Facial reconstruction by Andrea Stevenson and a live photo.
Facial reconstruction by Andrea Stevenson and a live photo.
Date of Discovery: February 17, 1932
Location of Discovery: Eagle River, Yukon, Canada
Estimated Date of Death: February 17, 1932
State of Remains: Recognizable
Cause of Death: Gun shot wound
Estimated Age: 30-45 years old
Race: white
Sex: Male
Height: 5'9" to 5'10"
Weight: 150 to 175 lbs.
Hair Color: brown
Eye Color: blue
Distinguishing Marks/Features: He had a slight Scandinavian accent, scoliosis, or a curvature to the spine,that would have caused back pain, "very sophisticated dental work" that indicated "an upper socio-economic situation" including tooth-colored and gold fillings and a gold bridge. One of his feet was longer than the other. Isotopes in Johnson's teeth suggest he was from the northern United States or a Scandinavian country
Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Available
DNA: Available
Clothing: Unknown
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: 32 kidney pills, $2,410 dollars in large bills, both Canadian and American (worth approximately $60,000 today); two glass jars, one containing five pearls, and the other, seven gold pieces of dental work.
He was also found with a pair of snowshoes, a .22 Winchester rifle, a model 99 Savage, a .30-30 rifle, 39 .30-30 ammunition shells, 84 .22 shells and four shotgun shells.
The contents of his pack: razor, comb, mirror, needle, thread, oily rag, fishhooks, wax, matches, nails, axe, pocket compass, 119 shells, a knife made from an old trap spring—all in neatly sewn moosehide cases; five freshwater pearls, some gold dust, $2,410 in bills, and two pieces of gold bridgework, not his own.
Albert Johnson (name thought to be an alias) and now dubbed "The Mad Trapper," came to Northern Canada and built a log cabin at Rat River in the Mackenzie Delta region of the Northwest Territories in the summer of 1931. On December 26, 1931, RCMP attended his cabin to investigate complaints made about him that he was poaching trap lines. Met with resistance, RCMP returned with a search warrant at which time, Johnson shot and wounded one of the RCMP officers.
On another subsequent visit, there was a standoff and Johnson escaped after police blew up his cabin with dynamite. This started a 7-week chase over 150 miles of snowy mountainous terrain in -50 to -60 degrees Celsius temperatures. Two more RCMP officers were injured and another was killed before Johnson himself was shot and killed by RCMP on February 17, 1932. An autopsy was done and he was buried in an Aklavik cemetery. In 2007, his remains were exhumed and DNA retrieved.
Agency Name: RCMP
Agency Contact Person: Unknown
Agency Phone Number: Unknown
Agency E-Mail: CanadasMissing-DisparusCanada@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Agency Case Number: Unknown
NCIC Case Number: N/A
NamUs Case Number: N/A
Former Hot Case Number: N/A
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Legion Magazine
Maclean's
The Mad Trapper Story
The Globe and Mail Published May 12, 2009
The Mad Trapper, Pure History Specials Arctic Manhunt Documentary Mystery
The Canadian Encyclopedia
The Mad Trapper: Unearthing a Mystery
By Barbara Smith
Radio Canada International
Added: 4/22/2020; Last Updated: 9/19/2020
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information may be estimated.
Return Home