Ep. 87 | This Serial Killer STUMPED The FBI | Israel Keyes

He alluded detection for over a decade. With no clear victim profile, no clear connection to his victims seemingly random killings spanning the entire country and is regarded as one of the most methodical and elusive serial killers of the 21st century. A man who defied every FBI profile and left no trace when the deed was done. Yet, all the while, he was just a normal guy that no one suspected. This is the story of serial killer Israel keys, crime, conspiracy, cults, serial killers, and murder all things that I love to consume and I know you do, do, you sick, twisted, beautiful, and intellectually minded. Today, we are diving into a very infamous serial killer. I feel like a lot of people don't know a lot about though. He is up there with my top POSs, so trigger warning there. So without further ado, let's unbuckle our seat belts who are mocked right in the highway slam on the brakes and bust through this windshield into this infamous serial killer together. Israel keys was reportedly born in Richmond, Utah on January 7, 1978, and he was the second born to Heidi and John or Jeff keys. And his nine other siblings included America, Autumn Rose, Charity, Posanna, and Sunshine. Sounds like names of kids people are coming up with nowadays. I tell you what, it's just like they see something in the room and they're like, we're gonna name him Dr. Pepper. Anyway, they are getting insane and it needs to be addressed, but I digress. So Jeff, Israel's father, was once a Mormon missionary, but had largely lost faith in mainstream religion and society as a whole by the time he became a father. And Heidi and Jeff decided to raise their family in the wilderness as they despised government interference. On top of, modern medicine and public schools. So they were quite literally off the grid. So being off the grid, each of the children were delivered at their home. And self-sufficiency was a virtue. So when keys was around five years old, the family packed up and moved to an isolated plot of land in the forests of Coalville, Washington. And Jeff supposedly built their cabin by hand. And initially, continuing Jeff's tradition, the family were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day, Saints in Utah, or the LDS Church. But shortly after the move to Washington, they left the LDS or Mormon faith in favor of the Christian identity movement, which is not to be confused with just Christians in general. This Christian identity movement had racist white supremacist beliefs. And Heidi and Jeff became devout followers and joined a local church called The Ark, where it was preached that white people are God's true chosen people. All right, and the church also held many anti-Semitic and anti-government views. And as you can imagine, life in the congregation was rather strict and extremist, and the children attended services that taught racial hatred. Just crazy to believe she's teaching little kids how to be racist. It just didn't click in my mind, but it's not my life. I'm reading about someone else's. So the keys family lifestyle did away with modern amenities and culture in an effort to uphold their religious beliefs, not unlike that of the Amish. Not saying Amish are racist bigots by the way, they just like to live off the grid like the Amish people, and that's it. That's the only similarity there. Just want to make that very clear, Amish people. Pretty awesome. So they remained cut off from society as a whole. And Keys childhood home in Colville was a one-room cabin that lacked running water, plumbing, and electricity. And it was so small, in fact, that many of the children had to sleep outside of the cabin in tents, regardless of weather conditions. And the keys kids learned that family virtue of self-sufficiency at a very young age. And they hunted wild animals for food, chopped firewood, and worked on neighboring farms for money, and to help the family out in their extreme poverty. And their everyday life was geared towards survival and necessity rather than play and proper schooling. And homeschooling was the closest thing to a formal education that they got. And while homeschooling can be very effective, my husband was homeschooled and he is, say, literal Savon genius. That's usually only the case if the education is actually done right. Because it seems that in this particular situation, it was more about restriction than true learning. So it's like they learned the bare minimum and they were completely sheltered from the rest of the world. So it's almost like they were they were born and raised in a different time period. So when they got out in the real world, it was not the same thing. Bit of a shock, you could say. So as Keys grew up, he found himself in a bubble of religious extremism through the ever-watchful eyes of his parents and deeply influenced by the family's involvement with the Christian identity churches. But the Keys family eventually left the arc to join the Christian Israel Covenant Church, which Israel later described as "Malisha-like" sounds like a treat. And they blended more racist theology with a focus on armed training and readiness. And Israel would become proficient with guns at a very early age and learn to stockpile food and weapons. So it's just it's a big it's called. It's a cult. Essentially it's fear-mongering. It's it's it's the end of the world is coming. It's this one guy knows everything and only he's the guy, you know, only God can talk to me because I know everything and it's definitely not to get all your money and to go buy a fucking private jet and fly off to frickin Hawaii or something. So religious passion, racism and a growing love of guns actively surrounded Israel. And it was also through this church and their close proximity as neighbors that the Keeho family would become friends of the Keys family. And the Keeho's were a physical representation of these militant ideals. Now Shavi Keeho, who was five years older than Israel, would later be arrested with his brother Cheney in 1997 after a somewhat famous incident involving a police shootout. And he was also convicted of multiple murders in which he killed a gun dealer and the dealer's wife and daughter and was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences. And Kee's close proximity to such violent individuals and ideology certainly had an effect on him. So turns out, growing up in a racist militia doomsday call in all that good for kids. So even in his early childhood Israel had already begun to demonstrate concerning behaviors. Because he was "obsessed with guns." And by his own admission he hunted anything with a heartbeat as a boy, killing animals of all shapes and sizes just for the thrill. Not for necessity to eat, just because he liked it. Red flag number one. And red flag number two is that he was no stranger to animal torture as well. Because Kee's was once seen tying a cat to a tree and shooting it to death to the horrors of those who watched. An animal cruelty is of course a potentially early indicator of psychopathy. And red flag number three was petty crimes were all too common for Israel when he was younger. And he was actually known to break into his neighbor's houses just to rob them, stealing guns and various other items. And he allegedly stockpiled these stolen weapons in a cash at his house. And when this was discovered he was forced to return the weapons and apologize. And Kee's would also vandalize by shooting at neighbor's houses with a BB gun and setting fires in the woods. Oh youth arsonist red flag number I'm just going to say 40 at this point. So those that had the opportunity to cross paths with this little piece of shit psychopath during his early to mid teens noted a kind of creepiness to him. And one girl who knew him said that being around him quote unquote made her skin crawl. And certainly reaching over six feet tall and height at the age of 14 made him fairly physically imposing which intimidated other kids. And he once bragged about skinning a deer while it was still alive. What? After which point most of the kids from the congregation and the few neighbors he had it didn't want much to do with him. Kind of crazy that you know these racist militant doomsday weirdos are creeped out by the kid that I mean he obviously all the things he's doing is is is crazy but even they're like whoa dude. That's that's a bit too much okay. We're cool with being racist militants but maybe lay off maybe lay off the fire. All right. So Kee's was aware of his deviance early on. And he had said that by the time he was 14 and he recognized his thoughts and behaviors weren't seen as normal by other people so he's aware of what he's doing. And especially the incident noted before where he tortured and shot the cat. Noting that people's reaction to it pushed him to spend more time to himself and mask his behaviors in the presence of others. Classic classic psychopath essentially. And he said quote I've known since I was 14 that there were things that I thought were normal and okay that no one else seemed to think. were normal and okay. So that's when I just started being a loner. And people found out about some of the stuff I did like my parents and parents of other kids who would hang out with me. They would find out about some of the stuff I did and that's when I just started doing stuff by myself exclusively, unquote. So as he continued to grow, so did his dark side. And he began to cultivate what was essentially a double life. One, that would be the public facing persona that would fit in and place his parents in those around him and the other that would allow his darkest desires to be free and satisfied. And he tried to rationalize his violent thoughts and tendencies through his religious upbringing, attempting to place the blame on Satan or other evil powers, not taking any sort of responsibility for his actions. But ultimately, he came to terms with a belief that violence was simply part of who he was. And Keith's strict and unforgiving home situation left him with no healthy outlet or anything to help prevent his troublesome psychopathic behaviors. And supposedly, there's a possibility that he was abused by his father as well, though this is unconfirmed. But if true, it would certainly have added all the more reason for anger and lack of empathy. So Keith's circumstance and influences essentially molded him into a predator in training by his teen years. And he would keep his deeper fantasies, secret knowing they were socially unacceptable. And the secrecy and depth were just the beginning of what would later manifest itself into his adult life. And it's crazy to think how, if he grew up around, you know, sort of where therapy was OK or loving family, it's the nature and nurture argument, it's like, I feel like maybe a little bit of this was already in him, but the environment in which he was raised just nurtured that character, and he essentially just learned how to hide it. And obviously, I have a bias now because I know what an evil human being he became. But as a kid, I always have empathy for the kid, because it's like, I feel like environment is always some sort of factor. So Keith's family packed up and moved a couple times during his teens. And the precise timings and movement of keys and his family are somewhat difficult to determine from various sources, but some claim that keys was with his family as they moved. And others claim he went independently, and potentially not at all. So it's kind of up in the air. But regardless of timing and whether he was with them, the locations they moved to are confirmed. So in the mid to late 1990s, the keys family moved to a Maupin organ, sorry if I'm saying that wrong, which is a small desert town located directly along the Dishoots River. And it was in this town that keys claims he committed his first violent crime, which we'll discuss shortly. And later, the keys family moved near an Amish community in Smirna, Maine, sorry if I'm saying that wrong, where they became involved in a local maple syrup business. And eventually, one of the key sisters wrote that the move to Maine was part of their father's attempt to fix the older children's behavior by removing bad influences. So the parents are thankfully seeing how their children are acting and trying to change it, I guess, I mean, there's the whole religious thing behind it and being racist and all that, but couldn't be that. Couldn't be that. But they thought, supposedly, it wouldn't be present near the Amish community, bad behavior, that is. But by the time the family had relocated to Maine, the keys had become fully disconnected from them. Yet there is evidence that he was present in the area, as at least one source mentions, that there was a neighbor that called keys a nice, courteous young man. So this disconnect from the family arose from keys departure from their tradition. And throughout his teenage years, keys struggled with the faith of his family. And he eventually realized that he did not share the beliefs that his parents did. And that was hard for him, considering he had worked hard to please them for so long. And whether that desire to please was legitimate or simply masking is very hard to say. But he clearly wanted some sort of validation from his parents. But by his later teens, he rebelled against them and openly renounced his faith in Christian identity. And keys became interested in Satanism during this period. And this led to a serious confrontation between him and his parents. And the response to his blasphemy was to exile him from their home and forbid any of the siblings from having contact with him ever again. Yet even with the loss of his family in this way, keys earned a sort of freedom here. And he was no longer bound by any rules, but the ones he made for himself. So he finally found some sort of independence. And he later admitted that he became an atheist. And by rejecting any sort of external morality, the stage was set for his future violent acts to come. And he reportedly had fully embraced his desire to kill by this point in his life, so his late teens, noting that it was just a matter of time before he acted on his impulses. So keys first known violent crime was an SA that went unreported. And he was living in Maupin, Oregon at the time, sometime between 1996 to 1998, and decided to live out his fantasy of abducting and murdering a person. He extremely fucked up, and his target was a young girl, estimated to be between the ages of 14 to 18, who was having a day out with friends on the Duchets River. And according to his confession later on, keys watched the girl from the tree line until she was separated from her group. And he then waited out to her, grabbed her tube, and pulled her to the shore at knife point. And then he would drag her to a remote area, allegedly a campground restroom, and he would tie her up, and then he proceeded to essay her. And keys had every intention to murder this girl as part of a satanic ritual he had been fantasizing about. And he told investigators that he brought knives that he planned to use for her gruesome killing in disposal. But the girl's cries for help and attempts to humanize herself in the presence of her potential killer actually made keys hesitate. Would thank God, what a strong woman would like always, always, always cry over help, always. It's just, I'm so glad that she did that. And she would promise that she would never tell anyone if he just let her go. And surprisingly, her calm demeanor saved her life. And in his own words, quote, she was pretty smart. It worked, unquote. And he released the girl and sent her back on her way to meet back up with her friends. Quote, I was too timid, I wasn't violent enough. Unquote, keys with later admit. And he would go on to say that he would not let that happen again. And he vowed never to let another victim escape alive. So the incident remained unreported and was most likely unknown altogether until keys eventual confession. So when keys was 20 years old, he decided to join the army. And he earned his GED and traveled to Albany, New York in 1998 and enlisted on July 9th. And records show that he served as a specialist while in uniform. And keys went through basic and then advanced infantry training, both of which he actually excelled at. Which isn't all that surprising, given he was in a militia when he was fucking nine years old. And he even completed the US Army Rangers course, which is an elite training program focused on small unit tactics, endurance, and leadership. So he was an extremely capable soldier, fit, disciplined, and possessing great knowledge of weapons, all also the horrifying makes of a devastating serial killer. So keys was posted in multiple locations during his army service from 1998 to 2001. And he first served at Fort Lewis in Washington as part of the first battalion, Fifth Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division on the mortar team. That was a mouthful. And later he was stationed at Fort Hood in Texas, followed by a six month deployment overseas to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. And the deployment was relatively uneventful, least from what we know. Though keys was able to make friends and travel the region, reportedly patronizing ladies of the night during his time on leave, though. And his peers noted that he seemed to do really well with the regimented lifestyle that the army provided, showing no obvious signs of the darkness that would later be revealed, at least not while they were on duty. So outside of his excellent performance, keys demeanor as a soldier was generally quiet and withdrawn. And he tended to keep to himself on base and didn't really cause any trouble. That is, until the weekend came around. And he was known to be a heavy drinker when he was off duty. And he allegedly would finish entire bottles of wild turkey, which is his favorite bourbon. And there were some subtle signs that keys possessed the capacity for violence that showed themselves in the army, and were most likely just overlooked at the time. And at one point, while deployed in Egypt, he allegedly told another soldier that he would quote unquote, "would like to kill him." Red flag number 152. And while in custody years later, he confessed to allegedly attempting to essay a lady of the night and a college student he met while deployed. And he also really loved insane clown pose and had large posters of the group posted in the barracks. And though not necessarily an indicator of violence, the group's music does have violent references and some sparked some controversial discussion. discussion over whether or not it incites actual violence. Which I don't know if that's the case, I feel like people who are violent will gravitate towards violent music and it'll just, you know, it's just something like, because they're already like that. I don't think music really makes you that way, but what do I know, I don't know. But his only major run in with the law was when he was arrested for DUI in February of 2001, and his record was cleaned other than that. And one of his army friends later noted that Keyes' dark side would show when he drank. But of course, at the time, none of these things were connected to any criminal activity. At worst, his antics were most likely viewed as simply blowing off some steam. So Keyes' service would come to an end when he was honorably discharged from the army on July 8, 2001 at Fort Lewis. And on paper, his military career was exemplary and he received several awards, including the achievement medal, recognizing his service as a gunner or assistant gunner, an army service ribbon, a marksman badge with rifle bar, an expert infantryman badge, an air assault badge. So now that the chapter with the army had finished, Keyes returned to civilian life. But his military experience had provided him with skills with handling weapons even better than he did when he was 9 years old and utilizing stealth and extreme endurance. While of which came in handy for realizing his very dark desires. So Keyes made his way back to Washington State, starting his next chapter of life on the McCaw, Indian Reservation, and Nia Bay. And he lived with Tammy Hawkins, a woman that he had met and begun dating while stationed at Fort Lewis. And Tammy was a member of the tribe, and by the time Keyes discharged, she was pregnant with his child. And Tammy gave birth to Laney in late 2001 and Keyes led what was by all appearances a very stable life as a loving father and supportive partner for the next six years, which is just crazy to imagine. I mean, I just think of, you know, John Wayne Gacy and BTK and Ed Camper, all these people that are capable of living double lives. It just blows my mind, but Israel was absolutely one of them. So Israel worked for the McCaw Tribal Council and was known as a reliable handyman. And he seemed to welcome domestic life, as neighbors recall him as polite and a quiet man who was kind and helpful. Yet unknown to those around him, his darker side was ever present and growing much stronger amidst the mask of a normal life. So no longer bound to the structured life of the army and living far from anyone who really knew him, Keyes found the freedom he needed to finally begin his killing fantasies. And he later admitted that he started killing people in 2001 shortly after moving to Nia Bay. And he claimed that between 2001 and 2006, that he murdered at least four people in Washington state, all of which were crimes that were never connected or figured out. And Keyes also implied that he killed someone in 2001 around Nia Bay and either buried or submerged the body in a remote location. But the body was never found in a related search, but was ruled in accidental death. And one of the murders was a double homicide, and Keyes alleged that he abducted and killed a young couple somewhere between 2001 and 2005. And he said that he beat the male victim to death with a shovel and strangled the female victim. Then buried both bodies in an undisclosed location. And these identities are still unknown and no matching missing persons case has been linked. And the other murders were of two individuals in separate incidences around 2005 and 2006. And one of the victim's bodies was disposed of in the link crescent, but this body was never recovered either. And Keyes did not give the names of these victims and none of them have been identified nor connected to Keyes in any meaningful way. So these initial murders went under the radar of authorities, because Keyes was very careful about his victim selection, and he chose random victims and left minimal, if any, evidence. All the while, he continued living his life, giving no indication to anyone around him that he was now a murderer. And investigators do believe that his first murder likely occurred in that first summer Keyes was in Nia Bay, and the FBI continues to look into open cases in Washington and the surrounding areas from this time frame, just attempting to use Keyes' travel history as a guide. And when asked why he committed the murders in Nia Bay, he replied, "Nia Bay is a boring town." "What a fucking monster." But these are all murders that potentially happened, but were never actually verified. So as Keyes began realizing his desires, he spent a ton of time studying other serial killers and understanding how to avoid their mistakes. And he poured over case studies in FBI publications, and he read books and articles, and he became intimately familiar with how profilers worked, and he greatly admired other killers who traveled like he did. And one in particular that Keyes was fond of was none other than Ted Bundy, who he considered an influence. And Bundy also masked his true self for years and traveled between states to kill, and Keyes approached to murder became obsessively calculated and methodical. And one of the biggest realizations of the risks of serial killers was holding on to weapons or souvenirs that could tie them to the crimes they commit, and also committing said crimes near where they lived, adding themselves to the suspect pool by proximity. And to combat this, he began crafting and burying kill kits around the country. And these were caches that he used to hide weapons, ammo, cash, zip ties, chemicals to dissolve bodies, and other tools. He was doing what he did as a little kid when he stole stuff from the neighbor's house, and put them in a cache, which is essentially a place where you just store items that are usually hidden, so he was just by all accounts, like the most premeditated murderer I've ever heard of. He was hiding caches in places where he wasn't even looking for victims at that point yet. He was just knowing that eventually he would, but he was just doing that. So he wouldn't get caught. It's just the methodology of Israel keys is absolutely insane. So the cache would be plastic buckets or bins, and he would place them in secret locations. So he could dig them up whenever he wanted them for a murder, and inside these buckets were the weapons and chemicals and anything that he would want to murder someone. And thanks to this level of pre-planning, he could simply arrive in an area and already have everything he needed for the kill. No need for suspicious purchases or carrying incriminating items while traveling. And sometimes these caches were buried years before being used. Again, the level of evil and this obviously being the number one thing he thinks about all the time is just insane. For example, one that he planted in Essex Vermont in 2009, he didn't use until 2011 for the courier murders, which we will talk about shortly. And he hid kits in several states across the US, some of which were discovered after keys disclosed their locations, and many of which have yet to be found, so there's still god knows how many caches Israel keys caches out there in the United States. And keys stuck to a few rules that helped him avoid detection. He never killed close to home, and he never killed in the same area more than once, unless during the same murder. And he intentionally crossed jurisdictions to take advantage of the informational gaps between law enforcement agencies, especially at the time, because it's gotten better and better over the years, but even in the like 90s and early 2000s it was still a bit dodgy. So his crimes were so scattered both in location and time that a single killer was never suspected. And in order to fund his future murderous pursuits, keys committed a string of bank and home robberies to steal money and various other items to sell. And at least two of these bank robberies were confirmed, one in Tupper Lake, New York, in April of 2009, and the other one in Azul, Texas, in February 2012. And the stolen funds were used to pay for airline tickets, rental cars, gas, and any and all other expenses occurred in the murder of innocent people. But he also had a legitimate construction business, which also provided extra funds that helped his process. So keys relationship with Tammy had begun to fall apart in 2006, and the couple parted ways, though Laney would split time between the two of them. And not long after, he began a new relationship with a woman named Kimberly Anderson around 2007. And she was a nurse practitioner from Alaska, and the relationship progressed fairly quickly, turning serious after a very short time. And when Kimberly decided to move back to Alaska for work, keys decided to follow. So keys and Laney moved along with Kimberly to Anchorage, Alaska, where they settled into the city's turn-again neighborhood, which was home to many professionals and a state superior court judge. And keys immediately got to work starting up a business. And he founded keys construction to make use of his extensive construction and handyman skills, and advertised himself as a reliable contractor for home projects. And he built decks and fences. finances, and remodeled kitchens, and more. And clients viewed him as competent and efficient earning himself a good reputation for his craftsmanship in the community, and he continued to uphold his former image of adoring father and devoted partner once again, even though now that was different with a different partner. The keys spoke lovingly about his daughter to co-workers and neighbors, and the family had pet pugs who were well taken care of, and keys had even built a special ramp for them so they could easily walk from the back porch down into the yard. So by all accounts, they just appeared like a very normal, nice family, which just makes all of this extra horrifying. And people who interacted with keys knew him as friendly, yet just like an unremarkable guy, because he worked really hard to not draw too much attention to himself, and he was generally polite and just soft-spoken. On a local attorney who hired him for his handyman services said, quote, "I never got any bad or weird scary odd vibe from him in any way shape or form," he was just seen as a dependable and spent lots of time caring for Laney, often taking her on trips. And keys also loved the outdoors, which is not uncommon for people in Alaska, because he loved fishing, he loved hiking, and kayaking, and camping, and his apparent passion for being in the wild and his survival skills helped him fit right into Alaska culture. And anyone who knew him recognized the importance he placed on his family relationship, which is why so many were to loss for words when his crimes would eventually come to light. But beneath that nice, normal guy exterior, keys continued to indulge in his dark fantasies. And between 2007 and 2012, his time in Anchorage specifically, he executed some of his most carefully planned and far-reaching murders. Extending that time frame to include a few extra years, he traveled extensively from October 2004 to March 2012 with at least 35 multi-state trips, many of which were to hunt for victims. And his strategy for these trips was a well-oiled machine, as he would fly to a given location, and to car nearby, and then drive hundreds or thousands of miles to his target area. So this just separated his place of entrance from the crime scene and the crime. And he also paid for everything in cash and removed the battery from his cellphone to prevent it from being tracked. And on the road, keys carefully made sure he kept a low profile. And it worked, as he was able to travel between multiple states throughout these years completely under the radar of the authorities. And often times he would combine family visits and vacations with scouting for his next victims and prepping for the deed. And in retrospect, it's unclear if these visits and trips actually served the dual purpose of seeing family and relaxing while scouting, or if the sole purpose was to scout while hiding that intention. And when the FBI finally mapped out the totality of keys travels, they found that unsolved murders and disappearances seemed to align, and keys was very patient when looking for his victims, waiting for just the right moment of opportunity. And he preferred places like campgrounds, parks, and cemeteries, or boating docks, as they were very remote, quiet places where potential victims could be alone. And he'd stake out these areas sometimes for days, holding out for that perfect person to come along. And he said that he would usually let the victim come to me by selecting spots that people naturally passed through, but were usually isolated. And if he was proactive in scouting houses, he chose easily accessible locations with avoidable security and no additional people like children or watchful neighbors or dogs to alert. An opportunity was the driver here rather than the specific type of victim, because he did not discriminate on that person. Notice that the time was right with no one to witness. And because of this, specifically, he had no consistent victim profile, at least in the traditional sense. And the victims varied in age, gender, and ethnicity, and he later claimed that he had a specific rule against harming children, which allegedly arose from his daughter. And it's true that no confirmed victims were children. But many remain unsure if this was genuine or part of keys, just games that he loved to play. He's also made sure to fully cover his tracks, and he disposed of bodies in secluded areas, sometimes syncing them in bodies of water or using chemicals to dissolve them. And as mentioned before, he didn't hold on to keep sakes like the murder weapon or items from the victims, and made sure they were moved and never found. And though Israel effectively hid his criminal life, he still had his demons in his personal life. And he never quite kicked his drinking habit from the army, and that was coupled with severe bouts of seasonal depression, especially being in Alaska where it's dark a lot of the time. And this naturally took a toll on his relationship with Kimberly, and the two would split sometime in 2011. But before the split, there was allegedly an evening in which Kimberly took the bottle away from keys and he threatened to, "You know what to himself because of it." And he later admitted to spending time with "Ladies of the Night" at some point during his travels and even potentially in Alaska. Although he never confessed to specifically murdering a "Ladie of the Night," the FBI did have their suspicions considering his patterns. Yet even with these struggles, friends and neighbors would never have guessed that these were more than just hiccups in an otherwise well-adjusted individual. Bill and Lorraine Courier were a married couple in their 50s, living in Essex, Vermont. And Bill was an animal care technician, known for his love and dedication to helping animals, as well as always offering a hand to neighbors. And Lorraine worked at Fletcher Allen Healthcare and was known and loved for her caring demeanor and patience. And they had lived a quiet and happy life together since their marriage in 1985. And they had no children of their own, but took special care of their pets. And they were the sort of people who loved their jobs and never missed work without notice. So keys targeted the couriers at random on June 8, 2011, based on the fact that their house had an easy way to enter through the garage. And some sources also note he was looking for a place that had a couple living in it with no kids and no dogs. And he flew from Alaska to Chicago just a few days prior, rented a car, and then drove over a thousand miles to Vermont in search of his next victims. He was the epitome of a patient serial killer. And this is the location I mentioned before that keys had buried one of his kids a couple years prior. So on the night of the 8th, keys went up to the house, wearing a headlamp and carrying a gun. And he first cut their phone line and disabled their Lorraine system. And then he broke a window to get into the attached garage and made his way into the main house from there. And the couple was asleep in their bed. And he woke them up at gunpoint to subdue them with zip ties for their wrists. And they obeyed his demands despite their fear. And keys did allow them to get dressed and put their slippers on to help them get over the glass as he moved them to their 1996 Saturn. And then he drove them in their car to an abandoned farmhouse that he had chosen earlier as the murder spot. So grabbing Bill, he dragged him into the house and bound him downstairs. And as he did, Lorraine tried to escape, but he chased her down and brought her inside as well, but to a separate area. And Bill kept calling out, quote unquote, "where's my wife?" After which keys shot him to death. And he then focused on Lorraine and he would first essay her and then move on to strangling her, which would knock her unconscious at some point. And when she woke up again, she again fought for her life, which keys later noted that she was quote unquote, "fisty." But in the end, he strangled her to death. And after he committed the murders, keys placed their bodies in trash bags and hid them under debris. And he poured drain-o on top of their bodies to try and decompose them quicker. And then drove the courier's car to an apartment complex, abandoned it, and returned to get his rental car. And he allegedly stole a handgun from the courier's residence, which he hid with his own weapon and remaining materials back into the cache and placed it in a reservoir in Parishville, New York. So the next day, when Bill and Lorraine both failed to show up to work, co-workers immediately knew something was wrong. A police went to their home and saw signs of home invasion, including the broken glass and cut phone line and missing car and personal gun. But both Lorraine's glasses and Bill's insulin were still in the house, which was odd. And a major search and investigation would begin, but no solid leads could be found at the time. And their abandoned car was found a few days later, but it offered very few clues. And the case would go cold, and it wasn't until keys later confession that the truth would come to light. But their bodies would never be recovered. And the farmhouse that was the scene of the crime was demolished, and the debris was sent to a landfill before police ever knew it took place there. And a statement was released in honor of Bill and Lorraine's bravery that night saying, "They fought to the end." So Samantha Kaynig was a barista from Anchorage, Alaska, born on August 30th, 1993. She was a smart and sociable young woman known for her warm smile and bubbly. personality, and she had grown up in Anchorage and had dreams of joining the Navy to become a nurse, and she was dating a young man named Dwayne and living with her dad, James, who believed the world revolved around her. So Samantha worked the late shift at the small roadside coffee shop known as Common Grounds, and she did that to earn money that she put towards her dream, as she figured out her next steps in life. And for whatever reason, he decided to break his own rule on February 1, 2012, and abduct Samantha on his own turf. So that evening, she was working the stand alone, and just before 8 p.m., after closing time, he came up to the window wearing a ski mask and ordered a coffee, and as Samantha turned around to hand him the drink, he pulled out a gun, and he told her it was a robbery and asked her to turn off the lights. And once she did, he climbed through the window and bound her hands. And then, he led her across the street towards his white pickup truck, but she attempted to escape. And that's when keys would tackle her and threaten her with the gun to force her cooperation, which she gave and walked with him to the truck. All the while, assuring her that this was for a ransom and that he wasn't going to hurt her in order to keep her calm, and he then realized that Samantha's cell phone was still back at the stand, so he went back to get it, and also took the cash from the register and locked up the stand. So with Samantha's cell in his hands, he sent a text to her boyfriend and her employer to give them the impression that she needed to get out of town for a few days, and an attempt to stop them from looking for her. And keys then drove her to his property and brought her to a small shed behind the main house. And there, he would assay Samantha and strangle her to death. And he would reveal in his confession that he killed her just hours after the abduction, and then left her body there to go back into the house and be with Kimberly and Laney as if nothing had happened, because at this point, they were still together. And a few hours later, keys and Laney left for a cruise out of New Orleans, and they flew into Texas together and then drove to New Orleans for the cruise. So Samantha's family reported her missing when Dwayne found the coffee stand abandoned and received the suspicious text. And a massive search began for her along with the FBI investigation, but no one suspected keys even slightly. In surveillance footage had caught only a masked figure, and the text had misled people to believe it was someone she knew, or perhaps she did just leave on her own. And as the search for Samantha escalated, keys enjoyed himself on a leisurely trip like the piece of shit he is. And he returned from vacation on February 17th to find that the case was still a hot topic. So he decided to see if he could get a ransom out of her loved ones. And he took her body out of the shed, which was still there the entire time. He was on vacation with Kimberly still at the house. But it had been preserved from the cold, and he would put makeup on her face, and so her eyelids opened to make her appear still living. And then he would prop her up, and he would grab a recent copy of the Anchorage Daily News and held it up next to her and took a picture. And the ransom note demanded $30,000 to be put into Samantha's bank account for her, quote unquote, "safe return." And keys texted Dwayne on February 24th about the location of the note. So desperate at the very thought that she could still be alive, the family raised funds through community help, and some savings and deposited the money. The exact amount seems to vary between sources, some claiming the full amount others, like a partial amount of $5,000 into her account. But right after the photo, keys would dismember her remains, and sink them into the Madden Nusca Lake, hoping her body was never to be found. Or at least not until the water thought in the spring. But the ransom money now, safely in her account, keys felt a surge of confidence, though perhaps misplaced. And he set off on another trip. And this time through the Southwest, using Sarah's debit card to withdraw the cash along the way. And the withdrawals were obviously caught on ATM cameras showing a disguised man. But one of them cut a glimpse of a Ford Focus, a rare mistake for keys. So police and the FBI would eventually recover Samantha's remains in early April. And hundreds of people would gather around for her celebration of life on the 22nd at West High School in Anchorage. And the murder itself deeply shook the city, because the coffee stand was a regularly visited location highlighting the severe flaws of the current public safety. And a memorial plaque was placed at the Madden Nusca Lake in Samantha's honor, dedicated to her and eventually to all the victims of keys. And she's remembered as a young woman full of life cut too short by an absolute monster. But at this point, Israel keys was still a free man. Deborah Feldman was a 49-year-old woman from Hackensack, New Jersey. And she vanished under mysterious circumstances on April 8, 2009, after having last been seen at her home. And her case had long been unsolved, and she was considered a missing person. But after his capture, keys told the FBI that he murdered a woman on the East Coast and buried her body in upstate New York in 2009. And though we never explicitly said her name, as was common for him to leave victims unnamed, he gave enough clues that led the FBI investigators to become relatively confident that Deborah was the victim. And keys statements, along with cell phone records and travel records, line up with her disappearance. And he was known to be retrieving a cache in that area at the time, and reportedly when shown a picture of Deborah he replied, quote, "I'm not ready to talk about that one." And Deborah's body has not yet been found, but the FBI officially considers her a likely victim, effectively making her keys, worth, confirmed victim, and searches have been conducted and investigators still hope that her remains may be found by unsuspecting hikers or logger someday, but the case remains open until then. But it's of note that keys seem to be guarded when asked about specific unsolved cases, 'cause it was clear that he didn't want to give away everything that he did, potentially leaving some of his murders forever missing the key to conclusively being tied to him. In one case, in particular, that seemed to draw attention regarding keys was the disappearance of 12-year-old Julie Harris from Colville, Washington, on March 3, 1996. And she was a special Olympics athlete who had two prosthetic feet that were found in a nearby river, and her remains were found in the woods in April of 1997, and the case was unsolved. And keys was allegedly living in the area at the time, but at the very least it was an area he grew up in. And when he was questioned about it, he never admitted to the murder, but he mentioned that he had heard about that. And investigators viewed his lack of willingness to say more as suspicious, and the case hasn't been linked to keys, necessarily, but he remains a possible suspect. And then there's Susan Lyle, who was a 19-year-old college student who disappeared on March 2, 1998 from the State University of New York at Albany campus after her shift at Babbage's computer store. And she allegedly took a bus back to campus, got off near her dorm where she was last seen, but she was never seen again. And she was reported missing the next day, but her credit card was used that afternoon to take out $20, and her boyfriend said that they were the only two that knew the pin for the card. But his alibi checked out, though he was never truly ruled out as a suspect due to his later lack of cooperation with authorities. And keys roll in this comes from the coincidence that Suzanne's disappearance happened just before his enlistment into the army in April, but there are no direct links to him other than this circumstantial timing, and this case remains unsolved. And then there's Giovanna Tyler, who disappeared in March 2004 after last having been seen at her home. And the 29-year-old native Alaskan woman had a husband and four children, though the relationship with said husband was allegedly strained at the time. And he has been cooperative with authorities. And key's relation to this disappearance is that Tyler was allegedly at the Nia Bay police station at the same time he was, just a month before her disappearance. So the chance overlap let investigators to ask keys about it, and he neither confirmed nor denied being involved in that case. And the case is still unsolved, and he still remains a suspect. And then there was 52-year-old Randy Gorenberg, who was taken from a Boca Raton Florida shopping center in broad daylight on March 23, 2007. And she was discovered shot to death later that day, and her death is the first in a series of three crimes committed by the Boca Killer. And the second crime was the kidnapping of an unnamed woman and her toddler son from the same shopping center on August 7, 2007. And she was able to catch a glimpse of her killer, though he wore a mask, and described him as a tall man with long hair and athletic build, generally matching keys appearance, but she was released from the situation unharmed. And then the third crime was the murder of 47-year-old Nancy Boquillo and her seven-year-old daughter Joey Boquillo Hauser, and they were killed in the parking lot of a shopping center in their car on December 12, 2007. And there's no direct evidence tying keys to these crimes, but the sketch provided [BLANK_AUDIO] victim that got away bears a striking resemblance to Keys, leading some to consider him as a suspect. And then a week after Keys murdered Samantha Coneg, a 58-year-old man named Jimmy Tidwell disappeared in Texas after his night shift as an electrician. And in one of the confirmed bank robberies that Keys committed, he allegedly wore a hard hat and hair that resembled Tidwell's hard hat and hair. In this lead to the theory that Keys crossed paths with Tidwell, killed him, and took his hat and hair to use as skies. And again, no direct evidence ties Keys to the disappearance other than the familiar disguise, and he was in Texas around that time. And Tidwell's case is still unsolved. So the FBI believes that Keys ultimately murdered 11 people in total based on the evidence that they have, including interviews and travel records. And another bit of evidence is the drawing of 11 skulls Keys made with his own blood along with a pentagram in his cell. And the FBI views each skull as representing one of his victims using the fact that Keys claimed at one point that he had killed "less than a dozen people." And they have publicly stated, "We believe that 11 is the total number of victims." And some authorities believe that the number could be higher, citing that Keys did travel internationally and hinted that he may have killed outside of the country, but there is no concrete evidence of this. And Keys remained in control of that information he provided about certain crimes, intentionally withholding details for victims that could potentially be identified because he is an "evil person." And this seemingly stemmed from his concern about protecting his mom and daughter from learning of his crimes and possible publicity they may receive. So as mentioned earlier, Samantha Konings' disappearance set a massive search and investigation. In Keys' ransom note and the deposit of the ransom money into Samantha's account immediately flagged the account as a point of interest for the FBI to watch shortly after the deposit. And Samantha's debit card was used to withdraw $500, allegedly the daily limit for the account, in Anchorage. And the withdrawal activity then moved out of state, next in Wilcox, Arizona, on March 7th, and then onto New Mexico and then into Texas on March 12th. But unbeknownst to Keys, who was usually more careful than to involve himself with anything other than cash, every time he used an ATM with the card, the FBI was notified and informed local authorities to be on the lookout. And then came his biggest slip-up, which was the captured footage of his rental car, the Ford Focus that we were talking about before. Because he had still been careful to use at a skies at every ATM he visited, but somehow the camera angle of one ATM managed to record his rental car, which gave authorities a bit of information that massively helped narrow the search, and a bulletin was circulated amongst law enforcement in eastern Texas. So on March 13th, 2012, a Texas Highway Patrol corporal named Brian Henry saw a white Ford Focus matching the bulletin's description in Lufkin, Texas. And Corporal Henry, along with nearby Texas Rangers Steven Rayburn, pulled the vehicle over in the parking lot of a cotton patch cafe, and allegedly because the driver had been speeding. Interesting the same way Ted Bundy got caught. The parallels and that driver was none other than Keys himself, and they noticed that Keys acted calm but seemed on edge, and when they searched his vehicle they discovered cash with bright dye and clothes matching the skies from the ATM footage, and Samantha's cell phone, debit card and driver's license. So Keys was immediately arrested and taken into custody on fraud charges from the stolen debit card, and within days he was extradited back to Alaska. So while in custody, Keys was confronted with the mountain of evidence connecting him to Samantha's abduction, and reportedly he had initially denied involvement with claiming her belongings were tossed into his car via open window. But in the face of this confrontation, he confessed to Samantha's murder on April 2nd, providing information that only the perpetrator would know. And in exchange for certain amenities, like cigars and coffee, and he agreed to tell investigators where her remains were hidden, like we talked about before, where the FBI found them, it's because Israel told them in April. And if he didn't, I don't think that they ever would have found her remains. And as we know, they were recovered exactly where he described, and though horrific, this provided her family with some closure. And on April 18th, 2012, an Alaskan federal grand jury formally indicted Keys for the kidnapping resulting in death of Samantha Coneg, and for bank fraud from the use of her debit card. And because he crossed state lines in the commission of his crimes, it fell under federal jurisdiction, which meant the possibility of the death penalty, and had it solely been committed in Alaska, the state does not have a death penalty, eliminating it as an option. But at the time, the public was still wholly unaware of the true extent of Keys' crimes, as authorities kept his confessions hidden for months, as they tried to get as much information out of him as possible. So Keys was interviewed for more than 40 hours by a team of FBI agents, police detectives, and federal prosecutors from April to December of 2012. And the sessions were recorded, and several have been released. And he attempted to negotiate a deal for himself from the very start, because before he would cooperate, he wanted assurances on a few key demands. One, that he would avoid trials, or at least avoid being tried multiple times in multiple jurisdictions, and two, that his daughter's identity would be kept out of the public, and that family members would be spared distressing details. And he pushed for a swift death penalty, because he had no interest in living out his days in jail. So he just made sure that he always felt that he was in the driver's seat for these interviews. And Keys' requests were listened to by the prosecuting team, but no firm promises were made, as sentencing is extremely complex and would be up to a judge and jury." "Is that may have some option to describe that group, how to get you at least some information without?" "Well, that's what we try to give you. We try to give you that ability." "That was all the plan was, you tell us, you know, than wearing New York so we can work with them to get their assurances in that kind of memory, starting those processes, but we just need to do that before it doesn't get me, doesn't?" But they did at least agree to some smaller things in an effort to keep him talking. For example, they agreed not to immediately release certain details to help protect his family's privacy, and at times he allegedly grew impatient with the lack of his demands being met, but he never fully stopped talking until the end, because that's how these guys are. They're just like pathetic narcissistic psychopathic idiots. And the concern for his daughter and his mother is something that many are intrigued by, especially in light of his supposed rule that he would not harm children. And he repeatedly mentioned that he did not want his mother or daughter to hear or read about the gruesome aspects of his crime. Boohoo, motherfucker, consequences for your actions. So this concern very well could have been genuine, but equally as likely could have simply been employed to maintain control and influence people's perception of him, or maybe even a mix of both. But still, for someone displaying psychopathic tendencies, it's something of note. One of the very few glimpses of potential remorse that Keys showed, though only geared towards his own family and not actual remorse for any of his actions against innocent human beings. And in the end, no formal deal was actually ever signed. And the death penalty was on the table, but the timeline wasn't fast enough for Keys, which he expressed frustration towards in his final months. And the repeated small favors for information like coffee candy and cigars showed just how desperate authorities were to learn what he was hiding. But once he began talking, he finally revealed the many crimes and related information that we've talked about throughout this video, including initially confessing to killing at least eight people, the courier murders, the four victims in Washington and one in New York, believed to be Deborah Feldman and Samantha Konig. And he hinted to more, but the closest we got to a final number was the clue he had told FBI regarding less than a dozen. And he kept most names to himself, but he did at least provide the names of Bill and Lorraine Courier and gave specific non-public details confirming he was, in fact, the killer. And he discussed his methods, including caches in detail and the study of serial killers, including his appreciation of Bundy. And he admitted to the confirmed bank robberies and arson as well. And when asked about remorse, he demonstrated that he felt absolutely none for what he had done. No regret or empathy for his victim, only potentially the impact it might have on his family. And he confirmed the SA of the teenage girl in Orkin, which was his first violent crime. And he also confessed to stalking multiple targets that he ultimately did not follow through attacking, including one scenario in which he was about to kill a couple at Sniper's Range, but a police officer showed up and started talking to them, like a guardian angel. And he resolved to kill the police officer as well until a second one arrived, at which point he backed off. But Keyes was incredibly calculated with his responses and the information he revealed in these interviews, almost toying with interrogators, and he regularly held back information and enjoyed the sense of power that it gave him. And at one point, he even laughed as they became frustrated with him, saying quote, "This is entertainment for me," unquote. Fucking asshole, I swear to God. And if he ever felt like his wishes weren't going to be honored in regards to information he gave, he quickly would shut down until he received assurances. So the back and forth certainly played with interviewer's emotions, and he truly enjoyed keeping them guessing, rarely providing enough information to actually act upon with any level of certainty. And even to the straightforward question of how many people he had killed, he bounced back and forth without ever giving a solid answer to stick with. So on May 23rd, 2012, Keyes attempted to escape during a routine courtroom appearance. Similar to Ted Bundy, this guy doesn't even have his own, his own personalities, just copying another guy, what a pathetic fucking loser. Not that Ted Bundy isn't, he also is, but, my gosh. But he would break free from his leg bindings and leapt over the courtroom railing darting towards the exit. And he caught those in the courtroom off guard, but he wasn't quite quick enough and was brought down by authorities with a taser. And this led to even tighter security for him at future hearings. But this was likely just a foreshadowing of his future plan. Keyes had no intention of remaining in custody or serving his eventual sentence. So Keyes's trial was scheduled for March 2013, one year after his arrest. And while awaiting the trial, he was detained in a high security cell at Anchorage Correctional Complex. Yet despite being under close watch, he was found dead in his cell on December 2nd, 2012 at the age of 34. And it's unclear how he managed it, but Keyes somehow acquired razor blades. And you can put two and two what he did with those. And not only did he use those, but he would also tie together bedsheets and you can imagine what he did with those. And guards failed to notice until it was too late, and Keyes was dead. So among the things found in Keyes's cell after his death was a four-page note written with a combination of pencil and ink on a yellow pad. And it was located underneath his lifeless body, and it was legible and bloodstained. And the note was sent to the FBI lab in Virginia for processing, but it was concluded that there was no hidden message or meaning in the note about victims. But the note did seem to be Keyes owed to murder. And in it, he criticized American society and values calling out their obsession with meaningless things like reality TV, vanity, and the mindless 9-5 grind just end up in a retirement home someday. And he also seemed to celebrate his murders through poetry with lines like "Your wet lips were a promise of a secret unspoken, nervous laugh as it burst like a pulse of blood from your throat. There will be no more laughter here." Just furthering the sentiment he felt in life, there was no remorse shown in the note for his crimes as he passed into death. And also found in his cell where the 11 skull and one pentagram drawings found underneath his bed drawn with his own blood, and each skull was almost childlike in form. And one of them had the words "we are one" written beneath it. And as mentioned before, these skulls are what led investigators to believe that Keyes ultimately had 11 victims, one to match each skull. And the "we are one" could mean many things, but it possibly meant that now with his death he was able to join them and be unified. Or maybe that he viewed all of the victims as part of his legacy and the drawings represent that. But obviously there's no way to know for certain that he's gone now, adding yet another mystery he left behind. And these skulls were not revealed until May of 2020 when the FBI released them in hopes that it may help identify more of his victims. But Keyes' death caught authorities by surprise, because he had been actively talking during interview sessions and seemed engaged when he was doing so in the week's prior. And his cooperation certainly didn't screen that he would be dead very soon. And frustratingly it left more questions unanswered than answered. And cut off authorities from essentially the only source that could give information regarding the crimes. As Keyes had done, such a good job at concealing what he had done. And his death was a cruel outcome for the victims' families. And for the ones that were confirmed, they were denied justice in that Keyes took the easy way out, in that Keyes took that from them. And for those unconfirmed, perhaps they'll never truly know what becomes of their loved ones. And the way in which Keyes died leaves suspicion and raises suspicion as well, considering he was supposedly a highly watched inmate. And his death left so many involved in the case with a sense of unfinished business. And knowing that there are victims out there who now may never be identified to bring closure to their families is beyond frustrating. But as of today, investigators are still looking into the case and any of Keyes' potential victims. But as of right now, that is where the case stands today. So that is that for this video. I hope Israel Keyes is burning in a special place, a special hot, horrible place in hell as we speak. And my heart goes out to every single family that was affected by this and all of the victims and unidentified victims as well. Because I feel like I know in my heart that there was so many more than what we know about. If you have any other cases you would like me to deep dive into, let me know down below. I always read the comments. And I will see your beautiful face in the next video. Okay, stay safe. Thank you. Bye.