Shivangi Sinha
Susan Heppeard and Patty Roberts came from very different worlds. Although both lived in Anchorage, Alaska, their lives rarely would have crossed paths under ordinary circumstances. However, in late 1971, the criminal actions of one man linked their names together forever. Both women were able to identify the suspect to investigators, but at the time, their accounts were not enough to stop his criminal activities. The man would go on to commit additional crimes before finally being brought to justice. ID’s ‘Very Scary People,’ especially the episode ‘The Butcher Baker: Terror in the Wilderness,’ examines the experiences of both women, the crimes committed by their attacker, and the developments that unfolded in the years that followed.
Susie Heppeard and Patty Roberts Were Allegedly Attacked by the Same Man in Anchorage
In 1971, Susan Heppeard was 18 years old and on the brink of starting a new chapter in her life. She was working as a real estate secretary and shared an apartment with two friends in South Anchorage, Alaska. On November 15, 1971, she was driving home when she made eye contact with a man at a stop sign. Unbeknownst to her, he allegedly followed her back to her apartment and, after lingering outside for some time, rang the doorbell. The man asked if he could use the telephone, and Susan agreed to let him inside. According to the episode, he asked her out on a date, but Susan declined and requested that he leave. The encounter appeared to be over, but only a few days later, the same man returned to the apartment and forced his way inside.
The man held a pistol to Susan’s head and attempted to kidnap her, but one of her roommates became aware that something was wrong. She immediately contacted the police and the intruder fled the scene. Susan was able to remember her attacker’s face and provided investigators with a detailed description. Patricia “Patty” Ann Roberts was also living in Anchorage, Alaska, at the time, along with her infant child and her parents. She was involved in sex work to support herself and her family. On December 19, 1971, as Patty was leaving a local café, a man allegedly approached her with a firearm concealed beneath his coat and pressured her into getting into a vehicle with him. She said that he allegedly took her to the Nevada Tavern and then drove her toward the Kenai Lake area.
Patty later told investigators that the man had somehow learned she had a young child and used that information to allegedly threaten harm against her and her family if she went to the police. According to Patty, he eventually told her that he was satisfied with her cooperation and decided to let her go. On December 26, 1971, Patty reported the incident to law enforcement. During the investigation, she was shown an array of photographs and allegedly identified Robert Chris Hansen as the suspect. He was the same individual who had already been connected to Susan’s case just days earlier. The identification linked the two investigations and brought renewed attention to Hansen’s alleged involvement in both incidents.
Susie Heppeard and Patty Roberts Have Never Spoken About the Case in Public
Patty Roberts had not only identified the man she alleged was responsible, but there were also multiple witnesses who had allegedly observed parts of the abduction. Investigators believed they had a strong case, and charges were filed against Robert Hansen in connection with both Patty’s and Susan’s cases. However, the District Attorney’s Office ultimately chose to offer Hansen a plea agreement. He entered a no-contest plea to a charge of assault with a deadly weapon in Susan’s case. Detectives who later reflected on the investigation stated that Patty’s testimony was not viewed as sufficiently credible at the time because she was a sex worker, and the charges related to her case were eventually dropped.
Hansen was sentenced to five years in prison, but he served only about six months before being granted work release and transferred to a halfway house. The outcome later drew criticism, particularly after Hansen was linked to far more serious crimes in the years that followed. The decision to drop the charges related to Patty’s case has long been viewed by many investigators as a missed opportunity. In the years that followed, Hansen was linked to at least 17 murders of young women, many of whom were sex workers or exotic dancers.
Some detectives involved in later investigations argued that the differing outcomes of the 1971 cases reflected how victims were perceived at the time. Hansen was prosecuted for his actions against Susan, while the allegations involving Patty did not proceed in court. Over the decades, that contrast has been cited as an example of how certain victims were not always afforded the same level of credibility or attention. Both Susan and Patty have largely remained out of the public eye and have never spoken publicly about their experiences. As a result, little is known about their lives today, and they have continued to maintain a low profile.
Read More: Martha Carelli: What Happened to the Kidnapping Survivor?
