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Murder of Eklutna Annie

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Eklutna Annie is the name given to an unidentified murder victim whose body was discovered in a wooded area, one mile south of South Eklutna Lake Road in Eklutna, Anchorage, Alaska, in July 1980. She was aged between 16 and 25 at the time of her death, and her body was discovered several months after her murder. An autopsy report concluded that she had been killed by a single stab wound to the back.[3][4]

"Eklutna Annie"
Digital image created from study of morgue photographs to depict an estimation of the victim in life
A 2020 forensic facial reconstruction of Eklutna Annie
BornApprox. 1954–1963
StatusUnidentified for 44 years, 3 months and 22 days
Diedc. November 1979 – June 1980 (aged 16 – 25)[1]
Cause of deathHomicide by stabbing
Body discoveredJuly 21, 1980
Eklutna, Anchorage, Alaska
Resting placeAnchorage Memorial Park Cemetery, Anchorage, Alaska
61°07′31″N 149°31′24″W / 61.1254°N 149.5234°W / 61.1254; -149.5234 (approximate)
Known forUnidentified victim of homicide
HeightBetween 4 ft 11 in (1.50 m)
and 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) [2]

Eklutna Annie was murdered by serial killer Robert Hansen, most likely in 1979. Hansen specifically stated she was his first murder victim.[5][3]

This unidentified decedent became known as Eklutna Annie due to the location in which her body was discovered. The case remains open, and numerous efforts have been made to determine the identity of the decedent, including several forensic facial reconstructions of how she may have appeared in life.[6]

Discovery and examination

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On July 17, 1980, Eklutna Annie's skeletal remains were found by workmen, buried in a shallow grave along a series of power lines north of Anchorage.[4][7][n 1]

 
Articles of jewelry worn by Eklutna Annie

Eklutna Annie's body was markedly decomposed, indicating her death had occurred months prior. She wore several articles of clothing, including a brown leather hip-length jacket, a light-colored knitted sleeveless shirt (possibly white, beige, or light gray in color), blue jeans, and red, knee-high, high-heeled, zip-up boots.[9] A box of Salem matches were found in a pocket of her jacket, indicating she may have been a smoker. The victim was also wearing several pieces of jewelry, including an apparently handmade metal bracelet containing three turquoise stones,[2][8] a copper necklace containing shell beads, a pendant heart, a Timex metal wristwatch consisting of circular links and with a brown watch face, a ring carved from shell jewelry, and gold-plated, twisted metal hoop earrings.[5][3][10]

An autopsy of Eklutna Annie's body revealed she was petite in stature,[11] and most likely white, although she may have had a degree of Native American heritage.[9][12] She stood between 4 ft 11 in and 5 ft 3 in, and her hair color ranged from light brown to strawberry-blond.[2][4]

Abduction

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See also: Robert Hansen

Serial killer Robert Hansen admitted responsibility for Eklutna Annie's murder in 1984. According to Hansen, Eklutna Annie had been wearing blue jeans, a sweater, and a brown leather jacket. He was unable to "remember whether she was a prostitute or [a] dancer", although he did state he believed she was from Kodiak, Alaska.[7] He further recollected: "I picked her up downtown and told her I was going to take her to my home". However, when Eklutna Annie realized he was not driving in the direction of his home, she first asked him to drive her back to Anchorage, before he unsuccessfully attempted to convince her he was driving her to another safe location, claiming he was driving a "little further", to which Eklutna Annie replied, "Well, I'm not!" He then attempted to placate her, before pulling a gun, saying: "You do exactly as I say and you won't get hurt."[13]

According to Hansen, he then drove in the direction of Eklutna Lake, with his vehicle eventually becoming stuck on a desolate road as he veered in the direction of a "muddy swamp". According to Hansen, he persuaded Eklutna Annie to help him winch his pickup free from the mud, although when he began to drive his vehicle free, Eklutna Annie attempted to run. In response, he chased after her, grabbed her by the hair and tripped her to the ground.[10]

Murder

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As Eklutna Annie struggled against his efforts to overpower her, she had screamed, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me!" According to Hansen, he had first attempted to placate Eklutna Annie as he restrained her, falsely claiming he did not intend to harm her, although she responded: "You are! You're going to kill me!" He had then stabbed her once in the back with a black-handled Buck knife as she lay face-down.[14]

Investigation

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In 1984, Robert Hansen admitted that he was responsible for the victim's death. He said Eklutna Annie was either an exotic dancer from a local bar or a prostitute and that she was his first murder victim,[15] adding that she had been murdered in the fall or early winter of 1979.[16]

Hansen was sentenced to 461 years in prison without the possibility of parole for her murder and three others.[8] He died in prison in August 2014.[17]

Exclusions

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To date, Roxane Easland, Karen Evan, Megan Emerick, and Teresa Davis have been ruled out as being Eklutna Annie.[1]

"Identifying [Eklutna Annie] means that no matter how you lived, whatever circumstances that you are in, that even after death, there is an equality here. She deserves just as much as a search for her people as any other victim, as any other survivor."

Autumn Smith. Advocate for missing and murdered women, reflecting on the ongoing efforts to identify Eklutna Annie[18]

Aftermath

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Eklutna Annie remains unidentified. She is the only victim of Robert Hansen to remain unidentified.[n 2]

The remains of Eklutna Annie are interred at the Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery, under a marker reading "Jane Doe / Died 1980".[21][22]

Eklutna Annie is still unidentified, despite her face being reconstructed in both 3-D and 2-D.[4][23] Several missing women are believed to have also been murdered by Hansen.

In September 2020, a revised facial reconstruction of the victim was released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The organization had previously released a digital reconstruction, and a clay bust of Eklutna Annie had also been created in the past.[1]

Media

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Film

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Television

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  • The Investigation Discovery channel has broadcast a documentary focusing upon the murders committed by Robert Hansen. This documentary, titled Alaska: Ice Cold Killers, was initially broadcast on January 25, 2012.[25]
  • New Dominion Pictures has broadcast a 50-minute documentary focusing on Hansen's murders. Directed by Stuart Taylor, this documentary, titled A Hunter's Game, was first broadcast on November 23, 1999.[26]
  • The show Very Scary People profiled Robert Hansen in "The Butcher Baker". It was first broadcast on May 9, 2021.[27]

Books

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  • Du Clos, Bernard (1993). Fair Game. New York: Mondo Publishing. ISBN 978-1-852-86484-2.
  • Gilmour, Walter; Hale, Leland E. (2016). Butcher, Baker: The True Account of an Alaskan Serial Killer. New York: Open Road Media. ISBN 978-1-504-04948-1.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The remains of topless dancer Joanne Messina were found in the same area later in 1980.[8]
  2. ^ A further victim of Hansen, Robin Pelkey, remained unidentified until her identification in October 2021. Hansen led investigators to her body in 1984.[19][20]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "NamUs UP # 10217". namus.gov. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "Anchorage Alaska Jane Doe July 1980". canyouidentifyme.org. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c "Case File 311UFAK". doenetwork.org. The Doe Network. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d Martin, Reagan (October 10, 2013). Hunted on Ice: The Search for Alaskan Serial Killer Robert Hansen. Absolute Crime. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Jane Doe 1980". missingkids.org. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
  6. ^ "Unidentified Person / NamUs #UP10217". namus.gov. September 10, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Eklutna Annie: Put The Focus Back on Me!". blogspot.com. August 15, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  8. ^ a b c Lohr, David. "Hunting Humans". crimelibrary.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  9. ^ a b Dunham, Mike (July 14, 2012). "Grisly Legacy of 'Eklutna Annie'". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on February 9, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  10. ^ a b "State Briefs". JuneauEmpire.com. February 21, 2003. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  11. ^ DuClos, Bernard (August 1993). Fair Game. Mondo. p. 188. ISBN 978-1-852-86484-2.
  12. ^ "Alaska State Troopers: Unidentified Body" (PDF). Alaska Bureau of Investigation. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 20, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  13. ^ DuClos, Bernard (August 1993). Fair Game. Mondo. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-852-86484-2.
  14. ^ DuClos, Bernard (August 1993). Fair Game. Mondo. p. 177. ISBN 978-1-852-86484-2.
  15. ^ Wilson, Colin; Seaman, Donald (May 31, 2011). The Serial Killers: A Study in the Psychology of Violence. Random House. ISBN 978-0-753-54722-9. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  16. ^ DuClos, Bernard (August 1993). Fair Game. Mondo. p. 175. ISBN 978-1-852-86484-2.
  17. ^ Klint, Chris (August 21, 2014). "Serial Killer Robert Hansen Dies in Anchorage". KTTU News. NBC. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  18. ^ Burke, Jill (September 22, 2020). "Do You Know This Woman?". Webcenter Fairbanks. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  19. ^ Selina, Leavitt (September 5, 2014). "Serial Killer's Victim Exhumed In Alaska: Who Is 'Horseshoe Harriet'?". Iquisitr. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  20. ^ "DNA Match IDs Alaska Serial Killer's Victim After 37 Years". The Los Angeles Times. October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  21. ^ "'Eklutna Annie' Tells Tale of Alaska Murder: Her Own". Houston Chronicle. July 21, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  22. ^ "Grisly legacy of 'Eklutna Annie'". Anchorage Daily News. July 14, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  23. ^ Newton, Michael (2000). "Eklutna Annie". The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. ISBN 978-0-816-06987-3. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  24. ^ "New Release Review: The Frozen Ground". themoviewaffler.com. A&E Television Networks. February 11, 2013 [April 2, 2014]. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  25. ^ imdb.com
  26. ^ "The F.B.I. Files: A Hunter's Game". January 1, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2020 – via imdb.com.
  27. ^ "The Butcher Baker: Terror in the Wilderness Pt. 1". IMDb. Retrieved July 24, 2023.

Cited works and further reading

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  • Du Clos, Bernard (1993). Fair Game. New York: Mondo Publishing. ISBN 978-1-852-86484-2.
  • Finkelhor, David; Sedlak, Andrea; Hotaling, Gerald T. (1990). Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children in America. New York: Officers of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. ISBN 0-788-12651-2.
  • Gilmour, Walter; Hale, Leland E. (2016). Butcher, Baker: The True Account of an Alaskan Serial Killer. New York: Open Road Media. ISBN 978-1-504-04948-1.
  • Halber, Deborah (2015). The Skeleton Crew: How Amateur Sleuths Are Solving America's Coldest Cases. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-451-65758-6.
  • Newton, Michael (2004). The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes. New York: Facts on File. ISBN 978-0-816-07818-9.
  • Pettem, Silvia (2013). Cold Case Research: Resources for Unidentified, Missing, and Cold Homicide Cases. Boca Raton: CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-466-57053-5.
  • Pettem, Silvia (2017). The Long Term Missing: Hope and Help for Families. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-442-25680-4.
  • Ressler, Robert (1993). Whoever Fights Monsters. Sydney: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-71561-5.
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