The Night Alaska_s Most Prolific Serial Killer Was Caught

"He was a mild-mannered baker with a stutter. They called him 'Bob.'" But when the sun went down in Anchorage, Robert Hansen transformed into a predator who hunted women like game in the Alaskan wilderness. For over a decade, he killed at least 17 women — and most weren't even reported missing. This is how the "Butcher Baker" was finally caught.In June 1983, Hansen abducted 17-year-old sex worker Cindy Paulson [citation:3]. He took her to his home, then to his private plane. But while he was loading cargo, she ran. Barefoot and terrified, she flagged down a driver, reported the assault, and left her sneakers in Hansen's car as evidence [citation:3]. Police brought him in, but he denied everything and was released.Then investigators got a search warrant. Inside Hansen's home, they found jewelry belonging to missing women, firearms, and a map of Anchorage dotted with 21 X's — each marking a gravesite [citation:2]. FBI profiler John Douglas predicted Hansen's psychology: he would confess only to cases he knew police could prove, then say "that's it" to feel like he won [citation:2]. Prosecutor Frank Rothschild used a "good cop/bad cop" interrogation. When Hansen tried to stop at five confessions, Rothschild's partner erupted, threatening to dig up every X on the map. Hansen's face transformed — neck red, hair standing up — and he confessed to 17 murders [citation:2][citation:8].Sentenced to 461 years plus life, Hansen died in prison in 2014 [citation:3]. Cindy Paulson's escape ended Alaska's longest nightmare.