Hansen was first married in his native Iowa when he was in his early 20s (via The Cinemaholic). This wedded bliss was short-lived, however. His bride left him after six months when Hansen was put in prison for setting fire to the local school district’s bus barns. This brief union did not produce any children.
After his release 20 months later, Hansen worked at putting his life back in order. He met his second wife, Darla, shortly after his parole. Wanting to get a fresh start, the newlywed couple migrated to Alaska in 1967 (per the New York Daily News). Hansen and Darla set down roots. Hansen opened a bakery and learned how to fly the small plane that he purchased. Darla earned a living for the household as well, teaching children with disabilities. The couple went on to have two children. Though both Hansen and his wife earned respectable incomes, it would be revealed that it was Darla who was supporting the household. The money Hansen generated from his bakery went elsewhere.
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Hansen would frequent the strip clubs in the area. He also paid visits to various sex workers, two of whom filed complaints to the police about Hansen and his strange and terrifying behaviors. These reports went nowhere, however (via the New York Daily News). No one knew Hansen was abducting some of these women and killing them for sport. When he pleaded guilty and received a 461-year prison sentence in 1984, Darla divorced him.
