You probably know the name from the movie The Frozen Ground. Or maybe you're a true crime junkie who remembers the chilling details of the "Butcher Baker" case in Anchorage. For decades, the story of Cindy Paulson was frozen in 1983—a 17-year-old girl barefoot in the snow, fleeing a madman’s plane at Merrill Field with handcuffs still biting into her wrists.
People always ask: Cindy Paulson where is she now?
It's a question rooted in a mix of voyeurism and genuine hope. We want to know that the girl who took down Robert Hansen—the monster who hunted women like game in the Alaskan wilderness—found some kind of peace.
But the truth is a bit more complicated than a Hollywood ending. For years, Cindy was a ghost. She vanished from the public eye almost as soon as the trial ended. She didn't want the fame, and she certainly didn't want the trauma of being "the one who got away" to be her entire identity.
The Reality of Life After Robert Hansen
Honestly, the "where is she now" part of Cindy's story isn't just about a GPS location. It’s about a decades-long struggle to outrun a shadow. After Hansen was locked away for 461 years, Cindy didn't just walk into a perfect life. Life on the streets of Anchorage in the early 80s was brutal, and the transition out of that world was anything but linear.
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For a long time, even the people closest to the case lost track of her. Sergeant Glenn Flothe, the Trooper who finally believed her when others wouldn't, once noted that Cindy struggled significantly in the years following the investigation. She returned to the "life" for a while. There were periods where she was simply "whereabouts unknown."
It’s a harsh reality that true crime documentaries often skip over. Survival is messy.
Breaking the 40-Year Silence
Everything changed recently. After forty years of staying quiet, Cindy finally decided to put her own voice on the record. If you’ve been looking for her lately, you might have caught her rare, deeply emotional interview on the Mind of a Monster podcast series.
Hearing her speak as an adult is... intense. She doesn't sound like a victim anymore. She sounds like a woman who has processed a lifetime of pain and come out the other side with a very specific sense of purpose.
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She's spoken about how she felt "chosen" by a higher power to be the one to stop Hansen. It wasn't just luck. In her mind, she was there to save the girls who couldn't save themselves.
Where Is Cindy Paulson Now in 2026?
If you are looking for a current address, you won't find one. And that's intentional. Cindy has spent the last few years living a relatively quiet, private life. She isn't on the celebrity circuit. She isn't "influencing."
Recent updates from those who have interviewed her suggest she has found a level of stability that seemed impossible in 1983. She has focused on her family and staying out of the spotlight. Most importantly, she has reclaimed her narrative. For years, people talked about her—about the "prostitute" who escaped a killer. Now, she’s just Cindy.
Clearing Up the Misconceptions
There is a lot of misinformation out there. Some people confuse her with other victims, or they think she stayed in Alaska. Others believe she moved in with the Flothe family (a rumor fueled by the movie).
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- Did she stay in Alaska? No. She left Anchorage shortly after the legal proceedings.
- Is she still in "the life"? No. That chapter ended a long time ago.
- Does she hate the movie The Frozen Ground? She actually worked with Vanessa Hudgens to make sure the portrayal was as accurate as possible. She wanted people to see the fear, but also the fight.
The Legacy of the "Girl with the Sneakers"
When Cindy escaped, she did something incredibly smart. Despite the terror, she left her blue sneakers in the back of Hansen's car. She knew she needed proof. That small act of presence of mind is what eventually allowed the FBI and State Troopers to link Hansen to the crimes.
Without Cindy, Robert Hansen might have kept flying his Piper Super Cub into the bush with a rifle and a fresh victim for another decade.
Basically, her "now" is defined by the fact that she survived. She is a mother. She is a survivor. She is someone who looked into the face of pure evil and didn't blink.
If you want to support survivors or learn more about the reality of human trafficking and exploitation—the world Cindy was trapped in when she met Hansen—there are better ways to do it than searching for her private details. You can look into organizations like Covenant House or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
The best way to honor Cindy Paulson today isn't by finding her; it's by remembering that behind every "true crime" headline is a real person who has to live with the story after the cameras turn off. She’s earned her privacy. Let’s give it to her.
Next Steps for Readers:
If you're interested in the factual history of the case without the Hollywood gloss, read Butcher, Baker by Leland E. Hale. It’s widely considered the definitive account of the investigation and features the most accurate details regarding Cindy’s role in the capture of Robert Hansen.