Israel Keyes Serial Killer

Israel Keyes was a serial killer who is responsible for a series of murders, sexual assaults, robberies and arson across the United States. Israel Keyes who would finally be arrested in Alaska would commit suicide before his trial so his true number of victims will never be known. In this article on My Crime Library we will take a closer look at Israel Keyes

Israel Keyes Early Life

Israel Keyes was born in Cove Utah to a Mormon family. who would later convert to Fundamentalist Christianity which has been linked to white supremacist groups. Israel and his nine siblings were home schooled

When Israel was three or four years old his family would move to Colville Waashington where there neighbor was Chevie Kehole who would in 1996 murder three people.

Israel would lose all interest in Christianity in his teens and would become interested in Satanism.

When Israel was twenty years old he would enlist in the US Military serving with the Army in both Fort Hood and in Egypt. Three years later he would leave military service.

In 2007 Israel Keyes would move to Alaska to and start a construction company.

Israel Keyes Murders

Israel Keyes would admit to murdering four people in Washington State however the claims have never been proven and are being investigated by the FBI.

Keyes would also confess to a murder in New York and through authorities believe the claim is credible again it has never been proven. Israel would also confess to a series of bank robberies throughout New York State and Texas.

Israel Keyes admitted to another murder in 2009 in New Jersey and would tell authorities he buried the woman’s body in New York. He would also admit to the murders of Bill and Lorraine Currier in Vermont after robbing their home.

The murder of Samantha Koenig was the last known murder of Keyes. According to authorities the eighteen year old woman was kidnapped from her work, robbed, sexually assaulted and murdered the next day. He would leave her body in a shed for two weeks as he and his family went on a two week vacation. When he returned he applied makeup to the victim, sewed her eyes open and took a photo of the woman with a recent newspaper demanding $30,000 for her return.

Following the ransom FBI would monitor Samantha Koenig bank accounts and soon he was located in Texas after using Samantha Koenig debit card.

Israel Keyes Death

Israel Keyes was set to go to trial in Alaska for the kidnapping and murder of Samantha Koenig however on December 2, 2012 he would take his own life.

Israel Keyes would be confirmed as the killer of four people however authorities believe the number is over eleven. Keyes was also responsible for a series of bank robberies and break and enters all over the United States.

Israel Keyes Videos

Israel Keyes More News

After Israel Keyes was arrested for the murder of 18-year-old Samantha Koenig in Alaska in 2012, authorities realized that the man they had in custody was a prolific serial killer. Keyes freely admitted as much.

During conversations with investigators, the 34-year-old sometime construction worker revealed the names of two additional victims—along with tantalizing clues about other murders he had committed around the country over a period of years. But last December, Keyes killed himself in his Anchorage jail cell, leaving a trail of unanswered questions and unidentified victims.

Those victims have not been forgotten, however. Today we are releasing new information in the hopes that the public can help us identify others who died by Keyes’ hands. The information includes extensive videotaped conversations with Keyes in jail and an interactive map that contains a detailed timeline of his known movements beginning in 1997.

“He gave us a number of clues,” said Special Agent Jolene Goeden in our Anchorage Division. “He talked openly about some of the homicides, but much of what he said only hinted at the things he had done. So we are trying to get information out there about what he did tell us. We are letting the public know the types of cars he rented, towns he visited, campgrounds he frequented. Anything that might spur someone’s memory could help us,” Goeden said.

Apart from Koenig, who was abducted from the Anchorage coffee stand where she worked, and Bill and Lorraine Currier, a middle-aged married couple who were murdered in 2011 in Vermont, Keyes discussed “seven or eight other victims,” Goeden said. “We want to identify them.”

Investigators believe that Keyes killed and buried a victim in upstate New York in April 2009. “He also told us about a couple in Washington state, another victim in that area, and possibly others in surrounding states,” Goeden said.

FBI agents are working with law enforcement around the country to link Keyes to open cases. “If we have a missing person identified in a particular area, we work closely with that local police department to either connect the person to Keyes or not,” Goeden explained. “We have his DNA.”

It’s a painstaking process, made more complicated because Keyes was meticulous about covering his tracks. In the Currier case, for example, he flew from Alaska to Chicago, rented a car, and drove 1,000 miles to Vermont, where he searched for victims. He chose the Curriers at random.

Keyes also left “murder kits” in various locations around the country that contained, among other items, weapons and cash—the money came from bank robberies he committed to support his criminal activities. The caches provided further cover because Keyes didn’t have to risk boarding an airplane with a weapon or using credit cards that could later connect him to a crime in a particular area.

“Although he chose many of his victims randomly, a tremendous amount of planning went into these crimes,” Goeden said. “Keyes enjoyed what he did, and he had no remorse at all. He told us if he hadn’t been caught, he would have continued kidnapping and murdering people.”

We need your help. If the videos or map regarding Israel Keyes’ movements spark any memories, or if you have any information regarding Keyes, please contact your local FBI office or submit a tip online.

“That fact that Keyes is dead makes it more difficult for us,” Goeden said, “but the investigation absolutely continues.”

https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/new-information-released-in-serial-killer-case

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