Overview

Last seen: September 27, 1983
Last-seen location: Near E. Chicago Street and N. Water Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Age: 18
Date remains discovered: October 4, 1983
Location remains discovered: Woods near Petrifying Springs Park, Somers Township, Kenosha County, Wisconsin
Status: Unsolved homicide / open cold case
Kenosha County case: 83-13716
NamUs: MP150848

Hansen disappeared after being seen in downtown Milwaukee during the early morning hours. Seven days later, his torso was discovered approximately 35 miles away in Kenosha County. The remainder of his body and his clothing have never been recovered. Numerous investigative theories and possible suspects have been examined over the decades, but authorities have not publicly identified Hansen’s killer.

Renewed attention in 2026 has focused on reconstructing Hansen’s life and final movements, locating surviving witnesses and revisiting information from Milwaukee’s LGBTQ community of the early 1980s. The official Kenosha County investigation remains open.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Eric Russell Hansen: The Unsolved 1983 Wisconsin Homicide

Eric Russell Hansen was only 18 years old when he disappeared from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in September 1983. One week later, partial remains belonging to the teenager were discovered roughly 35 miles south in Kenosha County. More than four decades later, Hansen’s homicide remains unsolved.

The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office continues to list the killing as an active cold case under Case #83-13716, while a missing-person record connected with Hansen is listed as NamUs #MP150848.

Who Was Eric Russell Hansen?

Eric Hansen was born December 23, 1964, and was from the St. Francis/Milwaukee area of Wisconsin. Contemporary and later accounts describe a young man whose teenage years had been difficult. He reportedly left school and sometimes ran away from home. Before his final departure, Hansen reportedly told his mother he intended to move to Indiana.

Later accounts indicate that Hansen instead remained around Milwaukee and became familiar with the city’s gay community. Reporting about the investigation has said he was involved in sex work and had reportedly been living with an older man shortly before his death. These details have become significant to modern efforts to reconstruct Hansen’s life and identify people who may have known him in 1983.

Eric Hansen’s Last Known Sighting

Hansen was last seen alive during the early morning hours of September 27, 1983, near East Chicago Street and North Water Street in Milwaukee. CaseTrace, citing NamUs as its official source, reports that Hansen was wearing sneakers, jeans and a maroon jacket.

Other reporting places his final known movements around Paradise Books, then located at 225 N. Water Street in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. Investigators and researchers have consequently focused attention on people who frequented the Third Ward and Walker’s Point areas during that period.

Seven days after Hansen was last seen, the case changed from a disappearance to a homicide investigation.

Remains Found Near Petrifying Springs Park

On October 4, 1983, partial remains belonging to Hansen were discovered in the woods near Petrifying Springs Park in Somers Township, Kenosha County.

The official Kenosha County cold-case page states that Hansen’s torso was recovered and that no other body parts were ever located. His complete remains therefore have never been recovered.

Historical accounts describe the torso as having been concealed inside a plastic trash bag. Hansen’s remains were subsequently identified, connecting the Kenosha County discovery to the 18-year-old who had disappeared from Milwaukee.

CaseTrace reports that Hansen’s clothing also has never been recovered.

An Investigation Spanning More Than Four Decades

Investigators considered several possibilities over the years. Later historical accounts have discussed potential connections to serial killers active during the period, particularly Larry Eyler, as well as Joachim Dressler and Jeffrey Dahmer. None of those theories resulted in a charge or a resolution of Hansen’s homicide.

Eyler received particular attention because he murdered young men across the Midwest during the same general period and because investigators reportedly noted similarities between Hansen’s killing and other cases associated with him. Hansen has consequently appeared on lists of suspected Eyler victims.

That distinction is important: Eyler was never convicted of Hansen’s murder and did not confess to killing him. Hansen’s homicide officially remains unsolved.

The Case Remains Open

The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office continues to publicly list Eric Hansen among the county’s unsolved homicide cases.

The department emphasizes that information that may appear insignificant could still be important to investigators. Anyone with information can contact the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau at 262-605-5102. Anonymous information can be provided to Crime Stoppers at 800-807-TIPS (8477) or 262-656-7333.

Renewed Investigation in 2026

Eric Hansen’s case received significant renewed attention in 2026, more than 42 years after his death.

Criminologist and independent investigator Clark Williams, whose work involving the Billy Newton cold case was featured in the documentary My Brother’s Killer, began conducting his own victim-centered investigation into Hansen’s death. Williams has been working to reconstruct Hansen’s life, relationships and final movements rather than beginning solely with the names of previously discussed suspects.

Williams traveled to the Milwaukee and Kenosha areas in April 2026. His investigation included retracing Hansen’s last known movements and visiting the area of Petrifying Springs Park where Hansen’s remains were discovered. He has also sought people who knew Hansen or frequented Milwaukee’s gay bars and gathering places during the early 1980s.

The Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project has assisted Williams’ research by providing historical context and archival material. Williams has said one objective is to develop a more complete picture of Hansen’s life while attempting to identify previously unknown people of interest and evaluate older suspect theories.

Milwaukee Magazine reported in May 2026 that Williams was actively investigating Hansen’s homicide. The magazine accompanied him through Petrifying Springs Park and documented his effort to revisit locations associated with the case.

As of the latest publicly available information located for this article, however, no arrest or criminal charge has been announced in Eric Hansen’s homicide. Kenosha County continues to identify the case as an unsolved homicide.

Brief Case Summary

Last seen: September 27, 1983
Last-seen location: Near E. Chicago Street and N. Water Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Age: 18
Date remains discovered: October 4, 1983
Location remains discovered: Woods near Petrifying Springs Park, Somers Township, Kenosha County, Wisconsin
Status: Unsolved homicide / open cold case
Kenosha County case: 83-13716
NamUs: MP150848

Hansen disappeared after being seen in downtown Milwaukee during the early morning hours. Seven days later, his torso was discovered approximately 35 miles away in Kenosha County. The remainder of his body and his clothing have never been recovered. Numerous investigative theories and possible suspects have been examined over the decades, but authorities have not publicly identified Hansen’s killer.

Renewed attention in 2026 has focused on reconstructing Hansen’s life and final movements, locating surviving witnesses and revisiting information from Milwaukee’s LGBTQ community of the early 1980s. The official Kenosha County investigation remains open.