“We know there are bodies here,” Hansen says.
In 2015, authorities came to the 160 acre farm with a search warrant. Neither Wadena County nor the BCA would offer any other details.
However, Hansen suspects investigators were looking for remains belonging to Carla Anderson, who was 23 in 1987 when she disappeared. Anderson was last seen at her Wadena apartment house. Extensive searches in and around town turned up nothing.
Hansen isn’t the only one still holding out hope.
“It’s a very big day for me and my sister,” Hansen added. “Hopefully it’s a very big day for the people that are still looking for answers.”
Hansen is talking about people like Roy Rusness, whose loved ones went missing in 1976, just 30 miles away.
“Elijah has been in contact, wanting to come out. He’s mentioned to me that there are bodies out here,” Chuck Lane says. “I don’t believe it to this day.”
Lane bought the property two years ago, not knowing its history. He says Hansen approached him about bringing cadaver dogs in.
Lane says the two agreed that if the dogs hit, Hansen could search the property. The dogs hit eight times.
“I want closure for Elijah and his family. I want closure to be able to move on and hunt on my property,” Lane says. “If for some reason I’m wrong and they do find bodies, I want closure for families.”
After several hours of digging, bone fragments turned up. However, that doesn’t mean they’re human. The farm used to be home to a zoo.
As the clock ticks on Hansen’s time to dig, he stands firm in his belief.
“If we can’t prove it, that still leaves things undone,” Hansen says.
“I’ve met the family who lived here years ago. They’re very good, nice people,” Lane says. “I just have a hard time buying that there’s bodies out here.”
Source: KVLY