{
  "title": "The Brutal Legacy of Robert Hansen in the Alaskan Wilderness",
  "dek": "How the Butcher Baker hunted his victims in the bush and how a single survivor brought his reign of terror to an end.",
  "slug": "butcher-baker-solved",
  "canonical_url": "https://crimesandmyths.com/case/butcher-baker-solved",
  "published_at": "2026-10-05T14:05:50.558Z",
  "updated_date": "2026-10-15T12:05:11.856000",
  "word_count": 1072,
  "direct_answer": "Robert Hansen was a serial killer who murdered at least 17 women in Alaska between 1973 and 1983. He was caught after survivor Cindy Paulson escaped his vehicle in 1983. A subsequent search of his home revealed an aviation map with 'X' marks, leading police to gravesites. He confessed in 1984 and received a 461-year sentence.",
  "key_facts": [
    {
      "label": "Location",
      "value": "Anchorage, Alaska"
    },
    {
      "label": "Date Range",
      "value": "1973-1983"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conviction",
      "value": "461 years plus life"
    },
    {
      "label": "Status",
      "value": "Deceased (August 21, 2014)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Confessed Murders",
      "value": "17"
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Who was Robert Hansen?",
      "answer": "Robert Hansen, also known as the 'Butcher Baker,' was a serial killer who operated in Anchorage, Alaska, between 1973 and 1983."
    },
    {
      "question": "How did the police catch Robert Hansen?",
      "answer": "The case was broken after a survivor, Cindy Paulson, escaped Hansen in 1983 and provided information that led to his arrest."
    },
    {
      "question": "How many people did Robert Hansen kill?",
      "answer": "Hansen confessed to murdering 17 women and raping 30 others over a 12-year period."
    },
    {
      "question": "What happened to Robert Hansen?",
      "answer": "He was sentenced to 461 years plus life in prison in 1984 and died at age 75 on August 21, 2014."
    }
  ],
  "structured_block": {
    "timeline": [
      {
        "date": "1960",
        "event": "Hansen burns down a school bus garage in Iowa."
      },
      {
        "date": "1973",
        "event": "Start of Hansen's documented murder spree in Alaska."
      },
      {
        "date": "April 25, 1983",
        "event": "Cindy Paulson escapes from Robert Hansen."
      },
      {
        "date": "September 2, 1983",
        "event": "Paula Goulding's body is discovered in the Knik River."
      },
      {
        "date": "October 1983",
        "event": "Robert Hansen is arrested by Alaska State Troopers."
      },
      {
        "date": "1984",
        "event": "Hansen confesses and is sentenced to 461 years plus life."
      },
      {
        "date": "August 21, 2014",
        "event": "Robert Hansen dies at Alaska Regional Hospital."
      }
    ],
    "persons": [
      "Robert Hansen",
      "Cindy Paulson",
      "Glenn Flothe",
      "Paula Goulding",
      "Robin Pelkey"
    ],
    "evidence_status": "court_established",
    "current_status": "Convicted serial killer deceased in custody.",
    "sources": [
      {
        "title": "Robert Hansen: The Butcher Baker",
        "url": "https://allthatsinteresting.com/robert-hansen",
        "publisher": "All That's Interesting",
        "tier": "tertiary"
      },
      {
        "title": "Robert 'Bob the Baker' Hansen blamed his tortured adolescence",
        "url": "https://nydailynews.com/2014/08/30/robert-bob-the-baker-hansen-blamed-his-tortured-adolescence-for-the-rape-and-murder-of-dozens-of-women-in-alaska-in-1970s",
        "publisher": "New York Daily News",
        "tier": "secondary"
      },
      {
        "title": "Alaska serial killer Robert Hansen dies at 75",
        "url": "https://heraldnet.com/2014/08/21/alaska-serial-killer-robert-hansen-dies-at-75",
        "publisher": "HeraldNet",
        "tier": "secondary"
      }
    ],
    "reviewer": {
      "completeness": 95,
      "narrative_quality": 90,
      "readability": 95,
      "direct_answer_standalone": true,
      "perspective_counterpoints": true,
      "honesty_framing": true,
      "verdict": "pass",
      "reasons": "The article provides a thorough and well-written account of the case, meeting all required criteria and maintaining factual accuracy."
    }
  },
  "entities": [
    {
      "name": "Robert Hansen",
      "type": "Person",
      "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hansen",
      "description": "An American serial killer who operated in Alaska from the 1970s to 1983."
    },
    {
      "name": "Cindy Paulson",
      "type": "Person",
      "sameAs": "",
      "description": "A survivor of Robert Hansen whose testimony was critical in his arrest."
    },
    {
      "name": "Glenn Flothe",
      "type": "Person",
      "sameAs": "",
      "description": "The Alaska State Trooper and FBI investigator who built the case against Robert Hansen."
    },
    {
      "name": "Alaska State Troopers",
      "type": "Organization",
      "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_State_Troopers",
      "description": "The law enforcement agency responsible for investigating the crimes of Robert Hansen."
    }
  ],
  "place": {
    "name": "Anchorage, Alaska",
    "address": "Anchorage, AK, USA",
    "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchorage,_Alaska"
  },
  "temporal_coverage": {
    "start": "",
    "end": ""
  },
  "claims": [
    {
      "claim_text": "Hansen led police to 17 gravesites containing 12 bodies.",
      "category": "evidence",
      "agreement_status": "court_established",
      "confidence": 1,
      "is_quotable": true,
      "quote_text": "This world is better without him.",
      "quote_attribution": "Glenn Flothe"
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "Robert Hansen raped and murdered women in Alaska from the early 1970s until his arrest in 1983.",
      "category": "timeline",
      "agreement_status": "established",
      "confidence": 1,
      "is_quotable": true,
      "quote_text": "Going back in my life … I was … I guess what you might call very frustrated",
      "quote_attribution": "Robert Hansen"
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "Robin Pelkey was identified as one of Hansen's victims using DNA evidence.",
      "category": "evidence",
      "agreement_status": "established",
      "confidence": 1,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "Hansen was sentenced to 461 years plus life in prison and died in August 2014.",
      "category": "outcome",
      "agreement_status": "court_established",
      "confidence": 1,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "Paula Goulding's body was found in the Knik River on 9-02-83.",
      "category": "location",
      "agreement_status": "established",
      "confidence": 1,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "Sgt. Glenn Flothe photographed the Hansen residence on September 16, 1983.",
      "category": "evidence",
      "agreement_status": "established",
      "confidence": 1,
      "is_quotable": true,
      "quote_text": "Reports to follow.",
      "quote_attribution": "Unknown"
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "Robert Hansen died at Alaska Regional Hospital at age 75 on August 21, 2014.",
      "category": "timeline",
      "agreement_status": "established",
      "confidence": 1,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "Hansen confessed in 1984 to murdering 17 women and raping 30 others over a 12-year period.",
      "category": "outcome",
      "agreement_status": "court_established",
      "confidence": 0.95,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "Police found an aviation map in Hansen's home marked with 24 'X' symbols.",
      "category": "evidence",
      "agreement_status": "reported",
      "confidence": 0.9,
      "is_quotable": true,
      "quote_text": "X",
      "quote_attribution": "Robert Hansen"
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "Hansen used a private plane to transport kidnap victims to the Alaskan bush.",
      "category": "evidence",
      "agreement_status": "reported",
      "confidence": 0.95,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    },
    {
      "claim_text": "Robert Hansen was a serial killer known as the Butcher Baker who hunted women in the Alaskan wilderness.",
      "category": "person",
      "agreement_status": "established",
      "confidence": 1,
      "is_quotable": false,
      "quote_text": "",
      "quote_attribution": ""
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "url": "https://allthatsinteresting.com/robert-hansen",
      "title": "Robert Hansen, The \"Butcher Baker\" Who Hunted People Like Animals",
      "publisher": "All That's Interesting",
      "tier": "tertiary",
      "type": "other"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://heraldnet.com/2014/08/21/alaska-serial-killer-robert-hansen-dies-at-75",
      "title": "Alaska serial killer Robert Hansen dies at 75 | HeraldNet.com",
      "publisher": "HeraldNet",
      "tier": "secondary",
      "type": "news_article"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://nydailynews.com/2014/08/30/robert-bob-the-baker-hansen-blamed-his-tortured-adolescence-for-the-rape-and-murder-of-dozens-of-women-in-alaska-in-1970s",
      "title": "Robert (Bob the Baker) Hansen blamed his tortured adolescence for the rape and murder of dozens of women in Alaska in 1970s – New York Daily News",
      "publisher": "New York Daily News",
      "tier": "secondary",
      "type": "news_article"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://lelandhale.com/butcherbaker/wordpress/2017/11/14/arrest-hansen-paula-goulding-body-found",
      "title": "The Arrest of Robert C. Hansen: Paula Goulding's Body Found - Butcher Baker",
      "publisher": "Leland Hale",
      "tier": "tertiary",
      "type": "other"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://alaskasnewssource.com/2021/10/22/victim-alaska-serial-killer-identified-after-37-years",
      "title": "Victim of Alaska serial killer identified after 37 years",
      "publisher": "Alaska's News Source",
      "tier": "secondary",
      "type": "news_article"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://cbsnews.com/news/alaska-butcher-baker-serial-killer-robert-hansen-dead-at-75",
      "title": "Robert Hansen, Alaska \"Butcher Baker\" serial killer, dies at 75 - CBS News",
      "publisher": "CBS News",
      "tier": "secondary",
      "type": "news_article"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://lelandhale.com/butcherbaker/wordpress/2017/11/20/robert-hansen-possessions-obsessions",
      "title": "The Arrest of Robert Hansen: His Possessions & Obsessions - Butcher Baker",
      "publisher": "Leland Hale",
      "tier": "tertiary",
      "type": "other"
    }
  ]
}