Darlowe Hansen, once the wife of the infamous Alaskan serial killer Robert Hansen, represents a uniquely tragic figure in one of America's darkest true crime sagas. For two decades, she lived a seemingly ordinary life as a wife and mother, completely unaware that the man she shared her home with was the brutal predator known as the "Butcher Baker." After his shocking 1983 arrest and confession to the murders of at least 17 women, Darlowe was thrust into a horrifying public spotlight, her life irrevocably shattered. In the decades since, she has deliberately and successfully vanished from public view, leaving many to ask: where is Robert Hansen's wife today and what became of the woman whose world was built on a foundation of monstrous lies?
From Darlowe Volgel to Mrs. Hansen
Before she was connected to a notorious killer, she was Darlowe Volgel. Growing up in a small town in Iowa, she lived a life far removed from the rugged wilderness of Alaska and the grim events that would later define her public identity. In the early 1960s, she met Robert Hansen, a quiet but charming baker, on a blind date. Their courtship was reportedly conventional, and in 1963, they married, embarking on a new life together that would eventually lead them north to Anchorage, Alaska.
In Anchorage, the Hansens appeared to be the embodiment of the American dream. They raised two children, and Robert established himself as a successful local businessman, owning and operating the popular Hansen's Bakery. He was a respected figure in the community, known for his baking skills and his passion for the great outdoors. He was an avid hunter and pilot, pursuits that earned him admiration in a state where such skills are commonplace. Darlowe settled into the role of a dedicated homemaker and mother, creating a stable and loving environment for her children, entirely oblivious to her husband's secret life. This facade of normalcy was so complete that it made the eventual revelations all the more devastating, not just for the community, but most profoundly for her.
The Facade Crumbles: Arrest and Revelation
The carefully constructed world of Darlowe Hansen imploded on October 27, 1983. On that day, investigators from the Alaska State Troopers arrived at the Hansen family home with a search warrant. The warrant was the culmination of a harrowing investigation sparked by the escape of 17-year-old Cindy Paulson, who told police she had been abducted, assaulted, and tortured by Hansen before he attempted to fly her to his remote cabin. Her credible testimony finally gave authorities the leverage they needed to look closely at the mild-mannered baker.
For Darlowe, the search was a bewildering and terrifying ordeal. As officers methodically went through their home, they uncovered a trove of incriminating evidence hidden in plain sight. They found a collection of jewelry belonging to missing women, firearms of the specific caliber used in the murders, and, most damningly, an aviation map hidden in the attic. The map was marked with over two dozen small 'X's, which Robert Hansen would later admit corresponded to the locations where he had buried his victims' bodies in the remote Alaskan bush.
The shock was absolute. Frank Rothschild, the assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case, described Darlowe's reaction as one of complete and utter disbelief. She had been married to this man for 20 years, raised children with him, and had no inkling of the monster he was. The man she knew was a husband and father, not a sadistic killer who preyed on vulnerable women. The discovery turned her reality into a living nightmare.
An Unwitting Accomplice
One of the most chilling aspects of the case for Darlowe was the realization that she had, for years, unknowingly provided her husband with his alibis. Robert Hansen's hunting trips were legendary, but his most sinister "hunts" were for human beings. He would often commit his crimes in the dead of night while his family slept soundly. If Darlowe ever questioned his late-night absences, he had a ready and plausible excuse.
"He'd say, 'I couldn't sleep. I just went down to the bakery to get things started,'" she reportedly told investigators. It was a perfect cover story that she had no reason to doubt. Her husband was a baker; it made sense for him to keep odd hours.
This unwitting complicity added a layer of complex psychological trauma to her experience. She had to grapple not only with the betrayal of her husband but also with the horrifying knowledge that her presence and her belief in his lies had enabled his reign of terror. In the aftermath of his arrest, she was left to face the scrutiny of the media and a community reeling from the revelation that a monster had been living among them. The Hansen name became synonymous with evil, a heavy burden for her and her children to bear.
Searching for Anonymity: Where Is Darlowe Hansen Today?
Following Robert Hansen's confession and subsequent sentencing to 461 years plus life in prison without the possibility of parole, Darlowe Hansen made the decisive choice to reclaim her life by disappearing. She filed for divorce shortly after his conviction, severing her legal ties to the man who had destroyed her world. Her primary goal was to protect her children and herself from the toxic notoriety that clung to their last name.
Answering the question, "Where is Robert Hansen's wife today?" is difficult by design. Darlowe Hansen has been remarkably successful in her quest for privacy. It is widely understood that she:
- Changed her name: She reverted to her maiden name or adopted a new one entirely to escape the association with Hansen.
- Moved from Alaska: Remaining in Anchorage, a place so intimately tied to her trauma and public exposure, was untenable. She relocated to the Lower 48 states to start anew.
- Avoided all public contact: She has never given a public interview, written a book, or participated in any documentaries about the case. She has maintained a strict and complete silence for nearly four decades.
This deliberate retreat makes finding any concrete, current information about her nearly impossible. She is not on social media, and there are no public records under the Hansen name that lead to her. Any speculation about her specific location or current life circumstances is just that—speculation. She has effectively become a private citizen, a right she has fiercely protected after being unwillingly cast into a real-life horror story. The renewed interest in the case, particularly after the 2013 film The Frozen Ground (starring Nicolas Cage and John Cusack, with Radha Mitchell portraying a character based on Darlowe), has not tempted her out of her quiet, private existence.
The Last Victim
While Robert Hansen's confessed victims were the ones who paid the ultimate price, many consider Darlowe and her children to be his final, living victims. His depravity not only ended lives but also decimated the family he had built as part of his cover. Darlowe Hansen's story is a stark reminder of the collateral damage inflicted by such heinous crimes, where the shockwaves of betrayal and violence extend far beyond the immediate victims to poison the lives of those closest to the perpetrator.
Today, Darlowe Hansen's exact whereabouts remain unknown to the public, and that is a testament to her strength and determination to build a new life out of the ashes of her old one. Her legacy is not that of a serial killer's wife, but of a survivor who, when faced with an unimaginable truth, chose to protect her family by seeking the peace and anonymity that her husband's actions had stolen from her. Her silence speaks volumes, a quiet defiance against the darkness that once enveloped her life.
