Taking Down a Serial Killer

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SAMANTHA'S LAST SHIFT

Pay attention to this footage. It shows what happened before Samantha Koenig was kidnapped. February 1st 2012, 18 year old Samantha Koenig is busy closing up the coffee stand, where she works, in Anchorage, Alaska. She constantly checks her phone, expecting a text message from her boyfriend. The temperature outside is well below zero, and no one has been seen in the area in a while. It’s 8:15pm. On one of the security cameras, a dark figure emerges from across the parking lot, walking towards the drive thru window. Samantha is then seen talking to someone, before she goes off to make a coffee. At first, everything seems normal. She engages with the man, as she would any other customer.

Until… Samantha takes a step back, holding both her hands up. She seems terrified. But watch closely, in the next few minutes, she’s going to leave a clue behind, that could ruin his plan. Following the man’s orders, she turns off the lights, in the front and in the back. It’s hard to make out what’s happening inside the coffee stand, at this point, but Samantha appears to remove money from the cash register, before she crouches on the floor, and puts her coat on. The man then asks her to turn around, before he leans in through the drive thru window, and binds her hands behind her back. He then jumps through the window, and into the coffee stand.

For the next several minutes, Samantha is trapped, not knowing what’s going to happen to her. When they get up to leave, she has something stuffed in her mouth. At 8:25pm, Samantha walks out of the coffee stand, with the man close at her side. They cross the parking lot, and turn right on Fairbanks street, before disappearing out of the frame. 18 year old Samantha Koenig has been kidnapped, and no one knows she’s been taken. But look closer, inside the coffee stand, there’s a light flashing. Samantha has left her phone behind. Which will come as a shock to police, because her boyfriend got a text from her, 3 hours after she disappeared.

THE TEXT THAT TRIGGERED A FATHER'S INSTINCT

The year is 2012. In the city of Anchorage Alaska, 18 year old Samantha Koenig is living a happy life with her father James, who loves her more than anything in the world. James has had full custody of Samantha since she was 2 years old, and does all he can to keep her safe. But she's now a high school senior, and enjoys going out with friends. James has allowed her boyfriend Duane to come live with them at his house, knowing it would make her happy. Samantha is excited for the coming prom. Her dad has been helping her get ready, and she’s been saving up for a dress. She just started work at a new place, called the Common Ground espresso coffee stand, and on February 1st, she’s working the evening shift, alone. Her boyfriend Duane is supposed to pick her up after work.

It’s 8:30pm. Duane arrives late at the coffee stand, and finds all the lights are closed, and the place is empty. He tries calling Samantha’s cellphone multiple times, but gets no answer. Because he was late, Duane thinks Samantha simply got a lift from someone else, so he decides to go home, and wait for her there. It’s 11:55pm, 3 hours later, when Duane finally gets a text back from Samantha. But the message only confuses him further. She writes “F U asshole. I know what you did. I’m going to spend a couple of days with friends. Need time to think plan. Acting weird… Let my dad know.” Duane is shocked. He doesn’t understand what he could have done, that would make her angry.

He shares the message with James, Samantha’s dad, who immediately thinks, this doesn’t sound like Samantha. It’s 3am, Duane is unable to sleep. He's waiting on the porch outside, hoping Samantha will come home, when he sees a tall dark figure rummaging through his truck. Duane shouts out to the person, and runs inside to get James. But when they get back out, the dark figure, is already gone.

THE FOOTAGE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

February 2nd. At 12:39pm, the Anchorage police department receives this 911 call. Officer Kevin Ehm, is the first to arrive at the scene. When Officer Ehm turns his attention to the coffee stand, he talks to the barista who came in and opened that morning. But everything changes when they get their hands on the security footage. Detectives cue the tapes to 8pm, around the time when Samantha was supposed to get off work. Right away they can see she’s alone, cleaning and wiping things down, as she’s getting ready to close. At 8:15pm, a man approaches on foot, and walks up to the drive-through window.

Samantha goes to greet the man, and starts making a coffee. Several times, she is seen engaging with him. Samantha recoils, and puts her hands up. Detectives are convinced, the man is pointing a gun at her.The officers watching the footage then see her going to the cash register, and removing the money. She puts her coat on, and drops to the floor, so he can bind her hands together. Detectives have no idea what the man looks like, as he’s completely out of shot. Until Samantha moves away from the window. The man stuffs napkins in Samantha’s mouth, and leads her out of the coffee stand. Officers then see both of them walking away in the parking lot. Agents are rewatching the footage, over and over. And there’s a few elements that raise red flags. This, is Samantha’s phone, ringing every time Duane called her the night she was kidnapped.

The problem is, Duane received this text message, at 11:30pm that night, from Samantha’s phone. Investigators fast-forward the footage… until they see movement, at 11:26 pm. The man came back, specifically to get Samantha’s phone, and left. The suspect sent a misleading text message, to Samantha’s boyfriend, to delay as much as he could, someone calling the police.This new development is terrifying. Where was Samantha, while the man came back? Was she tied up in the car? Held captive somewhere? Or worse.

THE SEARCH BEGINS

While police investigation turns into high gear, Samantha’s father James is leading efforts to find his daughter. The Anchorage police department asks for help from the FBI, but they have very little to go on. February 4th. Samantha has been missing for three days. James Koenig has started collecting money for a reward fund. And donations are pouring in by the hundreds. The investigation expands, and the FBI retrieves surveillance footage from the Home Depot Parking lot, across the street from the coffee stand. From there, they proceed to get surveillance tapes from the street cameras. While the quality of the footage is too grainy to see any license plate, they now have the suspect’s vehicle. The problem is, there’s around 700 White Chevy pick-up trucks identical to this one, in the city of Anchorage alone. Days pass by, and while investigators are following up every lead, they're no closer to finding Samantha. Days soon turn into weeks. James refuses to stand by idly while his daughter is still out there. So he takes to social media, and publicizes Samantha’s disappearance.

THE RANSOM NOTE AND "PROOF OF LIFE"

It’s February 24th. Samantha has been missing for 23 days. James is out having a meeting at a restaurant, with the search party team, when Samantha’s boyfriend Duane gets a text. His face goes sheet white, and he walks over to James, and shows him the text. James and his family rush over to Connor park, where there’s a bulletin board. Underneath a picture of a dog named Albert, there’s a ziploc bag. Inside, is a white sheet of paper folded over. The letter is a ransom note, written with a typewriter. The note confirms that Samantha, is alive. There’s a debit card number, attributed to Samantha’s account, where the funds should be deposited. Along with the ransom note, there’s a photo, of a young woman. The picture is a proof of life, showing a woman next to a newspaper from February 23rd. When James learns about the ransom, he immediately tells Sergeant Markiewicz to use money from the reward fund. That same day, 5 thousand dollars are deposited into the account.

FROM ALASKA TO TEXAS: THE ATM TRAIL

The city of Anchorage has about 500 ATM machines, which makes it impossible for them to monitor every single one. That night, the FBI gets a signal, that Samantha’s card has been used. But what they do have, is surveillance footage from the ATM. The suspect is wearing a mask, so they can’t see any facial features. He’s wearing goggles, a hood on, and a big puffy jacket with the words marine corps on the back. But the most interesting part, is the Nissan SUV the man is seen driving away in. This only confuses investigators further. Because the suspect could only withdraw the cash limit of 500$, authorities are counting on the fact that, he will have to withdraw again. The FBI calls for back up, and sends agents to every single publicly accessible ATM machine in the city of Anchorage… But the next time he uses the card, is on March 7th, is in Wilcox Arizona. Over 4000 miles away. The FBI contacts authorities in Arizona, but because of the 10 minute delay, the suspect is already gone. When they receive the footage from the ATM withdrawal, investigators see the same man, hiding his identity. But the car he’s driving, is now a white ford focus.

On March 10th, there’s a withdrawal that is made in Humble, Texas. The FBI gets in touch with the Texas Rangers, and agents issue an alert, to be on the look-out for a white ford focus. While FBI agents are on their way, State Trooper Bryan Henry follows the white ford focus, from a distance. Trooper Henry activates the lights, the car pulls into a local restaurant. As he approaches the vehicle, he looks at the back seat, hoping to find Samantha, but the driver is alone. However, there’s still a chance she could be in the trunk. From the driver’s license, he learns his name is Israel Keyes. The Texas Rangers and FBI agents quickly arrive on site, and take control of the situation. The agents are running out of options. If Samantha is in the trunk of the car, they need to get it open fast. When they open the trunk, Samantha Koenig, is not there. But what they do find, directly connects Israel Keyes to her kidnapping. A grey hoody, a mask, gloves and goggles. The same disguise that was seen in the ATM videos. Inside the pockets, they find Samantha’s phone, and debit card.

ISRAEL KEYES UNDER ARREST

Investigators back in Alaska, take the name Israel Keyes, and execute a search warrant on his house. When they arrive at the house, the first thing they notice, is a Chevy white pick-up truck… And a silver Nissan Extera SUV. After searching every square inch of the property, they find no trace Samantha was ever there. When the FBI dig into Israel Keyes’ life, they learn he has a girlfriend, and a 10 year old daughter. He owns a construction company, and has never had any run-ins with the law. On the outside, no one could tell he was capable of doing something like this. The FBI is hoping to get Israel Keyes talking. Only he knows where Samantha is. But when he’s extradited back to Alaska, Keyes learns from his lawyer, that computers from his house were seized. So he makes the most unexpected move. Keyes directs them to an area north of Anchorage, towards the Matanuska valley, and points to a spot on the lake. Samantha’s father James, is at home, surrounded by family and friends, when he learns the news. The room falls silent. James’ worst fear has come true.

WHAT HAPPENED TO SAMANTHA?

In his interrogation, Keyes gives the details of what happened to Samantha. He tells her not to trigger the alarm, because he will know if the police are notified, and he will kill her. While he’s driving around Anchorage, Keyes asks Samantha for her phone. When she tells him it’s at the coffee hut, he turns around and heads back. She tries to convince him there’s an alarm on the door, but he doesn’t believe her. Then, Keyes drives her to his house, and leads her inside the shed. Keyes doesn’t think twice about keeping Samantha captive, just a few feet away from where his 10 year old daughter sleeps. After tying her to the wall, and turning on some loud music, he asks Samantha for her ATM card. That’s when he learns, she left it in her boyfriend’s truck.

That same night, Israel Keyes rapes Samantha, and kills her. The next morning, Israel returns to his life as usual. He wakes up his daughter, and packs her bags. They’re going on a family trip to New Orleans, where they will stay for the next few weeks. All the while, Samantha’s body is still in the shed. Israel Keyes is counting on the freezing Alaskan temperatures, to preserve Samantha’s remains. But the most disturbing thing, is what he does when he comes back from his trip. He thaws out her body with some heaters, and then puts into action, the next part of his plan. Get a ransom paid, by pretending Samantha is still alive. In reality, Samantha was dead before Police were even notified that she was missing.

UNMASKING A SERIAL KILLER

The details of what happened his daughter are not shared with James Koenig. Yet, he is convinced she was not Keyes’ first victim. He creates a facebook page, to piece together a timeline of Keyes’ whereabouts from 2004, to 2012. He calls the page, “Have You Ever Met Israel Keyes? Possible Serial Killer.” All James wants, is to bring closure to other families who might have lost someone to Keyes. But when tips start coming in, the FBI is alerted of multiple missing person cases across the country, and decide to ask Israel Keyes point blank. Keyes says he’s willing to talk, but he wants it done on his own terms. He knows he has the upper hand.
The reason Israel Keyes doesn’t want this to get out, is because he doesn’t want his daughter, to find out. That doesn’t stop him from enjoying the attention.

As it turns out, James Koenig was right. Israel Keyes is a serial killer. And he has been doing this for many years. He explains how he planned each of his murders, and how he avoided detection. Keyes may be talking, but investigators are struggling to obtain the names of each one of his victims. They spend days talking to him, hours on end, bowing to each of his demands. Until one day, a TV news channel makes this announcement. He finds out his name has been made public, and stops talking.

KEYES’ FINAL DEFIANCE

May 23rd, 2012. Israel Keyes is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing. There’s reporters from every news channel, but no video cameras are allowed inside the courtroom. James Koenig and his family are there. Keyes jumps from his seat, over the guardrail that separates him from the rest of the gallery. One marshal grabs him at the last minute, and throws him to the ground, while another shoots him with a taser gun. November 29th. investigators only have 2 names, but Keyes refuses to cooperate further. After 40 hours of questioning over the course of 8 months, Israel Keyes is shutting down. 3 days later. In the early hours of the morning, a prison guard does a routine check of Keye’s cell, and stumbles upon a shocking scene. Investigators are certain Keyes had killed 11 people, but for now, they only have 3 names. Bill Currier, Lorraine Currier, and Samantha Koenig. However, special agent Kat Nelson is convinced, more cases will be solved. And she continues to work, so that the families of his victims can finally get closure.

KEEPING SAMANTHA’S LIGHT ALIVE

As for James Koenig, Samantha’s father, it’s because of his relentless efforts, that a serial killer was caught, finally putting an end to his reign of terror. Since his daughter’s death in 2012, he’s created an organisation that helps others, find missing family. It works to help conduct research, and offers support and advice. The program is called Seeking Alaska’s Missing… or Sam, for short. Family and friends are also working to pass a bill, that aims to improve workplace safety across Alaska, so that what happened to Samantha, never happens again, naming it, the Samantha Koenig Safety Act. As of today, they are still working to pass this bill, and are asking for support from the public. While James has lost his only daughter, she will always be in his heart. And through his work, he’s making sure Samantha’s memory, lives on.

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Credits:

Written, directed & edited by Justin Chalifoux

Researched by Amanda Hein

Voiceover by Will Akana

Produced by Salim Sader

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Sources:

Documentaries: “Ain't She Purty”, Wild Crime: Eleven Skulls, 2024 (ABC News/Hulu)

“You’ve got your monster”, Wild Crime: Eleven Skulls, 2024 (ABC News/Hulu)

“Because they’re mine”, Wild Crime: Eleven Skulls, 2024 (ABC News/Hulu)

“Mask of sanity”, Wild Crime: Eleven Skulls, 2024 (ABC News/Hulu)

48 Hours: Tracking the Murders of Israel Keyes, 2020 (CBS Broadcasting Inc.)

“The Cross Country Killer: He Could Make People Disappear” - Part 1 & 2, Very Scary People, 2022 (Investigation Discovery)

Method of a Serial Killer, 2018 (Glass Entertainment Group/ Oxygen Network)

News clips:

Anchorage Police Department released to Anchorage Daily News

ABC Alaska

Fox News

CBS News

KHQ Local News

The Star Ledger

Alaska Public Media

CBS 11 News

NBC 5

Youtube:

Viktoria Evans Sotos DoWhit Yourself Podcast: “The Israel Keyes Investigation” True Crime Bullsh**, 2018 (Studio BOTH/AND).

Book:

Maureen Callahan, “American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century”, Viking, 2021

Other:

FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigations

'Send her home': Father of abducted barista pleads for her return - Kyle Hopkins (DailyMotion)

Seeking Alaska’s Missing (S.A.M.) - Facebook