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FBI Releases Images Of Israel Keyes' Skull Drawings In Hopes Of Identifying More Possible Victims
Israel Keyes, a serial killer who confessed to murdering 11 people across the United States, took his own life before the majority of his victims could be identified.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has released new evidence in a serial killer case in hopes that more of his victims can be identified.
Eleven drawings of skulls that serial killer Israel Keyes made with his own blood were revealed on a Saturday episode of CBS' "48 Hours." While in prison he made the gruesome creations, which investigators believe represent the amount of victims he killed: 11.
FBI Special Agent Katherine Nelson said on "48 Hours" that the drawings show "that there are seven victims we don't have identified."
Keyes had confessed to murdering 11 people across the United States between 2001 and 2012 but only three of his victims have been identified. He admitted to breaking into the home of Bill, 49, and Lorraine Currier, 55, of Essex, Vermont in 2011. He tied them up and drove them to an abandoned farmhouse where he shot Bill and then sexually assaulted Lorraine before strangling her to death. He also admitted to killing Samantha Koenig, 18, in 2012, not far from where he lived in Alaska. He abducted her from the coffee booth where she worked before sexually assaulting, killing, and dismembering her. Keyes was caught shortly after. He died by suicide in his cell in late 2012.
Before taking his own life, Keyes told investigators that he’d travel from state to state for the sole purpose of killing. While doing so, he claimed he targeted everyone: old couples, young people, men, young women. He’d bury kill caches in states so that he could go back and kill and dispose of the bodies with ease. He managed to evade capture for years simply by switching up his methods, locations, and targets.
Examples of these kill caches were shown on Saturday’s episode of “48 Hours.” FBI agents stated in the show that they believe more kill kits are buried around the country and that they could very well contain evidence in other unsolved murders. One of his kill kits was a Home Depot bucket filled with guns, tools, and zip ties. Images of his kill kits, as well as a map of where he traveled, were previously released by the FBI in 2013. Investigators noted on Saturday’s show that victims could be anywhere Keyes traveled. He traveled everywhere from Washington State to Florida to Colorado to Maine.
Nelson noted on “48 Hours” that the FBI is dedicated to finding clues leading to other victims. She is optimistic that they will.
“It won’t be easy by any means," Nelson said. "And it may take a long time. But I’ll never give up trying.”
FBI agents discussed theories about other possible victims on Saturday's show, including their speculation that Keyes abducted New Jersey woman Debra Feldman in 2009 before burying her in another state. During Keyes' interviews with investigators, he often bragged about taking victims to a different state to conceal their body to avoid getting caught.
The skull drawings have been unveiled to the public, along with a reminder of what the kill kits look like, in hopes that they may trigger information.
Anyone with information on the Keyes case is urged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can also be submitted online at https://www.fbi.gov/tips.
