Albert Johnson, known as the Mad Trapper of Rat River, was a murderer and a fugitive from the largest manhunt in the history of Canada, leading a posse of Mounties through the Arctic on a six week, winter wilderness chase in 1932. He killed one Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer and wounded two others before dying from police bullets in a firefight on a frozen river. Today, the Mad Trapper tale is symbolic of the North American frontier. He is an icon. A legend. But was he really Albert Johnson? Find out what modern forensic science tells us.
The story began on July 9th, 1931, in the Northwest Territories when a stranger arrived in Fort McPherson. Constable Edgar Millen of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police routinely questioned the newcomer who identified himself as ‘Albert Johnson’ but provided no other personal information. Millen satisfied his responsibility to ensure Johnson was equipped for survival in a frontier land with sufficient money and supplies but thought it odd that Johnson declined to buy a trapping license. He noted Johnson was slight of stature, clean in appearance, and spoke with a Scandinavian accent.
Albert Johnson ventured far into the McKenzie Delta and built a small, log cabin on the banks of the Rat River where he reclused. Come the winter, local natives found their traps being raided and concluded the only suspect was Albert Johnson. They complained to the RCMP in Aklavik, causing two Mounties to dog-sled 60 miles through waist-deep snow, arriving at Johnson’s cabin on December 26th, 1931. Johnson was there but refused to speak, forcing the police to return to Aklavik and get a search warrant.
On December 31st four Mounties returned to Rat River. As they attempted to force into Albert Johnson’s shack, he shot at them with a 30-30 Savage rifle, seriously wounding a constable. The police retreated to form a larger posse.
They came back with nine, heavily-armed men, forty-two dogs, and twenty pounds of dynamite. Johnson again opened fire, causing the police to hurl in explosives which blew the cabin apart. Rather than himself also being in pieces, Johnson emerged from a foxhole under the cabin and blasted back with his rifle. A 14-hour standoff, in -40F temperatures, took place until the posse backed-off to Aklavik for more help.
A severe blizzard delayed the return, but on January 14th, 1932, a huge squad of police and civilians arrived to find Albert Johnson long gone. The pursuers caught up with Johnson two weeks later far up the Rat River where Johnson opened fire from a thicket of trees on the bank and shot Constable Edgar Millen dead. Again the police retreated.
By now the news of the manhunt had reached the outer world through an emerging medium called radio. Listeners all over Canada, the United States, and the world, were fixed to their sets to hear the latest on the cat and mouse game between a lone, deranged bushman and the might of the famed Canadian Mounties who ‘always got their man’. It was like the OJ Simpson case of the time.
The ‘Arctic Circle War’ represented the end of one era and the beginning of another as the police turned to technology to capture Albert Johnson. They embedded radio into another new tactic – the airplane. World War One flying ace W.R. ‘Wop’ May and his Bellanca monoplane were hired to find Johnson from the air and radio his position to the dogsled and snowshoe team on the ground.
On February 14, May spotted Johnson on the Eagle River in the Yukon Territory, confirming Johnson had traveled an incredible 150 miles, crossing a 7,000-foot mountain pass in white-out conditions, in temperatures with windchill hitting 60 below Fahrenheit. He’d eluded his trackers by wearing snowshoes backward and mingling with migrating caribou herds.
The police overtook Johnson on a river bend on February 17th, 1932. It ended in a mass of bullets leaving another Mountie seriously wounded and Albert Johnson, the Mad Trapper of Rat River, dead on the snow.
They sledded Johnson’s body back to Aklavik where it was examined, fingerprinted, and photographed. Remarkably, dental examination showed sophisticated, gold bridgework which indicated this man, age estimated at 35 – 40, came from an affluent background. In his effects was $2,410 in Canadian money (worth $34,000 today) but absolutely no documents on his identification. An extensive investigation ensued to find his true identity. His death photos and description were circulated word wide, causing some leads to come in, but nothing definite. No one came forward to claim the body and ‘Albert Johnson’ was buried in a perma-frost grave near the village of Aklavik.
Here are the GPS coordinates for significant Mad Trapper locations.
These latitudes and longitudes can be plugged into iTouch Maps for satellite viewing. https://itouchmap.com/latlong.html
- Cemetery / Gravesite at Aklavik: +68.222979N -135.010579W
- Trapper’s Cabin on Rat River: +67.713444N –135.127873W
- Settlement of Fort McPherson: +67.436700N -134.88100W
- Richardson Mountain Pass: +67.278236N -136.122161W
- Eagle River Death Scene: +67.165926N -137.172716W
The Mad Trapper case was of enormous public interest, many sympathizing how a loner – almost super-human – could endure the environment, living off the land for forty-eight days and outwitting some of the most bush-wise and toughest people of the time. As with the mystery of Albert Johnson’s identity, so was the question of his motive.
Over the years, a number possible identities were offered for who ‘Albert Johnson’ really was.
The most widely accepted theory was Arthur Nelson, a prospector who was known to be in British Columbia from 1927 to 1931 and had left for the Arctic. Photos of Nelson appeared to be a dead-ringer for ‘Albert Johnson’ and descriptions of Nelson’s effects (rifle, pack, and clothing) were identical to those recovered from Johnson.
Another promising lead was a man known as John Johnson, a Norwegian bank robber who’d done time in Folsom Prison. Again, the physical description was similar and the Scandinavian accent noted by Constable Millen seemed to fit.
The Johnson family of Nova Scotia identified the Mad Trapper as their lost relative, Owen Albert Johnson, who was last heard of in British Columbia in the late 1920’s. Again all the pieces fit – physical appearance, personal effects, and disposition.
Sigvald Pedersen Haaskjold was suggested as being the real ‘Albert Johnson’. Haaskjold, who was last seen in northern British Columbia in 1927, was a recluse who was paranoid of authorities because he’d evaded conscription in the First World War. He’d built a fortress-like cabin near Prince Rupert before disappearing. Once more the looks, age, accent, and mentality fit the Trapper’s profile.
As with advances in 1930’s technology like the radio and the airplane which tracked ‘Albert Johnson’ down, forensic technology in the twenty-first century came into play for a once-and-for-all attempt at solving the mystery of who the Mad Trapper of Rat River really was.
In 2007, seventy-five years after his death, ‘Albert Johnson’ was exhumed for another look. As part of a Discovery Channel documentary, a team of eminent scientists including forensic odontologist and DNA extraction expert Dr. David Sweet, forensic pathologist Dr. Sam Andrews, and forensic anthropologist Dr. Owen Beattie, examined the skeletonized remains.
This forensic story is every bit as exciting as the hunt for the Trapper himself.
It took a pile of wrangling to get legal approval for exhumation, then obtain the consent of native peoples who laid claim to the land in which the Trapper was interred. Due to permafrost, there was only a slight window of time when the archeological dig could be made. And the exact location of the grave was in doubt.
Perseverance came down to the last available day when the team and film crew zeroed-in on a shallow grave with a rotten, wooden casket. Using archeological skill and precision, the forensic scientists carefully detached the lid and exposed a perfectly preserved male skeleton. There were no longer traces of flesh or fabric, but what gleamed in their faces was gold bridgework from a sneering skull. Dr. Sweet used dental records made in 1932 to positively identify the ghostly remains as that of the Mad Trapper.
The team cataloged the bones, making three interesting observations. One was a deformity in the spine which led to questions as to how the man could have performed the physical feats described in legend. Second was that one foot was considerably longer than the other, again questioning his mobility. And third was the entry and exit marks of a bullet path through the pelvis which was consistent to the reported fatal wound.
The team had the right remains but were no further ahead in determining identity. Dr. Sweet sectioned the Trapper’s right femur and extracted bone marrow samples as well as pulling four teeth for DNA examination. The remains were replaced in a new casket and re-interred in the original grave.
Back at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Sweet and his colleagues developed a perfect DNA profile of the Trapper. Extensive field investigation located relatives of the primary suspects – Arthur Nelson, John Johnson, Owen Albert Johnson, and Sigvald Pedersen Haaskjold. Descendant DNA profiles were developed for these men and compared to the known biological signature of the Trapper.
And guess who’s DNA matched?
No one’s.
All four suspects were conclusively eliminated by modern forensic technology as being the Mad Trapper – as were a number of other remote possibilities. One sidenote is that oxygen isotopes developed from the teeth enamel indicated that the Trapper originated from either the mid-western United States or from Scandinavia.
So who really was Albert Johnson, the Mad Trapper of Rat River?
The mystery of who lies in the Aklavik grave remains unsolved.
* * *
Here are links to the fascinating made-for-television documentary on the forensic exhumation of the Mad Trapper’s skeleton.
http://www.mythmerchantfilms.com/index.php/mnu-library/mnu-lib-madtrapper
https://vimeo.com/channels/vidalbdoc/65414821
And author Barbara Smith wrote The Mad Trapper – Unearthing a Mystery which documents the forensic adventure. Click Here
You might have this info already but, I came across the following information on a Swedish forum that I thought you might find interesting. As I am sure you know, a biogeographical analysis, that recently has been released, has determined his background is linked to multiple descendants of
Gustaf Magnusson, b: 1776-07-20 in Kävsjö (F) / d:1853-07-30 in Kulltorp (F). (He was one eyed)
Brita Svensdotter, b: 1781-04-28 in Hånger (F) / d: 1846-08-29 in Kulltorp (F).
Children:
Magnus Gustafsson, b: 1806-04-01 in Forsheda (F) (Deaf) / d: 1891-01-08 in Kävsjö (widowed 1874)
Ingrid Helena Gustafsdotter, b: 1809-07-10 in Forsheda (F) / d: 1879-10-08 in Torskinge (F)
Elin Gustafsdotter, b: 1811-12-27 in Forsheda (F) / d: 1880-12-19 in Berga, in the province of Kronoberg.
Christina Gustafsdotter, b: 1814-03-31 in Forsheda (F) / d: 1891-09-28 in Berga, in the province of Kronoberg.
Nils Gustafsson, b: 1816-12-27 Forsheda (F) / d: 1869-03-24 Årstad, in the province of Halland.
(Nils’ son, Karl Johan Nilsson, emmigrated to the USA in the 22nd of March 1881) (there is a slight chance this could be the father of the mad trapper [If Johan had a son, the son’s surname would then possibly be Johansson] (close enough to Johnson))
Anna Brita Gustafsdotter, b: 1820-02-07 in Forsheda (F) / d: 1891-10-17 in Kulltorp (F) (unmarried)
Cajsa Gustafva Gustafsdotter, b: 1822-01-17 in Forsheda (F) / d: 1900-02-19 in Kulltorp (F)
Anders Johan Gustafsson, b: 1829-07-31 in Forsheda (F) / d: 1874-09-09 in Kulltorp (F) (unmarried)
Nils Gustafsson’s son, Karl Johan was born 1861-03-25 in Skrea, in the Privince of Halland, Sweden.
Too bad the family trees don’t go back further. I have a friend with a 6th cousin twice removed and their shared ancestor was born around 1680.
A shared ancestor born in 1776 (Gustaf) would indicate a very close cousin relation to the living person (Gustaf/Britta descendant) – say 3rd or 4th cousin, maybe twice removed, of someone born c. 1900 (Trapper). They don’t specify how close the match is, only that there are numerous ones. That might only indicate his Swedish relatives were prolific. I doubt they are multiple close relatives, otherwise they would have said that it was definitely a shared ancestor and not another cousin.
Garry,
What developments have there been since your last post on the subject? It seems as though this is soon to be solved, though having just watched a documentary on the subject it sounds as if the trail has once again gone cold.
The trail’s not cold by any standard, Jim. There’s a strong lead and we’re waiting a secondary DNA test.
Has forensic genealogy been looked into? Wouldn’t this give the best chance of finding out who the Mad Trapper was?
Underway at the moment – fingers crossed for a break-thru, Zak.
Thanks for the update. The case of Joseph Henry Loveless makes me think that it might finally be possible to identify who Albert Johnson really was:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Henry_Loveless#Discovery_and_identification_of_remains
Thanks,
Zak
This case is 100% solvable. We just need a DNA match and that might happen in the next few weeks.
They just exhumed Australia’s famous John Doe, the Somerton Man. Familial DNA results should be announced soon. The have presumptive (I would say actual) descendants but they don’t know who their grandparent and great grandparent is. I hope you don’t have that problem, Garry!
The DNA test on the granddaughter gave them a Family Tree and a probable first- cousin equivalent match for the Somerton Man and they still didn’t officially ID him so they went with an exhumation. But they might end up with the same Tree so, so you’d still have the same issues with identifying the branch and the right candidate on it, because of factors such as illegitimacy, adoption, etc. It might just prove his descendants but not his place among his ancestors and therefore his true identity.
Interesting! Thanks for this!
Anything yet?
There’s a very strong person of interest but we’re having trouble getting a conclusive DNA match. Working on one more relative.
Though Insp. Eames claimed to have killed the man at Eagle River, it is generally believed that it was signalman Sgt. Robert Frances Riddell who fired that fatal shot. Other sources have Gwitch’in Special Constable John Moses felling the fugitive with a rifle shot through his pelvis.
Isn’t it true that Inspector Eames charged the first two officers responding to bring the Trapper in? They weren’t there to find out his version of the story and give him a warning. They were there to arrest him from the get-go on Boxing Day 1931.
However, the Trapper’s reaction makes you wonder what he was thinking. He couldn’t have known he’d be arrested and taken 80 miles in the snow to the nearest post, could he? So why react this way, knowing the RCMP would dig in? Did he bring all this upon himself over a trapping licence violation or some Ruby Ridge principle? Or did he think they were after him for something serious?
From my current understanding of the facts, there was some concern about Inspector Eames and his leadership which was identified in a letter by Constable Carter to the Commanding Officer above Eames. I intend to look into this further if a positive DNA match is made to a current living relative and I move forward with a book on this. I do believe that the first visit by the police was just to check on him regarding the tampered trap complaint which may not have been valid.
Why the Trapper reacted so violently is very much a mystery. My feeling is that he had a severe secret to protect that might explain why he had so much money on him and why he was prepared to die in a shoot out instead of negotiate some sort of cooperation. Hopefully, all this will be resolved one day. Thanks for your continued interest in the case, Mark!
I just read J J Healy’s 3 part Double Mystery series on rcmpgraves.com. The Double Mystery is that of the Mad Trapper and, believe it or not, that of the mysterious end of Inspector Eames. It seems he got no grave and his remains were left at the funeral home.
Take a look at Healy’s re-enactment of his catching a parcel at his front door containing the recovered ashes of A N Eames! Tell me that doesn’t look like Albert Johnson getting HIS man! http://www.rcmpgraves.com/vetcorner/vetmonth-mar11.html
PS. I can see from Healy’s account of Eames’ instruction to Millen and McDowell where author Ed O’Loughlin might have gotten the idea that Johnson was to be immediately taken in to Aklavik for questioning…. He told Millen to get Johnson to quote “drop you (Millen) a line”.
Inspector Eames is an interesting character in this story. I’m interested in reading the “Constable Carter” memo if I can find it.
Yes, Garry, Inspector Eames IS an interesting character. He seems to have some good instincts and intuition, shared with the natives there.
Another interesting thing relates to Albert Johnson, being compared, in Dick North’s words, I believe, to an “incarnation of the terrifying bushman”. Rather than just being a wild man of the woods, the naa’in or nanaa’in, bushman, of the Gwich’in is also a class of people in their tribe who are outcasts because they committed a crime.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwich%27in
(See Gwich’in Tribes section)
Here’s the best, academic treatment of the Northern Athapaskan legend of the bushman. Written before Dick North’s book, it leaves out the Mad Trapper but mentions another unnamed American fugitive from 1973:
the enemy of every tribe: “bushman” images in Northern Athapaskan narratives
ELLEN B. BASSO-University of Arizona
https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1525/ae.1978.5.4.02a00040
“A second interpretation… is that bushmen are escaped prisoners, or other whites who have intruded into Northern Athapaskan territory. For example, in 1973 an American who had escaped from a prison in Edmonton was captured after he unexpectedly emerged from the bush-half starved and unshaven-during a forest fire….
“The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have on occasion been asked to search for
bushmen after an alleged sighting. Although they have failed in every instance to find
anyone….”
Keep your comments coming, MAF.
Here’s a video on, Erik the Red, the son of an outlaw who became an outlaw himself when he killed a neighbor in a quarrel, and was banished for 3 years by Norse law. He still had to worry about the family of the victim, seeking revenge based on the Viking honor code, so he left Iceland where his outlaw father had settled and went on to discover Greenland. That settlement lasted for centuries and explored the North American continental mainland but then disappeared.
The Mad Trapper seemed to be reliving Norse Sagas – banishing himself into the North American wilderness, presumably for unknown crimes and, although having a good go of it for a while, ending up in tragedy, maybe for some similar reasons….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmbY-GrM8pI
Interesting 🙂
Most of the sources on that Bushman article are Indigenous so the story of the American fugitive bushman who was flushed out by the forest fire was probably arctic tribal lore because he doesn’t appear to have made the national new reports. That could mean they didn’t turn him in.
So the native tribes in the Arctic didn’t always report on the bushmen like the Mad Trapper unless they were a threat to their survival. Not showing the traditional hospitality, threatening with a rifle, and encroaching on their traditional hunting and trapping areas would be considered aggression. Otherwise he might have been treated as a traditional sacred madman.
Yes, but too long to post here; the one by Const. Carter is the only reliable one. While stationed in the Arctic at the time, Const. Bill White heard much about this famous or maybe infamous manhunt. Most of the details were first hand from the men who were actually involved, “and I tell you, it was nothing for the force to brag about.” White does not mince words about the RCMP. In his book Mounties in Mukluks he notes:
“That must be the biggest goddamn bungle in Mountie history. The way they talk about it now, makes it sound like a great piece of police work. When you hear about the Mountie always getting his man, the story of the Mad Trapper is the first thing they bring up.
Eames was the only Mountie there. The rest of them were all signalmen and trappers. So Eames walked up to where Johnson was and shot him in the head. He swore he’d seen Johnson move, but the only thing that could have made Johnson move by that time was if the fifty pounds of lead that was in him shifted.
Eames just wanted to claim he was the one who killed the Mad Trapper. So Eames walked up to where Johnson was and shot him in the head. It was a bullshit ending to a bullshit business.
It was poorly handled. If it was [sic] handled right, then Millen wouldn’t have been killed. My good god, this guy stood them off for pretty near a month [sic] up there. And they had everything and Johnson, that poor bugger, had nothing. “
The movie Death Hunt does a good job of making you sympathize with the Trapper character (the Mounties go after him over a false accusation of stealing a dog used in dogfights) while making you wonder if he’s secretly a serial killer who steals gold teeth.
The report by RCMP constable William Carter contradicted the story about Johnson springing traps. Carter wrote that the natives were getting the RCMP to enforce an unwritten Arctic code of hospitality. The story of interfering with the lines was apparently invented. I read somewhere that the natives hadn’t even been using the line for two years.
According to author Barbara Smith, the Mounties were doing the same thing when they came back with a warrant. So it seems everyone just wanted to be invited in for tea, or to discuss the accusations and warm up. But I’m sure the whole story hasn’t been told. But we now know the gold teeth were his.
I’ve read about William Carter’s report but I’ve never read the actual report. Do you have a link to where I can find it?
I can’t find the webpage that I believe quoted the report and where I first read about it years ago. Barbara Smith footnoted the report as being in the Library and Archives Canada.
Ah, I see it’s you, Marc. Thanks for keeping in touch!
The full story I believe can’t be told without mentioning the regular episodes of starvation in the Northern Interior. The 1926 RCMP mentions the winter of 1925-6 as a lean one. A hundred died in Canada in 1919 (JA Powell Thesis on Trapping). I don’t doubt someone like Albert Johnson would have resorted to lethal means under conditions like that. And he could have gotten away with it without him knowing and he wasn’t being sought.
The information given in the two reports by Const. Carter and Insp. Eames differs substantially on at least two major points: Firstly, Cst. Carter maintains that the Natives had lied to the RCMP about Johnson’s interference with their traps. In his report he states that Johnson had waved a gun at the Natives when they had knocked on his cabin door in anticipation of a visit. Carter’s report also states that Johnson’s cabin had not been destroyed by the dynamite charges, that it had barely been damaged.
Carter goes even further by concluding,…. “the official [RCMP] report… is lax in detailing some of the incidents, and covers up many blunders. Inspector Eames, Corporal Wilde and myself held a lengthy conference sometime after the conclusion of the case and, I presume, before the official report was forwarded ‘outside.’ Each event was discussed and the ‘version’ [Carter’s emphasis] to be adhered to when discussing the case with the public was impressed upon me. ”
“I was also informed that it would not be necessary to report on my part in the matter, as Inspector Eames would cover the entire case. At that time I did not inform Inspector Eames that my instructions were to report personally to the Officer Commanding in Edmonton, who was also in command of the Mackenzie area; I was to provide a verbal account of the affair, as he suspected some inefficiencies of organization and co-ordination of personnel employed in the hunt.”
Thanks for sharing this, Dirk. I’ve read of these discrepancies before. Where did you get your information to quote this and do you know where I can get complete copies of those reports? Thanks again! ~Garry
Author Ed O’Loughlin investigated the Mad Trapper and saw the “secret report” and the findings are in his book Minds of Winter (previewed on Google Books). It’s a novel but the Mad Trapper information contradicting the mainstream story we’re familiar with comes from his essay in the Dublin Review. That might be easier to locate.
Dublin Review
Howling huskies, dangerous trails (No. 46)
The hunt for an uncanny Arctic fugitive [essay]
Thanks for the call and conversation Garry. To the public reading this, as a retired law enforcement officer, who specialized in international identity and fugitive cases; I believe Garry’s work on this matter is exceptional and of the highest level of professionalism. For readers that are interested in cold-case identifications like the Golden State Killer, you can trust that Garry’s investigation and forensic capabilities are at that level, for the Albert Johnson case. For readers that genuinely believe they have a family genetic link to Albert Johnson, I would recommend contacting Garry through this forum. You can trust you and your information will be handled in the most professional manner. Gary has the expertise and professional connections to solve this case and cut through what I believe has been 75 years of false conjecture and fantasy-based mythology in the Albert Johnson case. Many of the false leads and decades-old “theories” of Johnsons identity have already been eliminated through Garry’s genetic DNA analysis. The truth is as close as someone picking up the phone, or investigative leads Garry is working on this very moment. Way to go Garry, I will be watching for inevitable solution to this case -Joe
Great conversation we had today, Joe. At the moment, I’m a go-to guy for following links from the known DNA sample taken the “Trapper” who skeletal body lies in the Aklavik grave to potential living relatives. However, there’s a whole team of people who’ve taken the forensic case and the active identity investigation to this point and I want to make sure they get due credit. As they say, there’s no “I” in “team”.
This case is definitely solvable. There’s a clear and known DNA profile of the man known as “Albert Johnson – The Mad Trapper of Rat River”. If there are living male direct descendants of the “Trapper”, there can be a conclusive match made from a simple and non-invasive oral swab. All that’s needed is a name that links to someone fitting the “Tapper” profile and I’ll follow up with whatever legwork is required. Then, it’s a matter of science to exclude or include the donor’s DNA profile to the “Trapper’s” biological signature.
At the moment, there is an interesting lead developing…. however there have been previous leads followed up that fizzled out. No doubt the body in the Aklavik grave has clung to anonymity but maybe it’s finally time to thaw one of Canada’s coldest cases. Thanks again for your interest, Joe. I’ll give you a shout if something breaks.
Hey, Gary, Joe here again, just read all the email posts and see you;ve exhausted a number of genetic leads since we spoke months ago. Congrats to the people on this post who sent sensible and fact based suggestions and queries for Gary to investigate. The reason I mention “sensible/facts” as I could not recall the name of your site offhand Gary, so I just Googled “Albert Johnson.” The number of fantasy based web pages and (nonsensical) movies has increased greatly even n the past few months ! i clicked on one and there is Albert Johnson shooting people off a snowmobile ! My point is:
There nothing stopping people from taking pieces of the Albert Johnson story NOW and creating flawed web based articles/movies. WORSE; there was nothing stopping printed media, (and later movies THEN, since the 1930s from publishing flawed theories and “information” about Albert Johnson. From the “lone hero” “sticking it to the man”, to the “crazed superhero” shooting down planes and dozens of people, all this contributes to the difficulty of effective investigation. Yes with some physical deformities Johnson performed superhuman efforts. But so did the brave police, Cdn military, white trappers and First nation guides in this matter. Knut Lang and Lazuras Sichititulas (sp) to name two civilians. Thanks for cutting through 80+ years of BS, Gary, I know you;ll solve it- – Joe
Nice to hear from you, Joe, and thanks for keeping tabs on this case. There is a strong lead at the moment that has never surfaced before. We were just about to submit a DNA sample but the lad went on hold because of the virus. Not sure how long it’ll be before they’re able to do a comparison.
So the lab, which I gather is at the Bureau of Legal Dentistry, is on lockdown with UBC working only on Coronavirus studies?
Is there anything you can tell us, Garry, about the new suspect with regard to where he would fall in among the various theories? My best guess is that he might have been involved in a previous turf war, perhaps again with Indigenous, or with fellow immigrants or even native-born Canadians. Maybe he got a taste for it in the trenches in WWI. I doubt a draft dodger would be that territorial although Mark Fremmerlid’s great uncle was one and seemed to have barricaded himself in his cabin as well.
No, the testing lab is a private facility in eastern Canada. I don’t want to say anything about the suspect at this time except that this person has never been tested within his family lines. It’s a wait-and-see for the near future. Thanks for your interest and keep checking in.
Hi Garry, exceptional article and also exceptional way that you have reached out to folks who might assist on this case. I have followed this case for over 40 years. I believe the inaccurate portrayal of Johnson in media (print and other) as a legitimate trapper (he was not) and peaceful wilderness dweller, when he was factually a murderous sociopath, has contributed greatly to the difficulty of Johnson’s identification. There are very few publications like yours and the 2007 exhumation/DNA program that focus on the known FACTS about Johnson. I am retired Cdn law enforcement like yourself, whose specialty was foreign fugitives and war criminals inside Canada. If you would like to contact me, I have some unique perspectives on this but cannot comment publicly.
Thanks for contacting me, Joe, and for the nice comments on this piece. I agree there’s likely a gap out there in what some people know/suspect about the “Trapper’s” true identity and what’s been publicly shared. I think solid information just hasn’t reached people like me who are able to further the information by arranging familial DNA testing. I’ll send you a personal email – I’m interested in your perspectives and fully understand why you’d like to keep them private. ~Garry
With Ancestry, you don’t need DNA to identify him. If he worked in Anyox, then he had to get in or out by boat. It’s highly unlikely he slipped the net of the Passenger Manifests. The Alaskan ones even have descriptions.
The Alaskan Passenger Manifests have physical descriptions but they only record the entry of foreigners so the Mad Trapper wouldn’t be listed if he’s a US citizen. The US Draft Registers also offer descriptions of eye and hair color but not exact height, only short/med/tall.
Not all the draftees registered for the draft or even enlisted in their home state but North Dakota would still list them in “North Dakota Military Men”. That record would profile their service rather than give their physical description. You could still determine a possible match through their profile if you know what to look for. I’d say he has more in common with Wop May than Snidely Whiplash!
Workin’ on it, Trapperologist. Workin’ on it 🙂
By possibly using the DNA catalog of the company “23 And Me” you might be able to identify a link to the Mad Trapper’s identity.
I have submitted a saliva sample and discovered relatives that I was not ware existed.
Thanks, Dan. I’ve considered it. Interestingly enough, I have a new lead on a direct family link and am in the process of arranging another DNA test. Fingers crossed as I’ve had other leads look good and then fizzled out.
The Mad Trapper’s secretive nature might be a shared family trait. The rest of his family might keep it close, or closer, to the best. That might help explain why the tests from families that volunteered or “broadcast” the candidacy of their long lost uncle, grandfather, etc. came up negative so far.
The lead I’m currently following suggests the Trapper’s identity may be a long-kept secret known within the family. I hope to know if there’s validity here within a month.
Besides the family “secret” or “denial” or ignorance holding up the ID, there’s the question of what type of crime he presumably committed, prior to coming to BC, the Yukon, and the NWT, that didn’t seem to ring a bell with any law enforcement anywhere. Draft evasion? Or something to do with bootlegging during Prohibition, American or Canadian, where he got lost in the shuffle of offenders?
We’ll soon find out I guess as it looks like the old fashion method of beating the bushes and flushing out suspects (through eye witnesses, and tips from families with missing relatives, and work by investigators and researchers, etc.) and then processing them and eliminating them one by one until you find the right one may inevitably pay off.
There’s another round of testing underway but it’s been delayed due to the cononavirus overload at the lab. Keep watching – maybe this is the right link… and maybe it isn’t. Time will tell 🙂
If you search the North Dakota Military Men records using 1898 as the median date of birth (Ancestry starts in the middle of the age range) and look at the automatic cross-references, you get a couple of Norwegian-born candidates right away who seem to disappear around the right time. One is a National Guardsman who became a school principal and the other is someone in aviation who stuck to farming. Professor Michael Arntefield now has a list of top occupational indicators that might be helpful here in deciding who to take a closer look at.
Thanks for this! I’ll keep this in mind. ~Garru
Now I think the Trapper was lying about Anyox and witness Ozzie Hutchins was wrong about his Anyox man identification from around 1923. Dick North never got anywhere with the Anyox “clue” and Hutchins man might be Halvor Larson who died in 1924 in Alaska.
I don’t think there’s anything to the Anyox angle. However, I do have a new and interesting lead at the moment. Waiting for a DNA test to confirm. Stay tuned 🙂
I grew up with a family friend and neighbor with the last name Nelson, he told me when I was growing up that Albert Johnson was Arthur Nelson, and was his grandfathers brother, they were trapping partners working their way up north they split up when they got to Watson Lake in Northern BC and that’s the last time he saw Arthur. He said his grandad said “that crazy S.O.B. Was a lunatic”, (his own words). Anyway that’s what he told me, he made it sound like his grandfather was happy to split company with the supposed Johnson.
This is interesting information, Harley. Can you contact me by email – garry.rodgers@shaw.ca – and let me know more details about how I can track down your family friend and neighbor so I can look into this a bit further. Sometimes it’s little comments like these that break a case wide open.
Do you believe the Trapper would have been captured without the aid of Wop May and his plane ?
That’s a very good question, Thomas. I wouldn’t say for sure, but I have no doubt May shortened the chase time.
I agree ancestry would be a massive help.
Thought you might be interested in some of my work on the case. Have some fresh leads, and a different perspective , and a likely candidate. https://www.facebook.com/OnTheTrailOfAJ
The RCMP and the FBI each have DNA data bases, which are constantly growing. So just because Albert Johnson’s DNA was once chcked doesn’t mean it could’nt be checked again at a later date. Also, I think every State and Provance has their own data base of DNA that is not nessessarily included in the RCMP or FBI files.
That’s a good point and worth looking into. Thanks for commenting, James.
I am very curious about this. My great grandfather disappeared in 1931 after the fire of his store. His daughter son in law and grand daughter died in the fire also. After the fire he disappeared never to be heard from again. And I mean nowhere nothing. No one could find him. I have just had my DNA done so did my step sister. Are they still trying to match the DNA? We are from Illinois.
Hi Elaine – I’ll send you an email about this.
Hi Garry, Its Brian Connor here again. You advised me to read Dick Norths book The mad trapper of rat river, well ive just finished
and what a great book. Good info on the man going by the name Arthur Nelson, who ever he was he was showing tne classic symptoms of what would be known today as Asbergers, socially awkward and uncomfortable, preferring to be alone,very adept and a loner. What i was disapointed with was Dick Norths view that Johnny Johnson was Albert Johnson. The detailed mugshots of Johnny have absolutally no facial resemblance to Albert Johnson whatsoever. He is way off the mark with that one
Thats my opinion anyway, im sure if a modern day expert looked at these they also would confirm the facial features are very different. Dick Norths experts must have been on grandpas soda pop at the time..lol
I agree with you about Johnny Johnson, Brian. I do think there might have been something to the man North says used the name Arthur Nelson. Recently, there’s been some interesting information on a man known as Karl Stamnes, aka Karl Johannson. I’m doing a DNA follow-up on this.
Great stuff Garry. Will you keep an update on your site of the outcome? I,like a lot of others are very interested in this story, you seem to be at the forefront of this mystery, im sure if anyone gets to the bottom of this you will be the one. How does this person fit into the mad trapper story? I read on a Canadian newspaper which was following the story at the time, that a news reporter said he knew the man and he was a farmer from Empress….? Coming from Scotland i hadnt even heard of a place in Canada called Empress. Have you seen this newspaper article? It was written days after the death of Albert Johnson. I havent seen this on anything else ive researched just thought i would pass it on incase there was anything in it.
Kind Regards
Brian
Thanks, Brian. I’ve never heard of this Empress lead. However, all forensic evidence obtained from the exhumation indicates the Mad Trapper originated in Scandinavia and may have spent time in the US Corn Belt. As a result of this blog post, I got a lead from a credible source in Norway who the Trapper really may be. It was an old family secret and recorded in a letter dating back to the time. I tracked down the closest relative (by name) and had a DNA test done. It was unrelated but there may well have been a break in the biological chain and this is still the right track. I’m presently looking at another relative from the maternal side. Fingers are crossed :).
what about the gold dental work its particle make up might give some clue
What about the gold dental work does gold have a unique structure of the nano particles
I don’t know, Bill. That’s a good question. The gold bridgework remains in the skull reburied at Aklavik. I don’t believe the exhumation team took gold samples for metallurgic testing. From what I read, there were two areas in the US where this type of dental work was done at the time – Chicago and San Francisco. The police at the time put out bulletins describing the dental work but never found matching records.
probably more corn grown around the windy city in those days but California had the gold, it just seems like the bridgework is an important part of this mystery.
I have seen the grainy sepia pics of a suspect at the time (Arthur Nelson) and cant believe there is any argument. The hair and facial shape. The slightly stooped body stance, this was definitely the man in the death pictures.
I know the picture you’re referring to, Brian. I agree it’s very similar to the death photos but the question is who was “Arthur Nelson”.
Thats maybe the question that will solve this. Has there been any investigations into who Arthur Nelson was as I am sure the pics are the same person. I have also had a theory for a few years that he may have actually been Albert Johnson as there doesnt seem to be any evidence of it not being his true name. He gave this name before any Mounties were looking for him, before any of this drama happened. Maybe he was honestly giving his real name at this point.
I believe the Arthur Nelson lead was followed up in the original police investigation and then the DNA team eliminated him. That’s not to say the image in the sepia photo was Arthur Nelson. It may well be the real “Albert Johnson” who possibly had that true name. It’s more likely that the Mad Trapper who the police shot was on the run and used an alias when questioned by the first Mountie. There’s a current lead that surfaced from this blog post. It certainly has merit although we did a DNA comparison to a living relative but it was excluded. It’s possible there was a break in the biological chain so we’re looking at testing a different relative. Thanks for your interest, Brian. This case can still be solved.
Hi Garry. Thanks for your reply. If there is any positive dna matches on this new lead i would love to hear it.
Regardless who the real Albert Johnson turns out to be, im still sure the fair haired man in the old pic from the time is the man the mounties shot and killed. As you said before, finding the identity of the man in the pic is the million dollar question.
P.s
This is also the man that carried 3 guns, the same 3 guns “Albert Johnson” had ( Savage rifle, shotgun and a 22 with the stock sawn off) Coincidence, not in my opinion.
Regards
Brian Connor
I’ll certainly let you know if the next DNA comparison works out. We just tested for the paternal line – now turning to mitochondrial DNA for a maternal test. It’s possible the living donor may have come from a different father lineage while the descendant mother was the same. The sepia photo and name Arthur Nelson is detailed in Dick North’s book “The Mad Trapper of Rat River”. North makes a good case that the person using the name Arthur Nelson might be the real suspect but he was using an alias just like Albert Johnson was a phony name. No doubt the real Mad Trapper was hiding something serious or he wouldn’t have acted in the violent and desperate way he did. I think when they tracked down a living relative of the real Arthur Nelson who worked the BC/Yukon gold fields, it turned out to be a coincidental name and the real Nelson was eliminated. So it went back to square one that the guy in the sepia photo was the proper person but still no further ahead on true identity. Maybe we’ll come up with something yet. Thanks for your interest, Brian!
have you ever tried ancestry.com see if there’s a DNA link there
Yes, I did snoop around ancestry.com and found an interesting lead to a US-based relative. Thanks for bringing this up, Cliff.
Awesome! that was my question as well. I was curious if the ancestral sites were being used as tools to help solve the mystery. excited you have found a relative. awesome article too sir
I have been fascinated by this story for so many years and can’t help but think he must be a Finn. Has this theory ever been checked out? As I am Finnish myself I’d like to consider myself somewhat of an expert here and his features (the snub nose, cold blue eyes and light brownish hair), not to mention his Scandinavian accent and cold silent demeanor are very characteristically Finnish. The Finns were noted for their tough hardiness and survival skills. Their performance during the Winter War and Continuation War against Russia is a perfect legendary example. It is also known that the German soldiers have said the Finns were the dreaded and most feared soldiers. Over a million emigrated from this small country for probably as many countless reasons. Many completely cut ties with family so it’s not surprising that no one came forward at the time, however, other generations of this family might well be interested now in knowing who this long lost relative was. There are great records kept in Finland, although many had name changes once they arrived whether for simplicity sake or anonymity. I’d be eager to hear more on this theory and awaiting your response. Thank you in advance. Eija
There’s certainly a possibility that he might have been Finnish. The best profile anyone’s been able to make is that he was from the Scandinavian area and that would include Finland. Most people involved with the case believe that “Albert Johnson” was not his real name but may have been somewhat similar like Johannson. There’s an interesting possibility surfaced in Norway and our first DNA link test was negative. However, there may be a break in the biological chain and we’re now looking at a second avenue for the same suspect. Thanks for your comment, Eija.If you have a name to a possible suspect I’d be happy to look into it!
Has there been any consideration into a White Army/Russian connection? If he was upper class Russian military, he could have been on the run. Possibly he could only speak a few words of English, hence his reticence to communicate. The high quality dental work would be explained, as well as his familiarity with firearms and cold terrain. The cultural differences could also explain some of his disposition- perhaps he was incapable of trusting anyone. And if he was White Army, he could have been a spy- which would mean a great deal of motivation to flee and stay hidden, considering what happened to White Army military personnel who were caught.
I’ve never heard a Russian connection suggested, Robin. It’s strongly suspected the Trapper was Scandanavian as the few people who spoke to him reported a Scandanavian accent. Also, his teeth isotopes indicate he either originated in lower Scandanavia or the mid-western US which is full of Scandinavian immigrants. I understand White Russians are from Belarus which is not that far southeast of lower Sweeden/Norway – so you never know. Whoever the Trapper was, he certainly had some motivation for being on the run. Thanks for your comment!
I understand that Albert Johnson ” Mad Trapper” was the father of Plessy Johnson, who married William roloson. OF Delhi, Ontario. Could she have been the DNA link to Albert Johnson.
My interest is my – Grandmother was Helen Marlatt , also married to William Roloson. I believe after Plessy Johnson died? ( nataive american)
Thanks so much for this information, Carol. I sent you an email for more details.
Helen Ray Marlatt’s parents were Tilman Marlatt and Plezzie Johnston. Helen married Charles William Rollson October 30, 1920 at Aylmer, Elgin. It states the birtplace of brides father was Bayham. The 1911 census of Canada shows her origins as German but born in Canada if i’m reading it correctly. With 11 children so Tilman was married before Plezzie as he’s 57 and she’s 26 with the oldest child being 19. Her father was an Albert Johnson but too old to be the one in question.
Pingback: Canada history: Feb 17, 1932: The end and beginning of the mystery of the Mad Trapper
Pingback: Largest Manhunt In Canadian History- The Mad Trapper
Is there any truth to the clue in Kelley’s book, ie. that he was born in Bismarck, ND in 1897 to wealthy parents? Trapper George Case related that Albert told him that his mother was killed when he was 20 (1917) – she was 38 – and he murdered the person who killed his mother – hence his flight to Canada.
I really don’t know, Jennifer. I suspect whoever the Trapper was there was something extreme in his background he was running from.
I recall the discovery channel special some years ago, and it was then that I realized that movies I had seen as a child in the 1970’s were based on this man’s story. In fact, as I write this Challenge to be Free is being shown on a movie channel !
Is there any active investigation still being pursued at this time ? Or are there no more avenues left to investigate ?
There is a very good case to be made that Karl Stamnes (Stamnesfet @Johannson) may be who the Mad Trapper really was. I had a DNA test done on who we thought was the closest blood relative but that person was excluded as being genetically related. There’s a distinct possibility there was a break in the blood line and this still is the real Mad Trapper. I’m open to suggestions as to another relative on the male side to test.
Has anyone tried tracing the guns serial numbers back to the original buyer and where they were shipped to by the manufacturer. If any of this could by found it might help in where he came from. If he bought the guns secondhand the trail will be much longer and harder to find but might prove worth the trouble.
From what I’ve read in historical documents and the books written on the Mad Trapper case, the RCMP did follow up on the origins of the firearms. They reached a dead end because back in the late 1920’s there were no records of sale as there are today. I think it’s even less likely they could be traced today. Thanks for your comment, James.
Thanks Garry for your reply I agree with you about record keeping in the 1920’s. My grandfather bought guns from the local hardware store this was the go-to place for hunting and fishing items back in the day. Not sure of the make of the trappers guns but have read Savage and Winchester. Again this is a long shot but original manufacturer might just still have the shipping records of where shipped when they were new. If they have any records my bet is some hardware or old catalog company if in the U.S. I agree this will probably lead to a dead end but might lend a little sport to where he might have come from. I am an outdoorsman from Western New York where we get lots of snow and cold weather. So I know from reading what the trapper did this was not his first rodeo in the cold and wild country. He was an expert in the field and this takes years to learn not a few months in the north country.
The Trapper’s main rifle was a Model 99 Savage chambered for the 30/30 Winchester cartridge. He had two other firearms – one was a sawed-off 12 Guage shotgun and the other was a .22 rimfire that had the stock removed. The Savage 99 was a very common rifle back in the 1920s and it could have originated from any supplier or outfitter across North America. There were no permits required then and it’s highly unlikely that records would have been kept regarding who bought rifles and shotguns in that era.
I agree with you that this was not the Trapper’s first rodeo, James. What he did in attempting to outrun the police in those harsh conditions is virtually super-human.
Just for clarification, the Iver Johnson sawed off shotgun had its stock removed, and it was a 16 gauge, according to the list of his possessions. The Winchester .22’s stock was the one that was sawed off, so only a pistol like grip remained. You can see those two guns in the photos of some of Albert’s possessions.
Any News about this case. Did they ever test the Stamnesfet story. Good point about blood relatives. People where often adopted in Norway at the time.
Yes, the Stamnesfet test came back as not a match. That doesn’t mean it’s not where the Mad Trapper came from. It’s just that the person who we took a DNA sample from is not genetically related.
Was the Mad Trapper’s DNA ever submitted to CODIS in the US, the DNA criminal national database? It could be useful to ID relatives. A request need only be submitted by the RCMP, and especially due to this being an unsolved killing of a law enforcement officer. The FBI will assist. Since most felons in the US must submit DNA to CODIS, this could be the key for finding the rest of the Mad Trapper’s fascinating story.
Hi
I have gone through at lot of old letters and stuff after my father in laws parents and ancestors in Stamnes outside Bergen in Norway. Four of my wifes grand parents went to USA, and one if them was called Karl Johan Stamnesfet, he was born in 1877 (in Stamnesfet).If you google Stamneshella you will find it. He changed his name to Albert and his brothers Mons, Karl and sister Bertha lost contact with him. Mons then tells the others that Albert, the hunter that was killed by “the North west mountainpolice” was their brother Karl Johan. Some say Karl Johan Stamnesfet also called himself Karl Johnson before crossing when he was in USA, and that he was a crimminal there. I have not found anything about that. Googeling Albert Johnsen Canada 1932 i read about Tha mad trapper histories and found your page.
All the best
Geir
Thank you very much for this information, Geir. I’ll pass it on to the forensic investigators and will let you know how I make out.
Name: Mons J Stamnesfet
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Birth Date: abt 1874
Departure Place: Liverpool England and Queenstown Ireland, England and Queenstown Ireland
Arrival Date: 6 May 1895
Arrival Place: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Last Residence: Norway
Ship: Pavonia
Excellent article! There is a DNA sharing site known as gedmatch.com and if “Albert Johnsons” DNA was listed, it could be compared with anyone that submits their raw DNA to that site. This would be the easiest way to go about doing it, but I fear the DNA is property of Discovery and will never be released in such a manner. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
are they still looking to do any test of DNA , where would you look to get tested ? This story was told by our grandparents in the 60’s
You might want to contact Barbara Smith who authored the book “Mad Trapper – Unearthing The Mystery”. She will know who to go to for DNA testing. Here’s the link to her book and she lives in Sidney, BC. http://www.amazon.ca/The-Mad-Trapper-Unearthing-Mystery/dp/1894974530
Thanks Garry
i will get in touch with her
That’s a hell of a good idea, Dan. Thanks for sharing this. I’d think that Discovery, or whoever holds the DNA sample, would be more than willing to share the profile. After all, the whole purpose of this exercise was to identify the “Mad Trapper”.
If you go to the website for the company that made to documentary, you can contact them. They own the DNA, and you need to go through them to get it done. https://mythmerchantfilms.com/
Was it ever confirmed that all of these suspects were blood relatives of those whose DNA was tested? If a suspect was an adopted child, DNA testing would not have worked.
Dairn – This is a brilliant question. You’re absolutely right about adoption not being associated to DNA. I have no idea if the suspects were looked at as blood relatives. Excellent comment!
Great read Gary! I remember seeing the discovery channel doc a while back. What I love best about the story is the fact that this mystery is meant to stay just that. In today’s world of technology a story like this could never happen.
Thanks, Diana. I guess some things are just meant to remain unsolved. This is a real case of someone taking their secret to the grave 🙂
Amazing story. What gets me about things like this is how sturdy and powerful those in the grips of evil can be. It’s a common device in film to have the villain to get hit over and over again but still keep coming after the good guy. It seems that’s not just a convenience for the story but a reality. Any idea what gives evil so much power and resilience?
I think the age old struggle is good vs. evil, Cyd. It seems to be the universal story and I guess evil tries to find an equilrium because there is so much good in the world.
Wow. It’s amazing that with today’s technology we still don’t know who is buried in this grave. I suppose it comes down to not having enough suspects to test against, and the age of the crime adds layers of problems as well. Fascinating story, Garry!
Hi Sue! It’s great story and can be easiy solved if a suspect name surfaces and they test the mitochondrial DNA of a relative. That’s the hard part … finding a suspect name. I know one of the members of the forensic team involved and the group was really disappointed that they failed to identify the Mad Trapper. As each year goes by, I’d say it’s less likely as people die off and memories fade.
I wonder if Ancestry.com could help? They have a huge amount of DNA samples from members all over the world. Submitting a DNA sample on yourself to find relatives is all the rage now.
Very good suggestion. I think it’s just a matter of time before a DNA link finally identifies the Trapper. Somewhere out there, he’s related to someone. Thanks for commenting, Karla.