By Caleb Hutton
The FBI is asking for the public’s help in solving four murders believed to have been committed in Washington state within the past decade, after suspected serial killer Israel Keyes confessed to the killings, then apparently committed suicide in an Alaska prison.
It’s not clear if Keyes spent time in Whatcom County, but the chart at the bottom of this post shows he crossed the border from Washington to British Columbia more than once.
It’s worth noting — at least according to the chart — none of the missing people listed on the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office website appear to have disappeared at the same time Keyes was in Washington. One of the murders, Keyes admitted, was later ruled an accident.
Here’s the press release from the FBI. I bolded the relevant parts for Whatcom County residents.
Mary Rook, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for the State of Alaska requests the public’s assistance in developing information concerning the travels of suspected serial killer ISRAEL KEYES, deceased, in order to identify additional victims.
Anyone with information concerning Keyes is encouraged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Based upon investigation conducted following his arrest in March 2012, Israel Keyes is believed to have committed multiple kidnappings and murders across the country between 2001 and March 2012. Keyes lived in Washington from 2001 to March 2007, at which time he moved to Alaska. While living in Alaska, Keyes worked as a general contractor but traveled extensively. In a series of interviews with law enforcement, Keyes described significant planning and preparation for his murders, reflecting a meticulous and organized approach to his crimes.
It was not unusual for Keyes to fly into an airport, rent a car, and drive hundreds of miles to his final destination. This was the case in the murder of Bill and Loraine Currier, where Keyes flew into Chicago, rented a car, and drove across several states before arriving in Essex, Vermont. After the murder of the Curriers, Keyes continued his travels on the east coast before returning to Chicago and then to Alaska.
Keyes admitted responsibility for robbing several banks during this time frame, two of which investigators have corroborated. Keyes used the proceeds from his bank robberies to pay for his travel, along with money he made as a general contractor. Keyes also admitted traveling to various locations to leave supplies he planned to use in a future crime. Keyes buried caches throughout the United States. The FBI has recovered two caches buried by Keyes – one in Eagle River, Alaska and one near Blakes Falls Reservoir in New York. The caches contained weapons and other items used to dispose of bodies. Keyes indicated the other caches he buried throughout the U.S. contain weapons, money, and items used to dispose of victims.
Investigators believe that Keyes did not know any of his victims prior to their abductions. He described several remote locations that he frequented to look for victims – parks, campgrounds, trailheads, cemeteries, boating areas, etc. Keyes also told investigators that prior to the Currier case, his victims’ disappearance received little if any media coverage. Based on his own research, Keyes stated that one of his victims has been recovered but authorities ruled the death accidental.
Investigators have not identified this victim or where this crime occurred.
Keyes admitted to murdering four people in Washington; he killed two people (independent of each other) sometime during 2005 and 2006, and murdered a couple in Washington between 2001 and 2005. It is unknown if these victims were residents of Washington or if they were vacationing in Washington but resided in another state. It is also possible Keyes abducted them from a nearby state and transported them to Washington.
Additionally, Keyes admitted to investigators that in 2009 he murdered a victim on the east coast and disposed of the body in New York State. Based on Keyes’ statements, investigators believe Keyes abducted the victim from a surrounding state and transported him/her to New York.
The FBI provided this timeline of the Keyes’ whereabouts. The agency grouped locations by region, rather than state, because of his pattern of travelling long distances by car.
There are monsters among us.