The Colorado Cannibal: Alfred Packer

In 1873, a wilderness guide named Alfred Packer emerged from the Colorado mountains as the sole survivor of a seven-man prospecting party. He looked surprisingly well-fed, paid his bar tab with a wad of cash, and over the following weeks told three different stories about what happened—each one more elaborate than the last. By the time his third version ended, he had admitted to cannibalism but insisted he killed only one man, in self-defense. A jury didn't believe him, and he was sentenced to hang. But more than a century later, forensic evidence and a re-examination of the trial have left the question open: was Alfred Packer a cold-blooded murderer who ate his victims, or a desperate man who did what he had to do to survive?

The journey and the first story

Alfred Packer was a Union Army veteran in his early thirties, discharged twice for epilepsy, working as a wilderness guide in Utah. In the fall of 1872, he joined 21 prospectors heading to southwestern Colorado, lured by gold fever. He lied about being able to pay for his share of provisions. Winter arrived early and brutally. The group ran out of food and resorted to eating animal feed. In late January, they reached a Ute Indian encampment, where the chief urged them to wait out the winter. Most stayed. But Packer and six others pushed on, with Packer acting as leader.