A sourced chronology from his birth in 1978 through the FBI’s 2020 evidence release. Filter by category, then open any entry for detail and sources.
January 7, 1978Born in UtahLife
Keyes is born into a large family in northern Utah. Published accounts name Richmond; his own account to a court-ordered psychologist named Cove. When he was 3 or 4, the family moved to the woods outside Colville, Washington, where the children were homeschooled.
Sources: Biography.com; Anchorage Daily News, May 18, 2018 (Roesch evaluation).
Summer 1997 or 1998Deschutes River assault near Maupin, Oregon, by his accountCrimes
Keyes told investigators he abducted and sexually assaulted a teenage girl tubing on the Deschutes River, then let her go. Investigators do not believe it was reported. She has never been identified.
Source: FBI Dallas release, Aug. 13, 2013; FBI Portland appeal, 2012.
July 9, 1998Enlists in the U.S. ArmyLife
He serves at Fort Lewis, Washington, Fort Hood, Texas, and in Egypt, and receives an Army Achievement Medal for service as a mortar gunner.
Source: Biography.com; Anchorage Daily News, May 18, 2018.
July 2001Discharged; moves to Neah Bay, WashingtonLife
He moves to the Makah Reservation with his daughter’s mother and works for the tribe’s parks and recreation department.
Source: FBI Dallas release, Aug. 13, 2013; Anchorage Daily News, May 18, 2018.
July to October 2001First homicide, by his accountCrimes
The FBI places his first homicide in Neah Bay in this window. The victim’s identity and location are unknown.
Source: FBI Dallas release, Aug. 13, 2013.
2001 to 2005An unidentified couple killed in Washington, by his accountCrimes
He refused to describe their relationship or whether they lived in Washington. He suggested they were buried near a valley and that he may have moved their car.
Source: FBI Dallas release, Aug. 13, 2013.
2005 or 2006Two separate killings in Washington, by his accountCrimes
He said he used his boat to dispose of both victims, at least one in Crescent Lake in more than 100 feet of water. Neither victim has been identified.
Source: FBI Dallas release, Aug. 13, 2013.
March 1 to 9, 2007Drives the Alaska Highway to AnchorageLife
He drives alone through British Columbia and the Yukon, crossing into Alaska on March 9. He settles in Anchorage and starts Keyes Construction.
Source: FBI Dallas release, Aug. 13, 2013; Anchorage Daily News, Mar. 16, 2012.
October 31 to November 5, 2008Seattle and Boston trip under FBI scrutinyCrimesSuspected
He rents a car in Seattle and flies to Boston and back. The FBI believes he may have committed a crime on this trip and has asked for information.
Source: FBI Dallas release, Aug. 13, 2013.
April 9, 2009East Coast abduction; burial in upstate New York, by his accountCrimes
He admitted abducting a woman from an East Coast state and burying her in upstate New York, not on his Constable property. The FBI has said Debra Feldman of Hackensack, New Jersey, who disappeared the day before, may have been this victim. She is a suspected victim only.
Sources: FBI Dallas release, Aug. 13, 2013; FBI Newark appeal, 2013.
April 10, 2009Robs Community Bank in Tupper Lake, New YorkCrimes
One of two bank robberies the FBI has corroborated. He said he waited for hours at a nearby campground while emergency vehicles passed.
Source: FBI Dallas release, Aug. 13, 2013.
July 9 to 12, 2010Sacramento and Auburn, California trip under FBI scrutinyCrimesSuspected
He rents a black Ford Focus and drives about 280 miles in three days. The FBI is seeking information about this trip.
Source: FBI Dallas release, Aug. 13, 2013.
April or May 2011Point Woronzof, Anchorage: a planned shooting interruptedCrimes
He said he planned to shoot a couple in a parked car, nearly shot a police officer who pulled into the lot, and left when a second officer arrived.
Source: FBI Dallas release, Aug. 13, 2013.
May 2011North Fork Trailhead stakeout and cache, Eagle River, AlaskaCrimes
He buried a cache with a shovel and drain cleaner near the trailhead intending to abduct someone, and denied taking a victim there. The FBI later recovered the cache on his directions.
Sources: FBI Dallas release, Aug. 13, 2013; Anchorage Daily News, May 18, 2018.
June 8, 2011Bill and Lorraine Currier, Essex, VermontCrimes
He flies to Chicago, drives to Vermont, and abducts the couple from their home. He later disposes of two guns in Blake Falls Reservoir, New York, where the FBI recovered them with a nearby cache. Their remains have never been found.
Sources: FBI Dallas release, Aug. 13, 2013; Vermont State Police missing persons record.
February 1, 2012Samantha Koenig abducted in AnchorageCrimes
The 18-year-old is taken from the Common Grounds coffee stand where she worked at closing time. Prosecutors said she was killed the next morning.
Sources: FBI Dallas release, Aug. 13, 2013; Anchorage Daily News, Apr. 19, 2012.
February 2 to 18, 2012Cruise, then arson and a bank robbery in TexasCrimes
He cruises out of New Orleans until February 11, then drives to Texas. On February 16 he sets a house on fire in Aledo and robs a bank in Azle. Investigators believe he may have killed someone in Texas or a nearby state on this trip, which he denied.
Source: FBI Dallas release, Aug. 13, 2013.
February 24, 2012Ransom demand from Koenig’s phoneCrimes
He texts a demand that money be deposited to the account tied to the debit card he had taken. Anchorage spends weeks believing she may be alive.
Source: Anchorage Daily News, Apr. 18, 2012 (indictment).
March 7 to 12, 2012Withdrawals in Arizona and TexasInvestigation
Withdrawals in Willcox, Arizona, then Humble and Shepherd, Texas give investigators a moving trail.
Sources: Associated Press via MPR News, Jan. 26, 2013; Anchorage Daily News, Mar. 23, 2012.
March 13, 2012Arrested in Lufkin, TexasInvestigation
A Texas trooper stops him for speeding. The debit card and Koenig’s phone are found, according to the Associated Press. He is charged with access device fraud.
Sources: Anchorage Daily News, Mar. 16 and 23, 2012; Associated Press via MPR News.
March 22, 2012Federal case opened in AlaskaInvestigation
United States v. Keyes, No. 3:12-cr-00041, is filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska.
Source: Justia docket.
April 2, 2012Koenig recovered; interviews beginInvestigation
FBI divers recover Samantha Koenig from Matanuska Lake near Palmer. The same day, the first recorded interview with Keyes takes place at the Anchorage Correctional Complex.
Sources: FBI; Anchorage Daily News, Apr. 10, 2013.
April 6, 2012His terms: a fast resolution and a death sentenceInvestigation
In a session at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he tells prosecutor Kevin Feldis he wants everything wrapped up within a year and wants to be executed.
Source: Associated Press via Corrections1, Apr. 2013.
April 18, 2012Federal indictmentInvestigation
Three counts: kidnapping resulting in death, receiving ransom money, and access device fraud. Count 1 is death-penalty eligible.
Sources: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Alaska; Doc. 84, Justia.
May 23, 2012Escape attempt in federal courtCustody
He breaks his leg restraints and vaults the courtroom railing before deputy marshals subdue him with a Taser. He is classified as a dangerous detainee and held in segregation.
Sources: Anchorage Daily News, May 23 and 26, 2012; Alaska Public Media.
May 25, 2012Trial set for March 11, 2013Investigation
Two days after the escape attempt, the court sets a trial date. Prosecutors say they will decide on seeking the death penalty sooner.
Source: Anchorage Daily News, May 26, 2012.
July 2012The Currier connection leaksInvestigation
Details tying Keyes to the Vermont case reach the media. In his July 26 interview he is visibly displeased, and his lawyer says Keyes’s family saw the news first. Vermont authorities hold a press conference that month.
Sources: Alaska Dispatch, Apr. 9, 2013; Vermont State Police.
October 2012Agents say supervisors believe he is playing themInvestigation
FBI agent Steve Payne presses him for names and locations before winter. The last session unsealed in 2018 ends October 30.
Source: Anchorage Daily News, May 18, 2018.
November 29, 2012Final interviewInvestigation
His last recorded session with investigators, three days before his death. The FBI later published it.
Sources: FBI video repository; Anchorage Daily News, May 18, 2018.
December 2, 2012Death in the Anchorage Correctional ComplexCustody
He dies by suicide in a segregation cell late on December 1 and is found the next morning. He had been on suicide watch earlier in his detention and was taken off it months before. He was not on watch that night.
Sources: Anchorage Daily News, Dec. 5 and 6, 2012; Associated Press.
December 3 to 5, 2012Prosecutors release case detailsInvestigation
Federal prosecutors in Alaska and U.S. Attorney Tristram Coffin in Vermont release previously withheld details of the Koenig and Currier killings.
Sources: Seven Days, Dec. 3, 2012; Anchorage Daily News, Dec. 5, 2012.
February 13, 2013Corrections confirms the razor was issued by mistakeCustody
The Alaska Department of Corrections says a razor was mistakenly issued to him and apparently not retrieved. It declines to explain how, citing security.
Sources: Alaska Dispatch, Feb. 14, 2013; Associated Press via KOMO.
2013Records request deniedCustody
The department denies an Associated Press records request on how he obtained the razor, citing the confidentiality of people in its custody and anticipated litigation.
Source: Associated Press via Corrections1.
April 8, 2013First interview recordings unsealedRecords
Thirteen recordings from April to July 2012 are released after the Alaska Dispatch asks the court to unseal them.
Sources: Alaska Dispatch, Apr. 9 and 10, 2013.
August 13, 2013FBI public appeal: timeline, video, and travel mapRecords
The FBI says it believes he committed 11 homicides, releases a detailed timeline and interview video, and asks the public for help identifying victims.
Sources: FBI Dallas release and FBI story, Aug. 13, 2013.
November 1, 2013Federal case closedInvestigation
The criminal case is terminated following his death. He was never tried.
Source: Justia docket.
July 2014Arbitrator reverses the firing of the officer on dutyCustody
The arbitrator finds correctional officer Loren Jacobsen was on a mandatory break during the critical window and was made a scapegoat for wider lax practices.
Sources: Alaska Dispatch News, July 15, 2014; KTVA via Corrections1.
April to May 2018Remaining interviews and psychological evaluation unsealedRecords
After a court fight brought by author Maureen Callahan, a federal judge orders the government to release the remaining sessions and Dr. Ronald Roesch’s evaluation.
Source: Anchorage Daily News, May 18, 2018.
July 2, 2019American Predator publishedRecords
Callahan’s book on the investigation is published by Viking.
Source: Penguin Random House.
May 9, 2020The 11 skullsRecords
On CBS’s 48 Hours, FBI agents reveal 11 skulls he drew in his own blood, found under his bed, and say at least seven victims remain unidentified.
Sources: CBS News; Oxygen, May 2020.
December 5, 2024Wild Crime: Eleven Skulls premieresRecords
ABC News Studios’ four-part series on Hulu features FBI investigators, Anchorage police, and victims’ families.
Source: ABC News press announcement.
October 2026Clutch Justice opens the Israel Keyes case libraryRecords
The Only Case That Ever Scared Me introduces the library.
Source: Clutch Justice.
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