Hansen's Victims: Mat-Su Lakes

Not all of Robert Hansen’s victims were found along the Knik River. There were others, spread across the Mat-Su valley to the north and northwest of Anchorage (1). The first area we’re looking at is, as the crow flies, very close to Anchorage. Note especially the proximity to Merrill Field — it’s just a straight shot across Knik Arm.

Mat-Su Lakes
Detail — Hansen’s Map of the Mat-Su Peninsula & Eagle River (courtesy Alaska State Troopers

Hansen map
Lakes on the Mat-Su Peninsula & Sleepers Strip Airport (Google Maps; illustration Leland E. Hale)

The outlier in this case is victim #1 — found along Hiland Road, just south of Eagle River, very near the Glenn Highway (Alaska Route 1) — who was never identified. Given the proximity to a major highway, it is likely that Hansen drove — rather than flew — to this site (2).

Hiland Rd, Eagle River, Alaska
Hiland Road (misidentified as “Highland Rd” in Sgt. Flothe’s matrix) (Apple Maps; illustration Leland E. Hale)

Known Victims Mat-Su and Eagle Creek Areas

In this area we are unfortunately faced with more unknowns than knowns. I can, however, say a little bit about Angela Feddern, having met her mother and sister. Her mother was beyond consolation. Her sister, on the other hand, demonstrated a no-nonsense realism that got straight to the point and refused to be bullied or intimidated (3).
Angela’s sister knew all about her lifestyle and begged her to get off the streets. There was a feeling of helplessness, though, in the face of the drugs that drove Angela to turn tricks. Her sister’s biggest sadness was knowing that Angela promised she’d return to the Seattle area after one last trip to Anchorage. She never made it back.

    • #1 — Unknown (Hiland Road, Eagle River)
    • #9 — Unknown (Horseshoe Lake, lying atop ground)
    • #11 — Angela Feddern (Figure “8” Lake, body on ground)

      Mat-Su Lakes: Angela Feddern
      Angela Feddern (courtesy Alaska State Troopers)
    • #24 — Unknown (Clunie Lake, denied by Hansen)

(1) Mat-Su is the local abbreviation for the Matanuska-Susitna valley, defined on the west by the Susitna River and on the east by the Matanuska River.
(2) Note that the numbers assigned to Hansen’s victims do NOT correspond to the order in which they were killed — or to the order in which they were found. Rather, they correspond to the order in which Hansen identified them during his confession.
(3) I appeared on the Sally Jesse Raphael show with Angela’s mother and sister. The stage manager tried to prod the sister into taking a vengeful attitude toward the police. It would have made good television. She refused to play along.


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