Teen’s Daring Escape Helped Bring Down One of America’s Most Notorious Serial Killers

In June 1983, 17-year-old Cindy Paulson made a split-second decision that may have saved her life and helped police catch a notorious serial killer in Alaska.

Paulson had been abducted by Robert Hansen, an Anchorage bakery owner who secretly targeted women for years. After taking her to his home, Hansen allegedly threatened, assaulted and restrained her. He then planned to fly her to a remote cabin in the Alaskan wilderness, where she feared she would never return.

Realizing the danger she was in, Paulson managed to escape from a vehicle at an Anchorage airfield. Barefoot, injured and still restrained, she ran toward the road and desperately sought help from a passing driver.

Her account gave investigators crucial information about Hansen at a time when authorities were investigating the disappearances and murders of women in the area. Police later searched his property and found evidence connecting him to the crimes, including victims’ jewelry and a map marking locations where bodies had been buried.

Hansen pleaded guilty in 1984 to murdering four women while admitting to killing 17. He received a sentence totaling nearly 500 years in prison and died in 2014.

More than four decades after her escape, Paulson is sharing her story in a documentary episode about Hansen and the women whose lives were affected by his crimes. Her testimony remains a significant part of the case, showing how one survivor’s decision to seek help helped bring an end to his reign of violence.

Source: PEOPLE