few families that the Hansens were acquainted with recall Darla asking her girlfriend's husbands to take Robert under their wings, as he was a notorious loner who made little effort to socialize. Darla, however, kept busy. She was very involved in her church and took a job teaching full time. And she was especially skilled at working with children who were dyslexic and struggled with their reading and writing comprehension skills. And she absolutely loved her job. I mean, the patience and grace that she showed to her students is still remembered fondly to this day. Darla and Robert had two children together. A daughter named Christie and a son named Johnny, who reportedly worshipped their father in Alaska. Robert began hunting competitively frequently winning competitions and taking home trophies. So as you can imagine, the carcasses of his hunting sprees adorned the walls of the family's home. And this is, you know, pretty typical for people who live in more rural areas, and especially in Alaska, to have trophies hanging on their walls. Now he got his children interested in hunting as well, and little Christy even began to compete, which was a major point of pride for Robert.

[Daphne]

So, by all accounts, Robert's got a great life. He's doing what he loves, baking, and was able to open his own place, which is huge. You know, he's exploring his hobby, hunting. He has an incredible wife and two kids who adore him.

[Heath]

And now even his kids are interested in things that he's interested in. And also, he even trained for and obtained his pilot's license and eventually purchased a series of planes, finally settling on a Piper PA18 super club. And he boasted that he was able to afford the plane because a few of his hunting championship trophies were stolen from where they hung on the wall in his den downstairs. And from that, from his homeowner's insurance claim, he received a nice sum of $13,000.

[Daphne]

In Alaska in the 1970s, the construction of the Trans Alaska pipeline and the allure of oil money brought with it a slew of new people, like, kind of like a gold rush for the new age. People flocked to Anchorage. Men wanting to work in the trade and women who worked to entertain them. So the more seedy side of Anchorage, known for drug use, drug selling, strip clubs, and sex work, flourished during this period. But sadly, these clubs often preyed on young women who had escaped abusive homes or were runaways with nowhere else to go. Some clubs would even offer them room and board, which, of course, led to them feeling even more trapped by their circumstances, though they didn't know it at the time. Robert Hanssen was a frequent patron, haunting these establishments, scouting for his next victim. He enjoyed hunting women just as much as hunting animals. Despite frequently changing his name and appearance, the women who worked in the industry began to fear something nefarious was afoot when the girls and women began to disappear from the community one by one. Over the course of the next decade, the women came to know, fear and avoid. Robert Hansen and police sergeant Glenn Flouthy even remembered a group of sex workers and their johns trashing his car at one point out of retaliation, like, that's how disliked he was amongst them.

[Heath]

And that's just wild to me that everybody knew who this guy was. They knew that he was a piece of Shit. But they couldn't do anything about it at the time. And nobody was really looking at Robert Hanssen. Seriously.

[Daphne]

Well, and I know you guys are probably wondering, well, what did he do? Why did they hate him? We're gonna dive into all of that. Robert later recalled driving the streets of the city just to ogle the sex worker, saying, quote, you know, it excited me like I'd never been excited before in my life. It'd give me this sexual, big blow up charge. And he added that it helped his guilt that he didn't see them as women, but rather as disposable objects for his pleasure and amusement. Admitting prostitutes are women I'm putting down as lower than myself. I could do things with them that I couldn't do with a good woman.

[Heath]

The.

[Daphne]

That makes me ill. Yeah.

[Heath]

What a disgusting human being to even say something like this.

[Daphne]

Well, obviously we know that he is very insecure. He always has been insecure. But the fact that he is acting like just because a woman is a sex worker, that she is beneath him and because he can pay them, he can do whatever he wants to them and demean them and make them his puppets, it's so gross.

[Heath]

Yeah, but it's like you are not above any of these women or anybody else. Or anyone else. Well, on November 22, 1971, just days before Thanksgiving, 32 year old Robert committed his first known violent infraction against a woman. Though it may have just been the first time that he got caught. Susan Heppard worked as the secretary for a real estate agent. When she and Robert crossed paths in public, he. He mistakenly presumed that she smiled at him flirtatiously.

[Daphne]

God forbid a woman is friendly.

[Heath]

Yeah, right. It's like he's giving the vibe that he thinks that the strippers like him. You know what I mean?

[Daphne]

Yeah. Oh, yeah, that's true.

[Heath]

Like, they just want your money.

[Daphne]

You're just another man.

[Heath]

You're just another man. Right. Well, anyway, transfixed by her beauty, he followed her home in the freezing cold and, and attempted to approach her there. When she was rightfully frightened and rejected his advances, he grew angry and pulled a gun on her, attempting to kidnap her. Now, thankfully, her roommates were home at this time and created enough commotion to stop the crime from happening. And then Robert fled, but not before the woman took note of his vehicle. So he was arrested just a half hour later. And ever the victim, Robert, of course, denied everything, but was booked and held because they assumed that he had intended to rape her. But the very next month, while he was out on bail, he struck again, potentially even two more times.

[Daphne]

Patricia Roberts was a young sex worker that Robert had met at the Nevada Tavern in Downtown Anchorage on December 19, 1971. He descended on her in the parking lot, threatening her with a gun and telling her that he would kill her if she didn't comply. He then drove them about two hours south of Anchorage to Kenai Lake, where he rented them a motel room, and once inside, Robert tied her up and raped her. While there, he also threatened the lives of her young son and her parents. Now, miraculously, the following day, he returned her to Anchorage and let her go. When she reported the crime, Patricia immediately plucked his picture from a lineup, saying without hesitation, that's him. So Robert was arrested yet again. He called his run in with Susan, a misunderstanding, of course, and his kidnapping of Patricia an exaggeration, claiming that he had hired her for sex work but that they had disagreed on a price and that she was just seeking revenge I know we are all gearing up to do some shopping for the most wonderful time of the year, but why not get cash back while you do it? Rakuten is the best way to save lots of money this holiday season because you can stack holiday sales and deals on top of cash back to maximize your savings at over 3,500 stores. Here's how it works. Your favorite stores like Sephora, wine.com, best Buy, Chewy, you name it. Pay Rakuten to send them shoppers and Rakuten passes on part of that money to members via PayPal or check.

[Heath]

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[Daphne]

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[Heath]

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[Daphne]

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[Heath]

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[Daphne]

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[Heath]

In the summer of 1994, four teens entered an abandoned building in Gravesend, Brooklyn. It was the last time they would be seen alive. With few clues and no witnesses, the case went cold. But for Anthony Brewer, the brother of one of the victims, the search never stopped. In 2024, he acquired evidence from the police that contained DNA samples that didn't match the teens. That discovery put his life and the life of his family in grave danger. Goosebumps the Vanishing all episodes available January 10th on Disney plus and Hulu on Disney plus disney.com rated TV 14 LV.

[Daphne]

After Robert's arrest for the rape of Patricia, the Anchorage Police Department inexplicably struck him a deal. If he pled guilty to the charges brought about by Susan Heppard, they would drop the charges brought about by Patricia. Insane. But just three days after Patricia was kidnapped and raped, another young woman in the area went missing. 18 year old Beth Van Zanten was home watching a movie with her two brothers on the evening of December 22, 19, 1971. But at about 8:30pm she headed out into the below freezing temperatures to grab a soda from their nearby grocery store by herself and she never returned because she mentioned casually that she may have a late night babysitting gig for a friend of their cousin. Her brothers didn't report her missing when she didn't come home that night, just naturally assuming that she had been picked up on her way to or from the grocery store. And by the time she was reported missing on Christmas Eve, there was no sign of her along her snowy ice covered route. To this day, Beth has never been found and is believed to have been among Robert's first victims in Alaska. Ahead of his hearing, Robert was ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation. On February 28, 1972, Dr. J. Ray Langdon submitted a report that read that he believed that Robert Hanson was suffering from dissociative identity disorder, which he believed would be difficult to treat. Robert explained feeling like his attacks on these women had been nothing but a bad dream, and also suffered memory loss and periodic schizophrenic episodes. On March 24, 1972, Robert was sentenced in the case of Susan's kidnapping and given five years in prison for assault with a deadly weapon. However, merely months later, Robert somehow swindled his next psychiatrist, Dr. Allen H. Parker, into believing that he had made sufficient strides in his recovery process. And Robert was moved into a halfway house. He was released on parole after serving only a year and a half. One doctor recommended his constant monitoring and treatment and even evaluated. I don't know what will happen if he doesn't have medical attention. But because Robert was shuffled between so many different doctors and managed to fly under the radar before and after his release, disappointingly, he evaded long term psychiatric care.

[Heath]

But of course, Robert was not going to change because as soon as he was released, women began to vanish from the streets of Anchorage and its surrounding areas once again. Two and a half hours south of Anchorage is the small community of Seward. And it was there that 17 year old Megan Emmerich walked out of her dorm at the Seward Skill center, which is now the Alaska Technical Vocational Center, Leaving all of her belongings behind, only to disappear indefinitely. She was last seen on July 7, 1973 and was reported missing three days later by her roommate. She was last seen on July 7, 1973 and was reported missing three days later by her roommate.

[Daphne]

And let's kind of paint the scene here because interestingly, Seward is a port city full of orca and humpback sightings, Beautiful hiking trails and nutrient rich waters perfect for fishing that is often described as the land of the midnight sun, or at least one of them in Alaska, because they experience nearly 24 hours of daylight during the summer months. Meaning when Megan was last seen, the area was experiencing many hours of daylight a day. About 19 to 20 hours during July. But you know, it's not far north enough like Fairbanks, for example, to experience the full midnight sun in the summer months.

[Heath]

But anyway, well, at the time that 17 year old Megan vanished, Robert was on parole and his personal records show that he was actually in the area on the very weekend that she vanished. He owned a boat which he used for fishing and scuba diving on the banks of beautiful Seward. And he apparently kept it docked in Seward. Megan was one of only a handful of Robert's assumed victims who was not employed as a sex worker. But still, she does fit the physical description of the women and girls that he went after. And he had the opportunity to prey on her while he was there. Later he would claim, I never had anything, anything to do with any of the girls out of Seward. But two of his subsequent victims were also from Seward. So can we really trust him? Because two years later, in 1975, Robert found himself in Seward for the Fourth of July holiday. Mary Thill was 22 years old when she was last seen near the docks where Robert kept his boat on July 5, 1975. And just like Megan Emmerich, Mary was a student at the Seward Skill Center. But neither Megan nor Mary have ever been found.

[Daphne]

In 1976, Robert had his next major run in with the law following a petty theft. While it may sound banal, the courts were fed up with giving him chances and he was finally being treated like an offender with the propensity to commit incrementally worse crimes, which it turns out he had already been doing. One November day in 1976, while his parents were visiting for the holidays, 37 year old Robert strode into a Fred Meyer department store, plucked a chainsaw off the shelf and walked out of the store with it holding a fake receipt so that it appeared as though he had already purchased it. But he was caught and arrested immediately. Robert explained later. I looked at them and remembered about five weeks previous, my father and I had been cutting wood for our fireplace and his remarking three or four times how much he would like to have one to use when he and my mother go camping along the coast. I told my father that he would be more than welcome to take mine, but he refused. I thought of this and all the presents my parents had given me through the years and how wonderful it would be if I could give him a chainsaw for Christmas. I also thought, of course about my wife. And I had just bought this summer a new home and put everything we have saved for more than nine years into. I guess many, many thoughts went through my mind as I looked at the saws. I wanted almost more than anything to please my father and could just imagine the expression on his face on Christmas Day if I could give him that saw. Oh, Heath, what a good guy he is.

[Heath]

I mean, this is like the least of his problems, this whole chainsaw thing.

[Daphne]

Yeah, but, you know, since he was arrested, at his sentencing In April of 1990, sorry, 1977, his pre sentence officer told the judge, quote, it is my opinion that Robert Hansen should be considered a danger to society. The judge felt that Robert's mental health was a major contributing factor and ordered him to undergo psychotherapy alongside a five year sentence. When he was asked if he wanted to address the judge, which he usually declined to do, Robert said, your honor, there is no doubt I committed the crime, but I would like you to consider my wife and two small children. I am the sole supporter of my family. I have a home. I own my home. But now I will lose it. Since seeing Dr. McManmon, there has been no problem. I am now in the lithium program and am able to talk without stuttering. Your honor, there will be no future problems. I have had enough problems. They have been hard on my family. I have been seeing Dr. Parker and talk to him regarding my problem. It was a sex related problem, but now that's cleared up. For the first time. I can handle my problem now. Now I don't feel I have to take something out of a store. I am ashamed of being here. I'm just asking for restrictions to help me keep things right. But the judge wasn't buying it from a repeat offender. I mean, this is all just manipulative babble.

[Heath]

It is, yeah.

[Daphne]

And upheld his original sentence. So his parole would be at the discretion of the parole board.

[Heath]

I mean, it's just so silly to me that he wants to act like a victim and go, I'm such a good guy. Like, I've completely changed.

[Daphne]

I'm better now.

[Heath]

I'm better now. No, you're not. You're a turd.

[Daphne]

And the fact that he has still been being graced with the marriage of Darla at this point, when he is committing these crimes against women and an officer is saying that he is a danger to society is truly wild.

[Heath]

Yeah, I mean, it's, it's. I wonder what was going on in that home though, like, between him and Darla, if he treated her well or treated her respectfully. Like, because, you know, he claimed that she was a good woman or whatever. Right. And all these other women were below him. So it's like, I wouldn't be surprised if that was kind of like what was going on. And possibly she just didn't know how deep all of his problems actually went. But it's like she knew about his arrest and the time that he had to spend in prison. So. Yeah, I mean, you're not Getting any red flags there?

[Daphne]

Yeah, it's. It's. It's shocking that she is still with him. And, I mean, this was a different time. We know he's a manipulative guy. We know he likes to pour honey in the old ear, but these are multiple offenses. It's just. It's just wild.

[Heath]

Well, Dr. Allen H. Parker evaluated him once again and found his bouts of kleptomania to be the result of obsessive compulsive behavior. Robert later admitted, quote, and this is. This is so fucking weird, he said, quote, I damn near ejaculate in my pants if I could walk into a store and take something and get out the dang door with it and not pay for it. Da.

[Daphne]

Fuck.

[Heath]

So weird like that. What a quote. Well, he also continued to see Dr. Robert McManmon, who diagnosed him with bipolar affective disorder. And Robert admitted that he fantasized about torturing girls who rejected him as a youth.

[Daphne]

What?

[Heath]

He was intermittently prescribed Thorazine and lithium, but he didn't regularly take either of them. After serving only one year, through good behavior and attending therapy, he once again swindled the parole board into believing that he was ready to rejoin society. Thus, he was released in September of 1978, and he was again placed on probation.

[Daphne]

I wonder how much of that had to do with the fact that he was married and had two kids, as if he was like, I'm the man. I must support my family as my duty as a man.

[Heath]

Yeah, yeah. That and the fact that he's such a meek man. Right?

[Daphne]

Yeah.

[Heath]

You know, he's so unassuming.

[Daphne]

Unassuming is perfect.

[Heath]

As we said earlier, you know, nobody really believed that he was capable of doing any of these things. They just kind of thought, well, he screws up occasionally, but he's probably a good guy, which he was not.

[Daphne]

While Anchorage police Detective Ron Rice later said to Sergeant Walter Gilmore, quote, you know, I told the DA at the time that we should go balls to the wall on the Patty Roberts thing, who, as a reminder, was the woman he kidnapped, raped, and released. It was a strong case. She was an excellent witness. And we put together a pretty good list of witnesses who had seen them. We had people all the way down the Kenai who had seen them. You'll remember that I went to my boss telling him that we should go for it. I even went to you and ended up writing a report on the damn case, trying to get people to listen. The DA Just gave me the cold shoulder. He was more interested in making deals with Hanssen's attorney. And I'll tell you one goddamn thing, Walt. We taught Hansen to kill. When we didn't put him away for a long time, we taught him to kill. We not only taught him to kill, we taught him who to kill. Way back in 72, we told him it's alright to kill whores. Cause nobody gives a shit about whores. Thank you so much, everybody for listening to part one of these episodes of Going West.

[Heath]

Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. What a grim quote that we left off on at the very end. That was horrifying. But, yeah, thank you guys so much for listening to this. We are going to have part two out for you guys this week on the Butcher Baker.

[Daphne]

Yeah, that was definitely a dark way to end it. Sorry, but it felt like, you know, before we dive into all the other women that he attacked and murdered, felt like a good place to end it. Again, there is so much left. So please tune in for episode two or part two on the Butcher Baker. I think we should probably release that one early, probably on Thursday, which is the day after Christmas the 26th, just so you guys don't have to wait too long. But then again, we will not have a regular Friday episode because we put so much time into this case, as much as we would have two separate episodes. So thank you for understanding. Hope you guys have a great holiday if you're listening to this right when it comes out. And yeah, we'll see you on Thursday.

[Heath]

All right, guys, so for everybody out.

[Daphne]

There in the world, don't be a stranger.