The Knik River held an unmistakeable allure for Robert Hansen. Of the seventeen victims Hansen acknowledged as his confession, ten of them were ultimately marked along the river. An eleventh body, that of “Eklutna Annie,” was found just southwest of the Knik. While having an airplane contributed to the river’s prominence as Hansen’s “killing field,” he had in fact been driving there too, using a 4-wheel drive Subaru and always making certain to carry a shovel, lest he need to dig himself out of a sticky “shituation.”
Detail: Hansen’s Map – Knik River Sites (courtesy Alaska State Troopers)
- #2 — Sue Luna (Jim Creek, east of Old Knik River Bridge)
- #3 — Unknown (Old Knik Bridge Parking Area)
- #4 — Malai Larson (Old Knik Bridge Parking Area)
- #5 — Lisa Futrell (Old Knik Bridge Gravel Pit)
- #6 — Tamara Peterson (Island south of Sherry Morrow’s Body)
- #7 — Unknown (Adjacent to Paula Goulding Grave)
- #8 — Unknown (Island south of Paula Goulding Grave)
- #10 — Unknown (Body Over railroad bridge; not likely to be found)
- #14 — Sherry Morrow (Knik River)
- #15 — Paula Goulding (Knik River)
- #16 — “Eklutna Annie” (Eklutna Lake Rd)
Knik River Area (Google Maps; illustration Leland E. Hale)
Railroad Bridge & New Glenn Hwy (Google Maps; illustration Leland E. Hale)
Old Knik River Bridge & Old Glenn Hwy (Google Maps; illustration Leland E. Hale)
Grave Site, Old Knik River Bridge (Lisa Futrell’s body found here; courtesy Alaska State Troopers, w/ note by Sgt. Glenn Flothe)
Robert Hansen didn’t confess to his murders until the winter months. While he helped identify gravesites soon after his confession, troopers had to wait till the spring thaw to start digging. They spent many days along the river.
Paula Goulding Grave w/ Second Body (courtesy Alaska State Troopers, w/ note by Sgt. Glenn Flothe)
Troopers at Knik Grave Site (courtesy Alaska State Troopers)
Troopers at Grave Site near Old Knik River Bridge (courtesy Alaska State Troopers)
Troopers at Knik Grave Site (courtesy Alaska State Troopers)
Troopers at Knik Grave Site (Anchorage Times)
Starting with the above photo, this sequence shows troopers running debris through a screen to find evidence, such as bullets, shell casings or bone fragments.
Troopers at Knik Grave Site (Anchorage Times)
Troopers at Knik Grave Site (Anchorage Times)
Troopers at Knik Grave Site (Anchorage Times)
On July 17, 1980, the skeletal remains of a female were found in a heavily wooded area approximately one mile south of South Ekluta Lake Road close to milepost two in Eklutna, Alaska. Based on this she was 1 on the map not 16.
” Hansen claimed that Eklutna Annie was his first victim and that she was either a topless dancer or a prostitute”
The numbering used on the map corresponds to Glenn Flothe’s victim matrix. Eklutna Annie was found prior to Hansen’s confession, so Flothe chose to start his numbering with all the victims found post-confession. Yes, it’s pretty arbitrary. See this page for more information: https://lelandhale.com/butcherbaker/wordpress/2017/07/31/glenn-flothes-victim-map-matrix/
Thank you for your feedback, the 1 was never found and I MISSED JUDGED ON THE MAP. My information on her location was correct, my information on the mark was not, thank you again.
I have another discrepancy I need help with.. how pure are your sources? Please can you help?
My sources? Original court records, police records, search warrants and personal interviews. All the way back to the 60’s in Iowa through Hansen’s 1984 confession and sentencing. There’s lots of crap out there about Hansen, but it doesn’t come from me. I’ll help if I can!
Thank you. Delynn Frey.. I saw a blog about her on this website and through all my research I have hit a wall. They may have found her but never identified her which is why her place of recovery is up for debate. “Butcher Baker” Written by Walter & Leland says she was found at Summit lake 12. Yet you look at the placement to the number of her picture 9 to the map in the same book it’s Horseshoe Lake, not Summit. Glenn’s notes you sent me “MATCH” that same information. Yet other sources say she was found on the Knik by a pilot testing new tires on the sandbar in 1984 or 1985, which could be 7 or 8. I saw on the same blog about her that her brother posted. I know they are still asking for Horseshoe Harriet information and DNA, does he know? Or did they find and identify her and return her to the family and if so where?
One of the challenges here is that Hansen’s maps were more “notional” than precise GPS coordinates. Hansen seldom knew names and often had only the vaguest of descriptions. Much less exact locations. The numbers that the troopers used were their attempts to give some order to his chaos. Last I heard from DeLynn’s family, they had identified her. More info here – https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23951727/delynne-renee-frey
Thank you. This, with other supporting research has concluded that:
“#8 — Unknown (Island south of Paula Goulding Grave)”
Is DeLynne “Sugar” Frey, found on Aug. 20, 1985, on an island in the Knik River by a pilot testing new tires on the sandbars.