Offender Record · OFF-2026-003
KEYES 2012 (FBI)
Israel Keyes
Sex
Male
Race
White
Born
1978
Custody
Deceased
States
UT, WA, TX, AK, VT
Distinguishing featuresArmy veteran (1998–2001); worked as a general contractor; traveled long distances by air and rental car to commit crimes far from home (FBI).
Custody
Died December 2, 2012 in the Anchorage Correctional Complex, an apparent suicide, while awaiting federal trial.
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Summary of the record
Israel Keyes was arrested in Lufkin, Texas on March 13, 2012 and indicted in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska for kidnapping resulting in the death of 18-year-old Samantha Koenig, taken from an Anchorage coffee stand on February 1, 2012. He died by suicide in the Anchorage jail on December 2, 2012 while awaiting trial, so the charges were never tried. Before his death the FBI said he admitted to killing Bill and Lorraine Currier in Essex, Vermont in June 2011 and to other killings, and in 2013 the FBI published a timeline of his travels from 1997 to 2012 asking the public to help account for his movements.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Feb 01, 2012, Anchorage, Alaska
Kidnapping resulting in death (Samantha Koenig), with possession of ransom proceeds and use of a stolen access device
Anchorage Police Department (AK) · U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska · Arrested Mar 13, 2012 · Charged; died before trial Charged; died before trial
Indicted April 2012; Koenig was taken at gunpoint from the Common Grounds coffee stand on February 1, 2012. Her body was recovered from Matanuska Lake on April 2, 2012. Keyes died in custody on December 2, 2012 before trial, so the indictment was never tried and he was never convicted.
SourcesIsrael Keyes charged in kidnapping, killing of Anchorage barista; Israel Keyes timeline (archived); Texas arrest made in missing Anchorage barista case; FBI requests the public's assistance in case of serial killer Israel Keyes (archived)
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
AK
Anchorage, Alaska
approx. 2007 – Mar 2012 · Ran Keyes Construction
Anchorage, Alaska
Mar 2012 – Dec 02, 2012 · Anchorage Correctional Complex, awaiting federal trial
TX
Fort Hood, Texas
approx. 1999 – 2000 · U.S. Army posting
Houston, Texas
approx. Feb 02, 2012 – Feb 17, 2012 · Flew to Houston after Koenig's death and returned to Anchorage February 17, per the indictment
Lufkin, Texas
Mar 13, 2012 – Mar 13, 2012 · Arrested after a traffic stop
UT
Richmond, Utah
approx. 1978 · Birthplace (some accounts say Cove, Utah)
VT
Essex, Vermont
approx. Jun 2011 – Jun 2011 · FBI said he admitted killing Bill and Lorraine Currier here in June 2011
WA
Colville, Washington
approx. 1982 – 1998 · Raised near Colville, Stevens County
Fort Lewis, Washington
approx. 1998 – 2001 · U.S. Army; also posted to Fort Hood, Texas and Egypt
Neah Bay, Washington
approx. 2001 – 2007 · Lived on the Makah Reservation after his discharge
Photographs by Year
KEYES 2012 (FBI)
Items recovered by the FBI in Alaska
Timeline
Jan 07, 1978
Born in Utah; raised near Colville, Washington.
1998
Enlists in the U.S. Army; serves at Fort Lewis, Fort Hood and in Egypt until 2001.
2007
Moves to Anchorage, Alaska and operates Keyes Construction.
Jun 08, 2011
Bill and Lorraine Currier are killed in Essex, Vermont. The FBI later said Keyes admitted to the murders; he was never charged in Vermont.
Feb 01, 2012
Samantha Koenig, 18, is abducted at gunpoint from the Common Grounds coffee stand in Anchorage.
Mar 13, 2012
Arrested in Lufkin, Texas after a traffic stop; charged with access device fraud for using Koenig's debit card.
Apr 02, 2012
FBI divers recover Koenig's body from Matanuska Lake.
Apr 18, 2012
Federal indictment unsealed: kidnapping resulting in death, possession of ransom money, use of a stolen debit card.
Dec 02, 2012
Found dead in the Anchorage jail, an apparent suicide, while awaiting trial.
Aug 12, 2013
FBI says Keyes is believed to have killed 11 people between 2001 and 2012 and asks the public to help account for his travels.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
Other · Biography.com ·
Israel Keyes biography“Raised near Colville, Washington; served in the Army at Fort Lewis, Fort Hood and in Egypt; lived on the Makah Reservation at Neah Bay; moved to Anchorage in 2007 and ran Keyes Construction.”
Law enforcement release · Federal Bureau of Investigation ·
Israel Keyes — FBI famous cases“Keyes admitted to killing Samantha Koenig and Bill and Lorraine Currier and described other murders before his death in custody.”
News report · NBC News ·
Serial killer linked to Alaska barista's death murdered at least 10 others, FBI alleges“The FBI said Keyes is believed to have killed 11 people, all strangers, the first in 2001 and the last in 2012.”
News report · CBS News Texas ·
FBI seeks Texas travels info on confessed killer“The FBI asked for information about Keyes' travels in Texas, where he was arrested in March 2012.”
Law enforcement release · FBI Anchorage ·
FBI requests the public's assistance in case of serial killer Israel Keyes“The FBI released a timeline and map of Keyes' travels and asked anyone who encountered him to come forward.”
News report · Anchorage Daily News ·
Israel Keyes timeline“Feb. 1, 2012: Samantha Koenig disappears from the Common Grounds coffee stand. March 13: Keyes arrested in Lufkin, Texas. April 2: Koenig's body recovered from Matanuska Lake. Dec. 2: Keyes found dead in the Anchorage jail.”
News report · Anchorage Daily News ·
Israel Keyes charged in kidnapping, killing of Anchorage barista“A federal indictment charged Keyes with kidnapping resulting in death, possession of ransom money and use of a stolen debit card.”
News report · Anchorage Daily News ·
Texas arrest made in missing Anchorage barista case“Keyes was arrested after a traffic stop in Lufkin, Texas and charged with access device fraud for using Koenig's debit card.”
Discussion
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