Account
Feb 16, 2012
Jun 19, 2023
Joan
Hansen
92
30
68 inches
120 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
In the summer of 1962, a 30-year-old mother of four named Joan Ellen Hansen disappeared from Des Moines, Washington, under harrowing circumstances. She was last seen on August 10, 1962, a day she had intended to gather her belongings from the home she once shared with her estranged husband, Robert Hansen. Just months prior, in May, Joan had filed for divorce, citing Robert's violent temper and physical abuse as the reasons for ending their marriage. Fearing for her safety, she had gone into hiding after taking that courageous step. Joan had made plans to meet her sisters the following day at the Seattle World's Fair, an outing that she would tragically never make. The last known contact anyone had with Joan was a frantic phone call to her friend, Patricia Martin. During the call, Joan's sense of security was shattered when she suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my God, he's in the basement. He's coming," followed by a scream before the line went dead. The terrifying final moments of that phone call marked the beginning of a mystery that has spanned decades. After the line disconnected, Patricia Martin repeatedly tried to call back, but her calls went unanswered until finally, Robert Hansen picked up. When asked about Joan's whereabouts, he chillingly replied, "She's with you." Robert Hansen would not report his wife missing until August 15, five days after her disappearance. Weeks later, Joan's Chevrolet Biscayne was discovered abandoned in the Queen Anne Hill neighborhood of Seattle. The car was in a state of disarray, with flat tires, the windows rolled down, and the interior filled with trash and debris, a stark contrast to how meticulously Joan usually maintained her vehicle. Despite the concerning state of the car, investigators found no usable fingerprints or any clear signs of foul play. An extensive search of the area yielded no trace of Joan. In the years that followed Joan Hansen's disappearance, the shadow of suspicion largely fell upon her estranged husband. Two days before she vanished, Joan had obtained a restraining order against Robert, which required him to vacate their family home. The divorce proceedings continued in her absence, and in November 1962, the divorce was granted. A judge ruled there was sufficient evidence to indicate Joan had been abused by her husband. Joan was declared legally dead in 1975, though her body has never been found. Over the years, rumors circulated that her remains might be buried on a farm property once owned by the Hansen family in the Kent Valley, where a barn's dirt floor was concreted around the time she went missing. However, a search of the area with ground-penetrating radar in 2006 found no evidence. Robert Hansen, who had a history of violent behavior, was never charged in connection with his wife's disappearance. He died by suicide in 2009. Following his death, their sons filed a wrongful death lawsuit against his estate, and they were awarded damages. The case of Joan Ellen Hansen remains an unsolved and deeply troubling mystery, a story of a young mother who sought a life free from fear but instead vanished, leaving behind a legacy of unanswered questions and enduring grief for her loved ones.
Aug 10, 1962
Des Moines
Washington
King County
98188
No
11386
King County Sheriff's Office
Seattle
Washington
King County
98104
Jim Allen
Detective
516 3rd Avenue Room W-150, Washington
2062964155
County
Law Enforcement
04-255743
2004-06-09
King County Sheriff's Office
Brown
Brown
Brown
No
06/24/2026
