How A Teenage Girl Escaped One Of America’s Most Notorious Serial Killers

Cindy Paulson would forever remember how she escaped one of America’s most notorious serial killers. It was a desperate split-second decision by a frightened teenager that saved her from being the next victim of “Butcher Baker.”

The incident occurred in June 1983. Paulson, who was 17 at that time, encountered Robert Hansen at a local bakery. He offered her money in exchange for s-x, and drove her to his home on the outskirts of the city.

Paulson later stated that at his home, the situation quickly became violent. Hansen handcuffed her at gunpoint. After assaulting her, he left her chained in the basement and prepared for another killing.

According to court documents, Hansen had been allegedly abducting women for years. He had mostly targeted women who were s-x workers or dancers. After kidnapping them, he flew them to the remote area of Alaska in his small private plane.

Police said that the sicko killer led his victims into the wilderness as he hunted them down armed with rifles and hunting knives. Paulson recalled that then she quickly realized that if Hansen successfully flew her into the remote areas of Anchorage, she would not survive.

At Anchorage’s Merrill Field Airport, she managed to escape from the back seat of Hansen’s car after the plane was boarded. She was barefoot and severely injured, yet Paulson walked across the airfield and then to a nearby road.

As Hansen chased after her with a gun, she screamed for help. A passing truck driver responded to her calls and helped her escape Hansen. Her testimony helped detectives crack the cases of several bodies scattered across remote areas near Anchorage.

A subsequent search at Hansen’s home led to shocking discoveries. Police found jewelry belonging to the victims, firearms, and a map that marked several burial sites in the remote wilderness.

Eventually, Hansen pleaded guilty to four murders; he also admitted responsibility for killing 17 women and assaulting many others. He was sentenced to nearly 500 years in prison. In 2014, Hansen died while serving his sentence.

Paulson said later that the encounter with Hansen and the subsequent abuse changed everything for her. She believes that her escape not only saved her life but also prevented Hansen from claiming any more victims. Decades later, Paulson, Butcher Baker’s only known survivor, continues to live a quiet life.