For two decades, Minnesota police struggled to identify a lone skull, now they’ve tied it to a funeral director who ‘went off the deep end’

A former funeral home director has been sentenced for a crime that remained a mystery for over two decades. Benjamin Carl Hanson, 57, received a 90-day jail sentence and four years of probation on Tuesday after pleading guilty to hiding a corpse with the intent to conceal a crime.

According to the Pioneer Press, the investigation began in October 2002 when a group of Boy Scouts hiking near the Fred C. Andersen Boy Scout Camp in Somerset Township, Wisconsin, discovered a black garbage bag. Inside the bag, they found a human skull. For years, local law enforcement struggled to identify the remains. Various forensic tests failed to provide answers, and investigators were left with a cold case that seemed destined to remain unsolved.

The breakthrough arrived thanks to the persistence of the DNA Doe Project. PEOPLE reported that this California-based, all-volunteer nonprofit organization used genetic genealogy to build out a family tree. In August, they confirmed the skull belonged to 92-year-old Alyce Catharina Peterson, who had passed away from natural causes on July 23, 2001. However, her remains ended up in this condition because of Hanson.

Hanson’s actions are reportedly a result of a fixation

Hanson, who was a funeral director at Simonet Funeral Home in Oak Park Heights at the time, was the only person with access to Peterson’s body in 2001. Per the Pioneer Press, Hanson’s actions were discovered after a lengthy investigation involving the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office and the Oak Park Heights Police Department. 

The criminal complaint revealed that Hanson had been struggling with his mental health during that period. Former colleagues noted that he “went off the deep end” during the summer of 2001 and was treated at Regions Hospital.

During his sentencing hearing, Judge Scott Nordstrand read from a presentence investigation report. Hanson reportedly admitted to picking up Peterson’s body from a hospital and using a handsaw to remove her head while she was in the back of his work van. Hanson told a probation agent that he was fixated on decapitation and “just wanted to know if he felt anything when he did it.” 

Nordstrand reflected on the statement, and said, “His own description reflected in the (report) was that it was a heinous act … horrific, unimaginable.” The Judge also noted that Hanson mentioned he had been living with mental illness since he was a teen. After the act, Hanson initially buried the head at a cemetery, but later panicked because the grave was too shallow. He eventually discarded the head in a ravine, hoping it would never be found.

In a statement submitted to the court, the family described how Peterson, affectionately known as “Mimi,” had stepped in to help raise eight children after their mother died of cancer in 1954. “Mimi was our rock — always there,” the statement read. “We will always love her and miss her.”

During the court proceedings, Hanson told the court that he had been living with a “terrible secret” for years and that he could not “justify or undo” what he had done. He claimed he was suffering from mental illness at the time and that he felt “mortified” by his own actions. 

Despite the gravity of the crime, the prosecution did not recommend a prison sentence, and Judge Nordstrand agreed. In addition to his jail time, Hanson is permanently barred from working in the funeral industry. Additionally, the prosecutor noted that the family did not want a jail sentence for Hanson, stating, “they’re not seeking vengefulness or malice. I think that can show us something into who Ms. Peterson was.”

The investigation reports note that during Hanson’s time at the funeral home, colleagues described him as “moody and irate.” Per the Pioneer Press, he was eventually fired after an incident where he allegedly used a company credit card for personal expenses, including home repairs. When he was finally let go, law enforcement had to be called to remove him from the premises.

DNA testing has been instrumental in resolving two recent cold cases. In April, Nancy Jean Trottier was charged with the death of a newborn, whose remains were found 45 years ago, in 1981. Similarly, in May and undercover operation where police promoted chewing gum, gave them the evidence necessary to link Mitchell Gaff to the deaths of two women.

Hanson is set to begin his jail term on July 31.