Israel Keyes

Who Was Israel Keyes?

Israel Keyes was an American serial killer suspected of murdering at least 11 people between 2001 and 2012, although authorities have definitively linked him to only three of those murders. Known for his methodical and highly calculated approach, Keyes avoided targeting specific demographics, opting instead for victims of opportunity in various locations across the U.S. His preparation for these crimes was chillingly meticulous; he often buried “kill kits” in remote areas ahead of time and funded his activities by working as a contractor and robbing banks. Keyes was apprehended in March 2012 following the murder of 18-year-old Samantha Koenig in Alaska, which was atypical for him and ultimately led to his capture. He committed suicide in December 2012 while in custody, leaving behind numerous unanswered questions about his full range of criminal activities.

Early Life

Born on January 7, 1978, in Cove, Utah, Israel Keyes was the second of 10 children in a strict, isolated household. His parents, Heidi and John Jeffrey Keyes, rejected government institutions, including public education and modern medicine. When Israel was 5 years old, the family moved to a remote area in Colville, Washington, where they lived off the grid without electricity or heat. During their time in Washington, the Keyes family left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and became fundamentalist Christians, eventually joining a white supremacist church known as the Ark.

In the late 1990s, the family moved to Oregon, where Keyes committed his first known crime—an attempted assault on a girl, though she survived. Shortly after, the family relocated again, this time to Maine, near an Amish community. Keyes’ childhood was marked by disturbing behavior, including breaking into homes, stealing guns, hunting animals for sport, and torturing them—behavior often linked to early signs of psychopathy. While in custody years later, Keyes admitted, “I’ve known since I was 14 that… there were things that—that I thought were normal and that were OK that nobody else seemed to think were normal and OK.”

At around 17 years old, Keyes openly rejected his family’s religious beliefs, which led to his eviction from their home. His younger siblings were instructed to sever ties with him.

Military Service

In July 1998, Israel Keyes relocated to New York and enlisted in the U.S. Army. During his military service, he was a Specialist in Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment. He successfully completed the U.S. Army Rangers training and was stationed at Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Lewis in Washington, and in Sinai, Egypt. Although there were no confirmed crimes during his deployment in Egypt, Keyes did confess to a fellow soldier his desire to kill him.

Keyes maintained a low profile during his time in the Army, though he was known to drink excessively during weekends. His only legal trouble came in February 2001 when he was arrested for driving under the influence. For his service, Keyes received the Army Achievement Medal as a gunner and assistant gunner from December 1998 to July 2001. Following his honorable discharge, he moved to Neah Bay, Washington, where he lived on the Makah Reservation.

Despite his outwardly quiet military career, the years after his service would reveal a far darker side, as his violent and disturbing tendencies took hold.

Daughter and Personal Life

In 2000, Israel Keyes became romantically involved with a woman residing on the Makah Reservation in Washington. The following year, they welcomed a daughter, whose name has not been publicly disclosed. After his honorable discharge from the Army in July 2001, Keyes moved in with his child’s mother. He worked for the Makah Tribal Council in Neah Bay from 2001 to 2007. In 2007, Keyes relocated to Alaska with his daughter, moving in with a nurse practitioner he had been dating. That same year, he established his own business, Keyes Construction, where he worked as a handyman, contractor, and construction worker.

Following his arrest, Keyes expressed a desire to shield his daughter from the fallout of his actions. “I want my kid to have a chance to grow up… she’s in a safe place now, she’s not going to see any of this,” he stated. “I want her to have a chance to grow up and not have all this hanging over her head.”

Murder of Samantha Koenig

On February 1, 2012, Keyes abducted 18-year-old Samantha Koenig from the Anchorage, Alaska coffee stand where she worked. After sexually assaulting her, he killed Koenig the following day. He then concealed her body in a shed and embarked on a planned family vacation, a two-week cruise in the Gulf of Mexico.

Upon returning, Keyes staged a ransom attempt by applying makeup to Koenig’s face, sewing her eyes open with fishing line, and taking a photograph of her with a newspaper to make it appear as though she was still alive. Using Koenig’s phone, he sent a ransom demand to her family, who, believing she was alive, deposited $30,000 into her account.

Afterwards, Keyes dismembered Koenig’s body and disposed of the remains in a lake north of Anchorage. Her body was recovered on April 2, 2012. Although she was not Keyes’ first victim, her murder eventually led to his capture.

Other Victims

Israel Keyes is believed to have killed at least 11 people, though only Samantha Koenig and two others have been conclusively identified. His crimes spanned years, with his earliest known planned attack occurring between 1997 and 1998, when he abducted and raped a teenage girl in Oregon but ultimately let her go.

Keyes didn’t follow a specific victim profile, often choosing his victims at random. He would ambush people in parks, cemeteries, or campgrounds, preferring isolated locations where there were no witnesses. He also traveled extensively to carry out his murders. In June 2011, for example, he flew to Chicago, then drove to Essex, Vermont, where he murdered Bill and Lorraine Currier. The couple was randomly chosen, and Keyes broke into their home, abducted them, and took them to an abandoned farmhouse where he killed them both.

Keyes confessed to several other murders but withheld many details, leaving some victims unidentified. He claimed to have killed four people in Washington state between 2001 and 2006 and hinted at other victims on the East Coast, including a potential connection to the 2009 disappearance of Debra Feldman in New Jersey. Speculation also surrounds his possible involvement in unsolved crimes, such as the disappearance of Julie Harris in 1996, though he denied any responsibility.

Keyes’ crimes were meticulously planned, often involving travel across state lines. He hid caches of weapons and supplies in remote locations to use during his attacks. His methods were informed by his study of FBI profiling and other notorious serial killers, which helped him evade capture for years.

Arrest and Trial

Keyes’ downfall came after his staged ransom plot with Samantha Koenig’s ATM card. His use of the card was traced across multiple states, and surveillance footage from a Texas ATM showed his rental car. He was arrested in March 2012 and later confessed to Koenig’s murder, though his detailed planning made it difficult for authorities to link him to other crimes.

During his time in custody, Keyes alternated between cooperating and withholding information from law enforcement. He expressed a desire for a quick execution, saying he didn’t want his mother or daughter to suffer from his actions. At one point, he attempted to escape during a court hearing but was subdued by authorities.

Death

On December 2, 2012, Keyes was found dead in his Anchorage jail cell, having committed suicide. Despite prior warnings, he had been given a razor blade, which he used to slit his wrist and strangle himself with a bed sheet. Authorities discovered a four-page suicide note under his body, written in rhyme and reflecting on his crimes and American society, though it offered no clues about other victims.

Keyes’ death brought an abrupt end to his case, leaving many unanswered questions about the full extent of his killing spree.

Media Coverage

Israel Keyes’ life and crimes have been the subject of numerous documentaries, TV specials, and books, including Method of a Serial Killer (2018) and American Predator (2019). His methodical approach to murder and evasion has left an unsettling legacy, prompting continued speculation and investigation into the full scope of his activities.