WSET reports Benjamin Hanson, the funeral director at Simonet Funeral Home, was tasked with cremating Alyce Peterson after her death in 2001. According to WEAU, Peterson died of natural causes.
Hanson picked up the woman’s body at the hospital and then removed her head with a hand saw in his truck, according to WSET. He reportedly said he did this to see if it made him feel anything. Hanson then cremated the body but kept the head before burying it in a cemetery and eventually throwing it down a ravine.
According to WSET, employees who worked with Hanson at the time of the incident said that he “went off the deep end” and was reportedly hospitalized for mental health reasons. During an investigation before sentencing, Hanson allegedly said that he was fixated on decapitation at the time despite knowing that it was “a heinous act.”
In 2002, Hanson was fired from the Simonet Funeral Home after being suspected of stealing from the business, KARE reports. In addition, he allegedly swerved his car at the person who was hired to replace him and was served with a harassment order, which was denied.
WSET reports that Boy Scouts found the head in the ravine the following year, but it was not identified until 2022 with forensic technology.
Hanson was arrested in December 2025 after Peterson’s head was connected to the funeral home. He was sentenced on June 2 to 90 days in jail followed by four years of probation after being found guilty of hiding a corpse. In addition, he has been banned from working in the funeral industry, per WSET. In addition, WEAU reports that he must maintain sobriety and obtain mental health services.
According to People, Peterson was known as “Mimi” and moved in with a family with eight children in 1954 after their mother died. Court records obtained by the outlet say that a statement from the family reads, “Mimi was our rock — always there. … We will always love her and miss her.”
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