The Body Of Abducted Barista, Samantha Koenig Found In Lake~Suspect Israel Keyes Commits Suicide In Police Custody After Confessing To Other Murders~ FBI Working To Connect Him To Unsolved Murders

Suspected kidnapper arrested following DPS traffic stop in Lufkin

Posted: Mar 13, 2012 1:44 PM CDT
Updated: Mar 13, 2012 5:17 PM CDT
By Tina Alexander - bio | email
By Alexis Spears - bio | email

LUFKIN, Texas (KTRE) -
Diners at Cotton Patch restaurant in Lufkin got a little more than they ordered Tuesday when law enforcement officers converged on the parking lot to arrest a suspected kidnapper.

According to a DPS spokesperson, a trooper monitoring traffic along Highway 59 south of Lufkin pulled the suspect over after he made a traffic violation.

Once the man was detained in the parking lot of the restaurant, the trooper determined that the driver was a suspect connected to an out-of-state police bulletin of an alleged kidnapping. The FBI, Texas Rangers and DPS were called in as backup. The white car that the man was driving was searched, the spokesman said.

Investigators said they found enough evidence in the vehicle to arrest the driver for suspected kidnapping. He was also searched and then taken into custody for questioning. The identity of the suspect has not been released.

"It's a good feeling knowing that you've taken appropriate measures to possibly solve a crime or prevent a crime," said David Hendry, a DPS trooper on the scene.

More than a dozen onlookers were at the scene during the searches and subsequent arrest.

DPS is expected to release a statement detailing the arrest later Tuesday afternoon.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Samantha Koenig Case: Who is Israel Keyes? - Man Arrested in Texas

By Ted Land
KTUU-TV
updated 3/16/2012 6:50:38 PM ET

Who is Israel Keyes? On March 13, law enforcement in Texas arrested the 34-year-old as person of interest, according to Anchorage police.

Records show that Keyes spent at least a few years living and working in Alaska, and the Koenig family said they had never heard of him until March 15 when APD announced the arrest.

According to documents KTUU found, Keyes was a former Army Specialist who was praised for his work down in Fort Lewis, Washington.

He most recently worked as a general contractor here in Anchorage and his arrest on Tuesday was not his first.
According to APD, Israel Keyes is the owner of Keyes Construction, based in Anchorage.

"Foundations to finish work. Inside or out. I have the specialty tools and over ten years experience to get the job done right!" Keyes said on his website.

It appears to be a pretty small business and the address listed on the website is for a rented mailbox in a storefront along Arctic Boulevard, but and the phone number listed goes right to voice mail when calling.

Keyes posted on his website a certificate for the Army achievement medal, which was awarded for his expertise during live fire exercises.

The document states "Spec. Keyes performance reflects great credit upon himself, the first battalion, 5th infantry, and the United States Army."

Court records though revealed a more troubled past.
In 2001, Keyes pleaded guilty to driving under the influence on Fort Lewis and was sentenced to 24 hours in prison.

More recently in March 2012, a US attorney said Keyes committed access device fraud: meaning he's accused of making a transaction with someone else's access device, like a credit card, to receive payment for something one thousand dollars or greater.

The prosecutor said Keyes should be held because there is a serious risk he'll attempt to threaten, injure or intimidate prospective jurors.

As for a possible relationship between Samantha Koenig and Israel Keyes, a Koenig family spokesperson said they've never heard of the guy.

"No one has met him we don't know who he is we don't know what association he has with anybody, we don't know why he would take samantha if he did take Samantha," Michelle Tasker , a Koenig family spokesperson, said in a statement.

Tasker said his arrest does not change much for the Koenig family as their focus remains on finding Samantha.
Anyone with information on Koenig's whereabouts or who has had contact with Keyes or associated with his business, Keyes Construction, since Jan. 1 is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-225-5324.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Samantha Koenig Suspect Fits the Profile of a Serial Offender

March 17, 2012 06:45 PM EDT

The only suspect in the Samantha Koenig disappearance is in custody, and police in Anchorage have acknowledged that Israel Keyes is their only person of interest as well. But just who is this man and why is he believed to have abducted the 18-year-old barista? Upon some close observation, Israel Keyes displays the profile of someone who may have the potential to become a serial predator—if he isn't one already.

Israel Keyes, the man believed to have abducted Samantha Koenig, has lived in Anchorage for only five years. Before that he is believed to have lived in the state of Washington and may have ties to New York state. This week he was arrested in Lufkin, Texas. This man is a traveling man who owns a construction company which he is the only employee. He is described by his neighbors as someone who "keeps to himself" and is "low profile" and works a lot. He maintains a life with his girlfriend, Kimberly Anderson, and a young child who is either both of theirs or one of theirs.

He is described as "doing beautiful work," is dedicated to his job, and always seems to be on the go. People who have worked with him say he seems as though he's never had a bad day. His business is construction related. He's a craftsman who does actually quite attractive work, and he also happens to pour and form foundations.

He doesn't have an impressive criminal record, all traffic related. This is someone who keeps off of police radar either by being inconspicuous or simply just being good at keeping his head down.

Could Israel Keyes be a serial offender, or is Samantha Koenig his only alleged victim?

Judging by the brief profile of this character, it's quite possible that Samantha isn't the only girl he may have harmed in some way. It's also possible that Samantha could have been his first victim. Nonetheless, the FBI may have the same thought as they are wanting anyone who has ever been acquainted with him to come forward with any information they can give.

With his activity spanning across the country, it would be smart to do a search of any missing persons or unsolved homicides near where he may have resided. Meanwhile, the search for the missing 18-year-old barista continues, but the outlook seems grim. Knowing that this man specialized in pouring cement foundations, the theories of where she could be are just gruesome.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

A man has been arrested in Texas in connection with the disappearance of 18-year-old barista Samantha Koenig, who was abducted by an armed man from an espresso stand in Anchorage, Alaska, over six weeks ago.

Israel Keyes, 34, who owns a construction company in Anchorage, was arrested in Lufkin, Texas, Anchorage police confirmed to The Associated Press. The girl remains missing.

"He's the only person we charged, and the only person of interest. And the biggest thing at this time is that we haven't found Samantha Koenig and we don't know her whereabouts," Detective Slawomir Markiewicz told the Anchorage Daily News.

Koenig was last seen the evening of Wednesday, February 1 on surveillance video that showed her leaving the Common Grounds Espresso stand in Anchorage with an armed man, who police said was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and possibly a baseball cap. All of the coffee stand's cash was also missing.

Keyes' arrest warrant remains sealed and police are offering few details. Police spokeswoman Anita Shell told The AP that the warrant will remain sealed so as not to compromise the case.

According to documents, Keyes was charged in an East Texas courthouse with access device fraud, The AP reported. The charge is often associated with the illegal use of another person's credit or debit card to steal money.

Investigators are now seeking to speak to anyone who has had contact with Keyes or his construction company, Keyes Construction, Shell told The AP.

"They're just wanting to talk to anybody who may have had contact with him in the past, to see if there's any links that they can put together," Shell said.

According to the website for Keyes Construction, Keyes worked in Washington state in the mid-1990s then served three years in the Army Infantry, stationed in Ft. Lewis, Ft Hood, and Sianai, Egypt. According to the site he then worked from 2001-2007 for the Makah Tribal Council in Neah Bay, Wash. before moving to Alaska.

Koening 'Too Afraid' to Follow Through With Protective Order

According to Samantha Koening 's father James Koenig the teen filed a protective order against a man in November but was too scared to follow it through.

"She filed for a restraining order against a person she barely knew and was too afraid to go through with it in court," James Koenig told ABCNews.com last month.

He said he could not elaborate on the situation or the man's identity, but he did not believe that his daughter felt that she was in danger or that someone wanted to hurt her before she disappeared.

When asked if he had any theories about what may have happened to her daughter, he said, "I do, but I cannot divulge."

In November, Samantha Koenig filed the protective order, but she did not show up for a hearing and the order was never issued.

The Anchorage Police Department received criticism for not releasing the surveillance tape, but police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker said they won't do it because, "There's no way this video is going to further the investigation."

Parker said the tape has "evidentiary qualities" that make it valuable to investigators but that it would not be useful to release it because the alleged kidnapper's face is not visible. He said the key to the video for investigators is Koenig's response to the perpetrator.

Samantha Koenig had been working at the Common Grounds Espresso stand for about a month and her father said she was really enjoying it.

"She's a sweetheart. She's got the biggest heart and she has genuine love and care for people. She befriends people so easily," Koenig said through tears. "Everyone that meets her, they call her their best friend. That's just her personality. She's funny and she loves life."

Koenig is the fourth of six children. She has three sisters and two brothers who James Koenig said are working hard to search for Samantha.

Koenig is 5-foot-5 and weighs about 140 pounds. She has brown hair and eyes. Authorities are asking that anyone with information contact the Anchorage Police Department at 907-786-8900.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Koenig Case Arrestee's Former Neighbor Thinks "Anyone is Capable of Anything"
Paints rosy picture of Israel Keyes' life

By Scott Jensen
Story Created: Mar 16, 2012 at 2:44 PM AKDT
Story Updated: Mar 16, 2012 at 3:24 PM AKDT

ANCHORAGE - "They would have friends over, but it never got noisy."

On a quiet dead end street in Anchorage's South Addition neighborhood a woman methodically shovels and sweeps the few inches from her walk that came down in Wednesday's snow. She doesn't want to be identified because it's just too soon and she's reserving judgement, but she's stunned about this week's development in the Samantha Koenig kidnapping case. Texas Rangers arrested her former neighbor from across the street, Israel Keyes, in Lufkin on Tuesday, for access device fraud. But officials think he's connected with Koenig's disapperance.

"I recognized him right away," she said upon seeing Keyes' picture yesterday on the internet.

Her mother actually drew her attention to the arrest when she heard Keyes' name on the news. The woman shoveling snow then went online and did her own research. What she learned surprised her. His face is familiar. What authorities suspect him of doing is not.
"I don't understand," she said. "I'm holding my suspicisions in advance because there's so much crap going on." She talked of what she read in the comments sections of the news websites. To her, it doesn't make sense. She knows a different side of the man who would work on his projects in the front yard. "He wasn't overly friendly. But you'd wave to him and say 'hi' and he'd wave back. He never raised his voice at the two or three kids who would come over and visit."

Admittedly she didn't know him that well. She didn't even remember the name of the woman who he lived with. But she did recall when they moved out. They left the neighborhood two or three years ago to move into a house over in Turnagain that the woman bought. About a month later she says Keyes came back to the South Addition rental to fix it up for his former landlord. She thought that Keyes had built a new fence, done some painting and put in a new floor. These are all tasks that would come very easily for a professional carpenter. The neighbor says Keyes began his company, Keyes Construction, while living in the house across the street.
"He did beautiful work," she said.

The woman with the shovel paints a rosy picture of the folks who live around her. They're friendly neighbors who look out for one another. There's no drug traffic and no police. Except for some homeless activity, it's quiet.

Keyes seemed to fit right in, but when asked if she thought he could be capable of kidnapping Samantha Koenig - she paused - and then chose her words carefully.
"Anybody is capable of anything."

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Man arrested in Texas in missing Samantha Koenig case awaits transport to Alaska

Isabelle Zehnder
Missing Persons Examiner

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Isabelle Zehnder reporting) – Authorities say the man linked to the disappearance of 18-year-old Samantha Koenig, who was arrested earlier this week in Texas, is in federal custody and awaits transport back to Alaska.

Israel Keyes, 34, is a person of interest in Samantha's apparent abduction. He allegedly committed access device fraud, a charge usually associated with a person taking funds from another person’s bank account with a debit card or by other means.

Authorities are not releasing details of the charges against Keyes and have sealed court documents to protect the integrity of their case. According to a criminal complaint filed in Texas Keyes took $1,000 or more from another person sometime between Tuesday, Feb. 28, and Tuesday March 13.

Samantha went missing the night of Feb. 1 at the end of her shift at the Common Grounds Coffee hut in Anchorage. Surveillance video showed an armed man “significantly taller” than Samantha [who is 5’ 5” tall] forcing her from the small building. She’s not been seen or heard from since.

Police aren’t saying if Keyes was found with Samantha’s bank card or any of her belongings, The News Tribune reports.

Eyewitness account of Keyes’ arrest

Keyes was stopped on a traffic violation in Lufkin, a city north of Houston, on Tuesday. According to Amanda Rhea, a server at Lufkin’s Cotton Patch Café, diners saw a police cruiser trailing Keyes’ white two-door Honda sedan into the restaurant’s parking lot just after 11 a.m. Tuesday.

She said Keyes stood outside the car nonchalantly wearing a tank top and sunglasses. Rhea said Friday he was about six feet tall and had his hands in his pockets. About 40 minutes later unmarked cars and what looked like federal agents and Texas Rangers swarmed into the parking lot.

Rhea said no one was able to get in or out of the parking lot, and that they saw authorities pull a pink backpack from the trunk of Keyes’ car. Samantha’s father, James Koenig, said Friday his daughter has outgrown backpacks and is into purses. He denied she owns a pink backpack. According to Keyes’ neighbors, who watched police search his home Tuesday, he lived there with a woman and a girl who is 12 or 13 years old.

Keyes was put into handcuffs, Rhea said, and seemed cooperative when he was put into the back of a police car. She said it wasn’t until later that she and the staff at the café realized the arrest was in connection with Samantha’s abduction in Alaska.

On Thursday, police identified Keyes by name and said he was involved in Samantha’s disappearance.

“When I found out where the girl was from, that really shocked me,” Rhea said. “We just had heard it was out of state. We didn’t realize it was that far out of state. My sympathy goes out to the family. And hopefully they find her.”

James Koenig’s reaction to the arrest

On Thursday, Samantha’s father, James Koenig was too upset to make a statement. Friday, he said he didn’t know Keyes or if Keyes and Samantha knew each other before she vanished. He said he was told about Keyes’ arrest just before it was announced to the public.

"(I felt) several emotions. I don't know how to explain them. I was happy they got the guy. But I'm worried that if he was working by himself, where's my daughter? Someone else has to know something about her whereabouts," James Koenig said. "All I'm doing is staying focused and hopeful that they'll find her.

Obviously (the police) had good reason for not sharing information until this point. They were on the right track. I'm just hopeful they're going to find her any day now."

Transfer back to Alaska

The Marshals Service said that depending on their transport schedule, it could take weeks for Keyes to arrive in Alaska.

For safety reasons the U.S. Marshals Service will not say when they expect to transport Keyes back to Alaska where he owns his own business called Keyes Construction. Alaska U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler said Friday that Texas and Anchorage police, the Marshals, the FBI, Texas Rangers, and Texas Highway Patrol are all involved in the case.

“Everybody’s biggest concern is Ms. Koenig, of course. And we’re working together as hard as we can,” Loeffner said.

Davilyn Walston, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in East Texas said that Keyes appeared in court Friday and waived his right to a preliminary hearing which will be held in Alaska at a later date.

“He agreed to detention and removal to Alaska. So it’s out of our hands now,” said Walston.

All-out effort to find Samantha Koenig

The all-out effort to find Samantha continues in Alaska, as police in Anchorage continue to follow leads in a round-the-clock effort to find her. Two Anchorage detectives have been in Texas all week conducting and serving warrants, police spokeswoman Anita Shell said.

“We don’t have any indication that she’s dead or alive. We are hopeful that she is alive, but at this time we don’t have any indication either way,” Shell said. “We have an unprecedented number of detectives working on this.”

If you have any information about this case, or if you have had a personal or business contact with Keyes, police ask that you call 1-800-225-5324 or 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Alternate ways to leave your tip

Call Anchorage Police – 907-786-8900 or 786-2460
Call Samantha’s father, James Koenig – 907-441-8370
Email – [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Mail – James Koenig, PO Box 91772, Anchorage, Alaska 99509-1772
Tips can be anonymous.

Website - helpfindsamanthakoenig.com

Samantha is 5'5" and weighs about 140lbs with brown hair and brown eyes.

Continue reading on Examiner.com Man arrested in Texas in missing Samantha Koenig case awaits transport to Alaska - National missing persons | Examiner.com [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

An Anchorage man connected to the disappearance of 18-year-old Samantha Koenig is in jail after his arrest this week in Texas, but Koenig remains missing, police said Thursday.

Texas authorities arrested the man, Israel Keyes, midday Tuesday in Lufkin, Texas after a traffic stop, police said. He was described in a statement issued by police here Thursday as "a person of interest" in Koenig's disappearance.

Police have not revealed the charges against Keyes, but according to a charging document filed in Texas federal court, Keyes allegedly committed access device fraud, a charge typically levied against an individual who uses another person's bank or credit card to retrieve funds without permission. Federal and local law enforcement are now asking for help from the public to find out more information about the 34-year-old self-employed builder, believed to be the lone employee of his construction company, Keyes Construction.

Keyes' arrest is the only publicly released break in the case since Koenig vanished about 8 p.m. Feb. 1. Police say surveillance video shows an armed abductor force her from the Midtown coffee hut where she worked. Det. Slawomir Markiewicz would not say if Keyes matched the description of the man seen in the video.

"He's the only person we charged, and the only person of interest. And the biggest thing at this time is that we haven't found Samantha Koenig and we don't know her whereabouts," Markiewicz said.

Two Anchorage detectives have been in Texas for several days this week working on the case, Markiewicz said. The detectives will remain in Texas for several more days serving search warrants, he said. When asked if the arrest meant police are closer now to finding Koenig -- whom they hope is still alive -- Markiewicz replied, "Of course."

"As I've said before, I believe this case will be solved. This is a step toward that goal, a big step," he said.

Both Markiewicz and Koenig's father, who spoke to the Daily News through a family friend, said they do not know how Keyes might have known Koenig.

"We haven't found evidence linking him to her," Markiewicz said. "We don't know if he knew her before (she disappeared)."

Markiewicz would not comment on whether police believe Keyes was directly responsible for abducting Koenig or if Keyes was found with any of Koenig's belongings.

A TV station in Lufkin, Texas, KTRE, first reported Keyes' arrest.

KTRE reported Tuesday that diners having an outdoor lunch watched authorities take a "suspected kidnapper" into custody. A Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson told the TV station that the man -- who police did not identify at the time but is now known to be Keyes -- was pulled over for a traffic violation.

"Investigators said they found enough evidence in the vehicle to arrest the driver for suspected kidnapping. He was also searched and then taken into custody for questioning," the KTRE story says.

Markiewicz would not comment on whether Keyes was cooperating with police or specifically what led the authorities to him.

"It's the result of many hours of police work," Markiewicz said. "Methodical meticulous police work (by) our officers and detectives, the local FBI office and the local enforcement in Texas, screening every lead and following up."

"This wasn't the result of luck."

SEARCH OF HOUSE

Just after Keyes was arrested, police served a search warrant at a house in Anchorage's Turnagain neighborhood. Markiewicz said Keyes resides at the house on Spurr Lane, a narrow dead-end street off of Clay Products Drive.

Next-door neighbors Michele Buwalda and Tom McMillan said Keyes lives there with a woman named Kimberly Anderson, who is also listed as the owner of the house in city property records. A daughter they estimated was 12 or 13 lives with the couple at least some of the time, they said.

Markiewicz said Anderson is not a suspect or person of interest in the case.

Since Keyes and Anderson moved in a few years ago, the couple made many improvements to what is one of the more modest homes on the street, Buwalda and McMillan said. Keyes and Anderson were quiet and polite. They threw a couple of small parties each year, the neighbors said.

"I would be pretty surprised if he's involved with it," McMillan said.

Keyes spent a lot of time running saws and other equipment in the yard for his construction business, occasionally running afoul of neighbors because of late evening noise, they said.

Neighbors said that they noticed an unmarked police car idling for hours on Monday at an intersection a block away. Tuesday morning police arrived in unmarked cars, neighbors said. Wearing SWAT gear and carrying rifles, they swarmed the blue house. They took pictures and seemed to be collecting evidence. Later on that day, police followed Anderson's car as she pulled into the driveway, neighbors said. She left with them. Her car and Keyes' truck were towed. She returned the next day by cab. A crime scene van stayed parked outside the house until late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, neighbors said.

Late Thursday afternoon, after Keyes' arrest was announced, a truck pulled up to the blue house, where a trailer with Keyes' business name on it was parked in the driveway. Two women got out. One of the women covered her head with a jacket to shield her face.

"WE DON'T KNOW IF SHE'S ALIVE"

On a website for his business, Keyes lists his work history in construction. He says he worked in Washington from 1995 to 1997. After that, the site says he served in the Army for three years, stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington, Fort Hood in Texas and in Egypt before he was discharged in 2000. From 2001 to 2007, he worked for the Makah Tribal Council in Neah Bay, Wash. He moved to Alaska and started his business in 2007, his website says.

Anchorage police and the FBI are asking that any of Keyes' associates, anybody who's had contact with him since Jan. 1, or anyone who may have done business with his company, Keyes Construction, call 1-800-225-5324 OR 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Markiewicz said that request does not necessarily mean anything related to the abduction happened at a house or business where Keyes may have worked. But tips related to Keyes' work might help the investigation, the detective said.

"We certainly want to find out what projects he did. Whether he had access to other residences, whether he had keys to other houses. Any information like that," Markiewicz said.

Koenig's fate remains unknown and the investigators continue to treat her disappearance as a highly sensitive abduction case, Markiewicz said.

"We investigated as if she's alive. We haven't found her. We don't know what happened with her. We're concerned. We don't know if she's alive," Markiewicz said. "We have investigated this from the beginning as an abduction. Nothing has changed with that. We are very concerned that she hasn't been seen for six weeks."

"The truth is, we don't know her whereabouts ... and we don't know what's happened with her since she was abducted," he said.

Koenig's father, James, declined to answer reporters' questions Thursday. Family friend Michelle Tasker spoke on his behalf and said he is asking that anyone with information about Keyes or his daughter's whereabouts call the FBI or police.

"It's just one more step to getting his daughter back," Tasker said. "He's exhausted, tired, just wants it over and wants his daughter home. He's angry and doesn't have anything to say right now, other than wanting the public's support in answering the APD's and FBI's requests for information."

Tasker said James Koenig told her he does not know Keyes or anything about him.

"Never met him, never seen him," Tasker said. "(He) has no clue what connection (Keyes) may have to his daughter. To his knowledge his daughter doesn't know him either."

Read more here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The Anchorage Police Department says detectives are investigating human remains found Tuesday near Eklutna Lake, but have not said whether the case is related to the Feb. 1 abduction of barista Samantha Koenig.
continue at: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Video at link

I sure hope this isn't Samantha!!! I wonder if that dude is in Alaska yet. Still wondering what the connection is between he and Samantha, if any. From all reports, he sounds like a regular dude w/his own business but Anchorage PD is pretty "mum" on Why he is a suspect or POI.

Investigators say a body found Tuesday night near Eklutna Lake is an adult male and not that of abducted barista Samantha Koenig, continuing a mystery that has captivated the city’s attention for more than six weeks.
conyinue at: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Thanks! Good to know.

Samantha Koenig Could be Anywhere; Suspect Traveled Inconspicuously

Posted: 03/22/2012 9:57 am

The Samantha Koenig case has taken another crazy turn and it involves the arrest of Israel "Izzy" Keyes, a man who was apprehended all the way in Lufkin, Texas -- which is over 4,000 miles away from Anchorage, Alaska. In fact, officials in Anchorage have acknowledged that Israel is their one and only suspect as well as their only person of interest in the abduction of the 18-year old barista. So this leaves a lot to talk about considering the investigators are not really answering questions and the young woman is still missing.

It was pointed out in this Gather News article, that Israel Keyes appears to fit the profile of a potential serial predator. This leaves to question whether or not Samantha Koenig could be his only victim. The APD have been silent since the guy was arrested, but have expressed that the public still needs to focus on finding Samantha. Still, what about Israel? Since he's already been caught, why not reveal more information, or at least show the public this notorious surveillance footage showing the alleged abduction? Perhaps it's already suspected that there is far more to this case than what lies on the surface. Perhaps they are hoping Israel will be cooperative in leading detectives to Samantha's whereabouts.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is involved and asking anyone who may have had work done by Keyes to come forward as they need to investigate further. It may be possible that Samantha could be deceased and hidden anywhere where Keyes may have recently worked. Or it could be possible that any of these people may have seen him in the company of a young woman. At any rate, he traveled over 4,000 miles in as little as a month during the time frame of her abduction so she can physically be anywhere in the country. Hopefully the police are not focusing their entire search on Alaska now that it is fully known how far and quickly this man can travel. As it is currently known, Israel "Izzy" Keyes has been tied to Washington state, Texas, New York and Alaska. He could have been in other states over the course of his life. With that kind of geography in his past, it's important for detectives, analysts and even other profilers to dig deep and see if there are any connections between he, his business and any other potential unsolved crimes.

As for Samantha Koenig: It's probably safe to say that this young woman is no longer alive. The first 48 to 72 hours are the most urgent in an abduction scenario and considering that this man is in custody after traveling so far away with the young woman being nowhere to be found, good news probably isn't in the future. While it's important to hold onto even the slightest hint of hope for this girl to be found safe, it's also urgent to begin investigating any familiar areas to this man throughout the states in which he found himself familiar as well. That means this young woman could be even in Texas for all that is truly known. Hopefully detectives have figured out at least some direction in finding Samantha Koenig and hopefully Israel Keyes has a conscious and begins cooperating.

In the meantime, there are people who have been victimized during the course of this case, and not just the family of the missing woman. Tammie Counts and her son, Christopher Bird, have been targeted by the father of the missing 18-year-old barista along with some in the community of Anchorage and online supporters. Their public suspicion and threats on Christopher Bird became an uproarious side-story in the disappearance of Samantha Koenig, but it truly did turn this man and his family into victims as well. Once you're falsely accused of a violent crime it's hard to shake off that image, that marred and unnecessary label. Though it's apparent that Tammie Counts and her son won't be receiving an apology for this anytime soon, hopefully the public realizes that innocent people do get thrown under the bus sometimes by lynch mobs and those who have tunnel vision in cases like these.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Ben Anderson | Mar 22, 2012

A newly-released court document sheds some light on charges against Israel Keyes -- the man who Anchorage police believe may have ties to the Feb. 1 abduction of 18-year-old barista Samantha Koenig -- and alleges that he may have withdrawn thousands of dollars from a bank account that wasn't his. Keyes was arrested last week in Lufkin, Tex., and police say a stolen debit card found in Keyes's possession was used to make withdrawals in Alaska, Arizona and New Mexico before the arrest.

Koenig's abduction has been subject of much speculation in Alaska and beyond. Her whereabouts or condition remain unknown, and police have offered few details about their investigation or Keyes.

A contractor who had lived in Alaska since 2007, Keyes was arrested March 13 following a traffic stop in Texas that led to police there identifying him as a person of interest in the Alaska kidnapping case. Following a search of his vehicle, he was charged with access device fraud, a charge typically leveled against someone using another person’s credit or debit card without authorization.

According to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court, police allege that at least one individual, over the course of two weeks from Feb. 28 through March 13, withdrew $2,440 from an unnamed person's bank account using a stolen debit card. The affidavit provides no insight into Keyes's relation to the Koenig case.

The affidavit does reveal some interesting details, though. A man identified only as "Person A" saw someone going through his vehicle in Anchorage in the early morning hours of Feb. 2 -- the night of Koenig's disappearance -- just hours after she went missing from the Midtown Anchorage coffee stand where she worked, where police believe she may have been abducted by an armed man. A surveillance video documented the incident, though not in great detail.

The man reported his debit card stolen, taken from his vehicle, according to the affidavit. He told police he had neither given the card to anyone nor given permission to use it.

Nearly four weeks later, on Feb. 28, a person identified as a "light-skinned male adult with a muscular build," attempted to withdraw funds using the stolen debit card from an ATM at a Credit Union 1 in Midtown. That attempted $600 withdrawal exceeded the daily limit allowed and the transaction was denied.

An hour-and-a-half later, just before midnight, a man suspected to be the same individual made a successful withdrawal of $500 from a Credit Union 1 ATM on Minnesota Drive. Just a half-hour later, now Feb. 29, the same individual withdrew another $500 from an ATM on DeBarr Road.

There was no other activity on the card until March 7, when a "light-skinned male adult with a muscular build who appeared to be wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, glasses, a gray facemask, gloves, blue jeans and white shoes" made a $400 withdrawal at an ATM in Willcox, Ariz., the affidavit said.

There were other withdrawals after that:

• On March 8, a withdrawal of $400 was denied in Lordsburg, N.M. -- again over the daily withdrawal limit -- before $80 was successfully withdrawn.

• On March 10, there was a $480 withdrawal in Humble City, Tex. The affidavit said that at this stop, the person making the withdrawal appeared to be the same man who had made withdrawals in Arizona and New Mexico. The ATM surveillance video also revealed the suspect to be driving a late-model, white Ford Focus.

• Another $480 was withdrawn on March 12 in Shepherd, Tex.

The next day, a white Ford Focus with Texas plates was seen parked at a hotel in Lufkin, Tex. Israel Keyes was observed leaving a room at the hotel before putting items in the trunk of the white Ford Focus.

Less than an hour after leaving the hotel, Keyes was pulled over for a speeding violation by a Texas State Highway Patrol Officer. Keyes gave the officer his Alaska license and claimed he'd flown from Anchorage to Las Vegas on March 7, where he claimed to have rented the car to drive to a wedding.

"Keyes was unable to describe the route he drove or explain why he elected to travel in this manner, given that he was reportedly going to a wedding in Wells, Tex.," the affidavit said. "Keyes became increasingly confrontational during the traffic stop, especially when asked for details about his activities."

The officer observed maps on the floorboard of Keyes's vehicle with highlighted routes through California, Arizona and New Mexico. Also on the floor were a pair of white tennis shoes. Stuffed in the driver's side door were wads of cash rolled up with rubber bands.

Once police searched Keyes's vehicle, they found a gray hooded sweatshirt and a cut-up T-shirt fashioned into a facemask in the trunk. Keyes was arrested in connection with Koenig's abduction and charged with access device fraud in federal court. A federal grand jury handed down the indictment.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Federal authorities have initiated their transport of the man police called a "person of interest" in the disappearance of Samantha Koenig, according to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Marshals Service. The trip could take as long as two weeks, authorities said.

BY CASEY GROVE; ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS
Published: 03/24/12 1:16 am | Updated: 03/24/12 1:16 am
0 Comments

Federal authorities have initiated their transport of the man police called a "person of interest" in the disappearance of Samantha Koenig, according to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Marshals Service

Israel Keyes, 34, was arrested in Texas last week on a charge of access device fraud for allegedly making several cash withdrawals with a stolen Alaska debit card. Anchorage police linked him to the apparent abduction Feb. 1 of Koenig, 18, who is still missing. The police have refused to say how Keyes is involved in Koenig's disappearance, and Koenig's father said Friday the card did not belong to him or anyone he knows.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Rochelle Liedike said the Marshals have started the process by which Keyes will return to Alaska, but she declined to comment on specifics of Keyes' transport.

"Until he actually hits Anchorage and we get him lodged at the jail, the information about where he's at and when he'll be here and when he's expected to arrive, that kind of information cannot be released due to security reasons that are obvious," Liedike said.

Keyes will likely travel by airplane with several stops and, perhaps, by bus at some point, Liedike said. The trip could take as long as two weeks, she said. The Marshals Service has its own set of planes to transport federal prisoners, Liedike said.

When Keyes is back in Alaska, the Marshals will notify the federal court that he is available for an initial hearing on the fraud charge, Liedike said.

According to an FBI agent's affidavit, Keyes was caught in Lufkin, Texas, on March 13 with a debit card stolen from an unnamed man -- "Person A" -- hours after Koenig was forced from a Midtown coffee hut by an armed man. The card had been used in Anchorage to make cash withdrawals or attempted withdrawals and later used in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas, the affidavit says. When he was arrested, Keyes had a mask and clothes matching those worn by the suspect, seen on surveillance video at several ATMs in the Lower 48, according to the affidavit. Keyes also had the debit card on his person and rolls of rubber-banded cash in the car he was driving, the affidavit says.

Koenig's father, James Koenig, said Friday that the card is not his and that he doesn't know who owns the card.

"I have no idea," James Koenig said. "I'm sure it'll come out soon enough whose card it is, but at this point I don't know and I'm not going to speculate."

Asked if he had any information on how his daughter might have known Keyes, James Koenig responded, "Sam does not know him. Period."

"This, in my eyes, was a random abduction. This was nothing to do with me, her, anyone in my family, no one's background, none of that," Koenig said. "This guy went and stole a kid out of a coffee shop."

Anyone with past personal or business contacts with Keyes, owner of Keyes Construction, is asked to call 1-800-225-5324 or 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Reach Casey Grove at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] or 257-4589.

Read more here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Father of missing barista says daughter did not know suspect

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The father of a young woman missing now for weeks says his daughter does not know the person charged in the case.
Eighteen-year-old Samantha Koenig has been missing since March 1 when a surveillance camera at an Anchorage coffee shack showed her being led away by a man police believe was armed.
The U.S. Marshal's Service says 34-year-old Israel Keyes is headed back to Alaska after being arrested in Texas. Keyes was arrested on a charge of access device fraud for allegedly making several cash withdrawals from a stolen debit card. The card was not Koenig's.
Koenig's father, James Koenig, told the Anchorage Daily News that his daughter does not know Keyes and he believes his daughter is the victim of a random abduction.

Read more: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

 [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

CBS) ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The U.S. Marshal's Service says the man listed as a "person of interest" in the abduction of 18-year-old Anchorage barista Samantha Koenig has been returned to Alaska from Texas.

Marshals arrived Monday afternoon in Anchorage with 34-year-old Israel Keyes. He was transferred to the Anchorage Correctional Complex. Anchorage police linked him to the apparent abduction Feb. 1 of Koenig, who is still missing.

A surveillance camera at the coffee shack where Koenig worked showed her being led away by a man police believe was armed.

According to ABC News, Keyes was arrested March 13 in Lufkin, Texas on a charge of access device fraud for allegedly making cash withdrawals from a stolen debit card. The card was not Koenig's.

The police have refused to say how Keyes is involved in Koenig's disappearance, and Koenig's father James Koenig said Friday the card did not belong to him or anyone he knows.

When Koenig's father was asked if he had any information on how his daughter might have known Keyes, James Koenig responded, "Sam (Samantha) does not know him. Period."

Koenig told the Anchorage Daily News he believes his daughter is the victim of a random abduction.

"This, in my eyes, was a random abduction. This was nothing to do with me, her, anyone in my family, no one's background, none of that," Koenig said. "This guy went and stole a kid out of a coffee shop."
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

BY CASEY GROVE; ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS
Published: 03/28/12 12:20 am | Updated: 03/28/12 4:49 pm

The man Anchorage police linked to Samantha Koenig's disappearance told a judge he is broke and pleaded not guilty in Alaska federal court Tuesday to a charge that he pilfered someone else's bank account with a stolen debit card.

Police and federal authorities still have not said how the man, Israel Keyes, is connected to Koenig or the 18-year-old barista's apparent abduction Feb. 1.

Koenig remains missing. Police say an armed man was seen in surveillance video forcing Koenig from the Midtown coffee hut where she worked.

Keyes, 34, is a self-employed carpenter who worked in Anchorage under the name Keyes Construction. According to an FBI agent's affidavit, Keyes used a card reportedly stolen hours after Koenig vanished to steal more than $2,400 from an unnamed man's bank account in several transactions in Anchorage and the Lower 48. He was caught in Texas on March 13 with the stolen card and rolls of cash, the affidavit says.

Keyes made his initial court appearance on a charge of access device fraud Tuesday in Anchorage. About 20 people filled the small Anchorage courtroom, including a sketch artist, journalists and two detectives leading the team that is still trying to find Koenig.

Keyes, clean cut with his dark hair combed back, entered the courtroom and glanced at the full gallery. He was polite in his responses to Judge John Roberts.

Roberts appointed Keyes a public defender after reviewing Keyes' financial statement and asking some questions.

Keyes told the judge his bank account was probably empty. When the judge asked if Keyes had any cash, he said he didn't know.

"I'm not aware of how much cash I have at this time, your honor," Keyes said. "I would say my account is probably overdrawn at this point."

The judge indicated that Keyes' financial affidavit listed many debts. Keyes said he thought he was probably behind on payments for some of the debts, and that if he sold his property to pay off the debt -- including work tools, a trailer and some unimproved land he owns -- he would still owe money.

"I'm guessing, at this point, I'm approaching a month behind on some of them," Keyes said. "If I were to liquidate all of my assets, I would probably still be in debt."

Judge Roberts asked about Keyes' daughter. Keyes said she is 10.

Roberts ordered Keyes held without bail, at the request of federal prosecutors, who said Keyes is a flight risk and danger to the community.

There was no mention of Koenig or the abduction case during the hearing.

Afterward, representatives of the U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI and the Anchorage Police Department asked for help uncovering more information about Keyes and a pickup truck he used for work.

"This investigation is continuing," said Karen Loeffler, the U.S. attorney for Alaska. "We don't know where Ms. Koenig is, and we're looking for public help."

Police Chief Mark Mew and Kevin Feldis, the assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting Keyes, refused to say how they believe Keyes is connected to Koenig's disappearance. The authorities announced Keyes' connection to the abduction case because they felt it would help in soliciting information from the public, Feldis said.

"By giving you the significance of the connection ... I think it lets people know the seriousness with which everybody here is taking it and it gives people a reason to call and provide any information that they may be aware of, associated with that truck and Mr. Keyes," Feldis said.

Details would be forthcoming at "the appropriate time," Feldis said.

"We're not trying to be difficult here, it's just that we can't show our hand," Mew said. "We're looking for more information. We're not really in a position to educate certain other people about what we might know. I know it's frustrating to not have the details, but the case requires us to be extremely careful."

Police seized Keyes' pickup -- a white 2004 Chevrolet Silverado -- after he was arrested, Feldis said. Mew said the investigators are "intensely interested" in information from anyone who saw the truck or had business dealings with Keyes during the last two weeks of January and early February.

FBI agent Darrin Jones said the investigators have reason to believe that a utility rack seen on Keyes' pickup in photos was not on the truck around the time of Koenig's abduction.

"It's reasonable to assume that that utility rack in that truck was difficult to get on and off that vehicle," Jones said. "We would very much like to talk to anyone who maybe assisted Mr. Keyes in removing or placing that rack back on the truck any time during the last half of January or the first half of February."

Jones said he wanted to thank the people of Anchorage for their help in the investigation.

"We have received hundreds of phone calls and tips, and we are responding to each and every one of those," Jones said. "We very much need the public's assistance and we appreciate their support in this continuing investigation."

Tips can be called in to 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Read more here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Anchorage Police Department officially confirmed Tuesday afternoon that investigators believe Israel Keyes, the man previously described as a “person of interest” in the Feb. 1 abduction of Samantha Koenig, was involved in the 18-year-old barista's disappearance.

APD Chief Mark Mew and U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler spoke to the media shortly after Keyes was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Anchorage on charges related to the alleged use of a debit card stolen from another man’s vehicle, hours after Koenig was last seen.

Keyes, 34, pleaded not guilty to a charge of access device fraud, a charge commonly related to identity theft, on which he was indicted Thursday by a grand jury. He kept his head lowered for much of the arraignment, only glancing back a few times toward the crowd behind him in the courtroom.

Keyes' voice quivered as he explained that he couldn't afford an attorney, telling the court that even if he sold all of his assets -- including tools he used on the job with his business, Keyes Construction -- he would still be in debt. A trial date was set for May 21, and Keyes was ordered detained by U.S. Marshals without bail.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

ANCHORAGE - Israel Keyes is believed to be involved in the abduction of Samantha Koenig, said Anchorage Police Department (APD) Chief Mark Mew.
Keyes, the only named person of interest in the abduction of the 18-year-old missing barista, pled not guilty at his arraignment Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court.
Keyes was appointed attorney Rich Curtner and said little during his arraignment, except that his debt exceeded his assets and that he has no monetary resources.
Keyes was arrested in Texas March 13. His truck was seized two days later at his Anchorage residence during a late night raid. He was transported to Anchorage by the U.S. Marshals Service Monday.
Keyes made his first appearance in Alaska on an access device fraud charge for using a stolen Visa debit card to withdraw more than $2,000 in Alaska, Arizona and Texas between February 29 and March 12. The cardholders name has not been released to the public.
Although he is called a person of interest in the abduction, which took place on February 1 at Common Grounds Espresso stand, nothing directly linking Keyes to Koenig has been released by the FBI, the Department of Justice or APD.
The government asked that he not be released on bail because he is a danger to the public. According to court documents, Keyes was arrested with a gun in his car. The defense did not object.
Judge John D. Roberts referred to sealed documents saying Keyes is a danger to the community and a flight risk.
Police want to talk to anyone who may have helped Keyes put large construction style toolboxes and racks on the back of his white, 2004 Chevy Silverado 2500 pickup, anytime after the abduction.
Police think the boxes are too large and heavy to be put on a truck by one person.
After the arraigment Mew added that they are still hopeful Koenig is alive.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Video at link

Samantha Koenig Breaking Developments: FBI Take Shed
March 31, 2012 07:40 AM EDT

The Samantha Koenig case has heated up again suddenly after FBI agents were seen removing a shed or outbuilding from the property inhabited by Israel Keyes, the only person of interest in this case. This naturally brings to the forefront the possibility that this man could have possibly harmed the 18-year-old missing Anchorage barista.

The FBI and local detectives on this case have publicly acknowledged that they believe Israel Keyes is directly involved in the disappearance of 18-year-old Samantha Koenig. How "directly" is anyone's guess because detectives are still keeping a lot of information to themselves. Nonetheless, Samantha is still missing and has been missing for nearly two months now.

In fact, the two-month anniversary of her disappearance is just a matter of hours, and officials have not released any information regarding where they think this investigation is going. That's probably because they are busy removing evidence from the home of Israel Keyes. They just removed a white aluminum outbuilding, in one piece, and took it away from the property on which he resided before fleeing to Texas recently.

What if this shed contains evidence tying him to a crime committed against Samantha Koenig? Will he be referred to as a suspect instead of a person of interest then?

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Anchorage police and federal agents Saturday examined a shed seized the night before from the home of Israel Keyes as part of an investigation into Keyes' possible involvement in the disappearance of Samantha Koenig, the FBI said.

The Anchorage Police Department and FBI are collaborating on the Koenig case, said FBI spokesman Eric Gonzalez.

"Obviously we're processing the shed with APD. This is obviously tied to the abduction of Samantha Koenig," Gonzalez said. "This is a joint investigation. We're working very closely with each other."

"Unfortunately, because it's still ongoing, we're just limited about what we can say. Clearly, we'll state the obvious," he said.

Keyes, 34, is a self-employed carpenter police say was directly involved in Koenig's apparent abduction Feb. 1 from the Midtown coffee stand where the 18-year-old barista worked a late shift. A debit card stolen in Anchorage hours after Koenig vanished at 8 p.m. -- she was last seen in surveillance video forced from the coffee hut by an armed man -- was found on Keyes, along with rolls of money during a traffic stop in East Texas on March 13, according to an FBI agent's affidavit. The card had been used to make several unauthorized withdrawals in Alaska, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas, the affidavit says.

The card belonged to a man not identified in court papers. Police, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office have refused to say how Keyes is connected to Koenig's abduction. She remains missing.

The day of Keyes' arrest on federal charges for alleged access device fraud, crime scene investigators and police officers descended on Keyes' home, a blue single-family residence in West Anchorage owned by his girlfriend, according to neighbors and property records. Among the possible evidence the investigators gathered that day was Keyes' pickup.

Keyes pleaded not guilty to one count of access device fraud at a Tuesday court hearing. While describing his financial situation, Keyes told a judge he's in debt, his bank account is overdrawn, and that he has a 10-year-old daughter.

Afterward, federal prosecutors indicated the pickup seized at Keyes' home may be evidence in the Koenig abduction case.

SHED TAKEN TO FBI BUILDING

Friday night, federal agents returned to the house on Spurr Lane, a dead-end street off Clay Products Drive, which runs parallel to West Northern Lights Boulevard through Anchorage's Turnagain neighborhood.

Neighbors said a flatbed truck pulled in front of the house about 10 p.m. Men unloaded a forklift from the back of the truck and went to work shoveling snow off what looked to be a roughly 6-foot by 8-foot metal storage shed with green trim.

Later, reporters watched as a forklift operator picked up the shed and backed slowly out of the short driveway while men held the shed steady. At one point, a woman inside the house where police say Keyes lived poked her head out to quiet a barking dog. Lights were on in the house, and blinds covered the windows.

The forklift operator carefully loaded the shed on the truck, and after blocking the base and strapping it down, the truck backed out of Spurr Lane and drove to the FBI's headquarters in downtown Anchorage.

A man participating in the Friday night seizure confirmed the dozen or so plainclothes men and women there were with the FBI. He declined to comment further, and the FBI personnel did not respond to questions.

A police crime scene investigation vehicle was parked at FBI headquarters Saturday next to a bay door where federal agents took the shed Friday night.

Neither Gonzalez, the FBI spokesman, nor police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker would comment on why the shed was taken or what is inside it. Parker said it is common, when possible, to seize something as large as a shed or a vehicle so investigators can transport it for analysis in a controlled environment.

Gonzalez said he was unaware of anything else taken from the property.

'UTTERLY TRUSTWORTHY'

According to the website for Keyes' business, Keyes Construction, he has worked in Anchorage as a carpenter since 2007.

Paul Adelman said he hired Keyes in 2008 after seeing an ad on Craigslist.org to help build an apartment just off the Delaney Park Strip. Keyes was a hard worker who talked about bringing his daughter to Alaska from somewhere in the Lower 48, Adelman said.

Adelman described Keyes as "absolutely honest and reliable and a person who was, in my opinion, utterly trustworthy."

"As far as I'm concerned, Israel is as honest as the day is long," said Adelman, who recommended Keyes to others because of his good work.

Before coming to Alaska, Keyes was a builder for the Makah Tribe in Neah Bay, Wash., from 2001 to 2007, according to KeyesConstruction.net. People listed as references on the website did not return repeated calls from the Daily News.

He was an Army infantryman stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington and Fort Hood in Texas from 1998 to 2000, the website says. Attempts by the Daily News to contact Keyes' commander were unsuccessful.

Keyes was arrested for drunken driving at Fort Lewis in February 2001, federal court documents show. According to a plea agreement in June 2001, Keyes' blood-alcohol content tested more than the legal limit to drive of 0.08 but less than 0.10. He was sentenced to one day in prison and a $350 fine.

An order of detention signed by a judge after Keyes' court hearing Tuesday says he has a past history of using marijuana and alcohol to excess.

Neighbors said they knew little about Keyes, his girlfriend or the girl living with them. The couple would have an occasional party, and sometimes Keyes worked late into the night with power tools, Spurr Lane residents said.

On his MySpace page, Keyes listed his hometown as Colville, Wash., his religion as atheist, and his occupation as carpenter.

Police and federal investigators ask that anyone with information about Keyes' carpentry business or the whereabouts of his pickup in late January or early February -- the truck likely had a utility rack removed or put on around the time of Koenig's abduction, the FBI said -- to call 1-800-CALL-FBI to deliver tips.

Read more here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The body of a missing 18-year-old barista was found in a lake Monday, almost two months to the day she was last seen on a surveillance camera video being led away from the coffee shack where she worked, Anchorage Police Chief Mark Mew said.

A body believed to be that of Samantha Koenig of Anchorage was recovered by a forensic dive team from Matanuska Lake north of the city, Mew said at a Monday evening news conference. City police, state troopers and FBI agents spent hours at the lake scene earlier in the day.

The state medical examiner will conduct an autopsy, which will include verification of identity, he said.

"Investigators believe Samantha died within hours of her abduction," Mew said, adding the investigation is ongoing.

"Investigators further believe the person responsible for Samantha's death acted alone, and we are confident that we have that person in custody," Mew said.

The only man who has been list ed by Anchorage police as a "person of interest" in the abduction of Koenig was arraigned March 27 in federal court in Anchorage on a fraud charge, shortly after being returned from Texas, where he was arrested.

Israel Keyes, 34, entered a not guilty plea to a charge of access device fraud. Federal prosecutors say he made cash withdrawals from a stolen debit card.

The card was not Koenig's.

"We are working closely with the U.S. Attorney's Office, and charges for Samantha's kidnapping and murder will be forthcoming," Mew said.

A message left after hours Monday with Richard Curtner, Keyes' appointed federal public defender, was not immediately returned.

When Keyes, the owner of an Anchorage construction company, was transferred to Alaska by federal marshals, Koenig's father said she did not know Keyes. James Koenig told the Anchorage Daily News he believes his daughter was the victim of a random abduction.

Mary Rook, the FBI's special agent in charge, confirmed the apparently chance nature of the abduction.

"Investigators found no direct association between the abductor and Samantha or any member of her family," Rook said at the news conference. "I believe it was largely the dissociative nature of this crime that so perplexed investigators, at least initially."

Neither Mew nor Rook took questions at the news conference.

Samantha Koenig was last seen on a surveillance tape at about 8 p.m., Feb. 1, being led away by a man with a weapon from the midtown Anchorage coffee shack where she worked.

Police classified it as an abduction based on Koenig's demeanor and the man's actions from the tape. Police refused to release the tape.

There are numerous such stand-alone coffee shacks in Anchorage and throughout Alaska. After her abduction, women who work these coffee stands alone began taking self-defense classes.

Koenig's family distributed thousands of flyers showing pictures of the missing woman an d offered a reward for her return. Her face continues to be displayed on posters attached to cars, telephone poles and buildings throughout Anchorage.

Local and federal investigators continue to seek witnesses who may know something about the movements of Keyes' white three-quarter ton Chevrolet pickup, which was seized after Keyes' arrest in Texas.

"We would like to reiterate our request for information relative to the movement of the white pickup truck," Rook said. "Specifically, we want to hear from anyone who may have seen the truck in the vicinity of Matanuska Lake."

Investigators earlier said they're looking for people who may have seen the truck in late January and early February near the midtown Anchorage coffee shack where Koenig worked and in other locations.

The truck was equipped with green tool boxes that run the length of the box on each side. It also was photographed with a rack over the box, but the truck may have been driven without it, investigators said. It may have been off the truck at the time of the incident, the FBI said last week.

Keyes likely would have needed help moving the rack on or off the truck, and investigators would like to speak to anyone who may have assisted him.

The Keyes Construction website says the company offers "foundations to finish work." Rates were $35 an hour during the winter, $40 an hour during the summer.

It says Keyes worked in Washington state from 1995 to 1997, served in the Army for three years, and from 2001 to 2007 worked for the Makah Tribal Council in Neah Bay, Wash., and received a commendation letter for his work in the parks and rec department. He started his Alaska business in 2007.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

More than two months after Samantha Koenig was abducted from the coffee stand where she worked, investigators announced on Monday that they had found what they believe to be Koenig’s body at Matanuska Lake off the Glenn Highway near Wasilla.

It's a case that has seen heavy public scrutiny, with little information forthcoming on the intensive investigation. On Monday, Anchorage Police Chief Mark Mew brought the speculation to an end.

"I know that the frustration extends beyond just the family and the community to the detectives and the agents that are working this case," Mew said. "I can only reiterate that our joint decisions not to release more information were driven exclusively by our desire to maximize the potential for Samantha Koenig's safe return. Unfortunately, that potential no longer exists."

Mew said a team of forensic divers discovered the body believed to be Samantha in the lake. The state medical examiner will conduct an autopsy and determine the official identity.

Mew added that investigators believe Koenig died “within hours” of her Feb. 1 abduction. The investigation will continue, as police scrutinize the only person of interest named in the case, 35-year-old Israel Keyes, arrested in Texas last month and charged with access device fraud for allegedly using a debit card that didn't belong to him -- stolen from an unnamed man's car on the night of Koenig's abduction -- to withdraw nearly $2,500 across at least three states. Keyes was returned to Alaska and arraigned last week on that charge, but has not been charged with any crimes in relation to Koenig's abduction.

"Investigators further believe that the person responsible for Samantha's death acted alone, and we are confident we have that person in custody," Mew said, though he didn't name Keyes. He added that "charges for Samantha's kidnapping and murder will be forthcoming."

Mew offered condolences to Koenig’s family, as did FBI special agent in charge Mary Rook, who expressed thanks to the public and investigators from Alaska to Texas.

“Although some questions have been answered today, I know those answers offer little consolation for the Koenig family and many questions remain,” Rook said.

Koenig was abducted from the Common Grounds coffee hut located along Tudor Road in Anchorage around 8 p.m. on Feb. 1, by what surveillance video revealed was an armed man. The abduction led to intense public scrutiny and interest in any possible developments, as fliers with Koenig’s face became ubiquitous around Anchorage, offering a sizeable reward for Koenig’s return.

During the investigation, authorities were unable to answer many questions about the case, saying merely that the investigation was ongoing, and that detectives were operating on the assumption that Koenig was still alive.

The investigation yielded a few leads and took strange turns at points, with the March arrest of Keyes in Lufkin, Texas. Keyes was a self-employed contractor who had lived in Anchorage for several years.

An affidavit alleges that the debit card, stolen in the early morning hours of Feb. 2 -- the night of Koenig's abduction -- wasn't used until the end of February, when it was used to withdraw $1,000 in the space of two hours at two ATMs in Anchorage.

Then, over the course of the next two weeks, the card was used at various times in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas to withdraw nearly $1,500 more. The same individual appeared to be making the withdrawals, described as a "light-skinned male adult with a muscular build" and driving a white Ford Focus.

Israel Keyes was pulled over on March 13 for a speeding violation while driving a white Ford Focus. A local Texas television station reported that evidence was found in the car that led to Keyes's arrest. He was transported back to Alaska shortly afterward.

Keyes was arraigned last week in an Anchorage court, and he pleaded not guilty to the access device fraud charge, which could carry a maximum sentence of 15 years.

Following Keyes’s arraignment, investigators said that they were still looking for any information anyone had on Keyes’s whereabouts, particularly in late January and early February. Anchorage police chief Mark Mew said explicitly then that investigators believed that Keyes was involved in Koenig’s abduction.

But there were few clues as to what tied Keyes to Koenig: Koenig’s father James said that Samantha and Keyes didn’t know each other. Investigators also hinted, shortly after Keyes’s arrest, that the two weren’t acquainted. Rook did the same on Monday, and implied that the lack of anything to tie Koenig to her kidnapper made the investigation difficult in the early stages.

"The investigation continues," Rook said, "but I can tell you, investigators found no direct association between the abductor and Samantha or any member of her family. I believe it was largely the dissociative nature of this crime that so perplexed investigators, at least initially."

Keyes remains the only person of interest in the case. On the night that Keyes was arrested in Texas, police conducted a search of the home where Keyes had been staying, in Anchorage’s Turnagain area. Investigators had said they seized Keyes’s truck, but were still seeking anyone who had seen it in January or February. Late Saturday night, investigators seized an entire shed, loaded onto a flatbed truck, from that same Turnagain residence.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
There's a video at the link too of the press conference where they announced finding the body. Can't embed.

I am so sad!
RIP Samantha.
May her Dad and family find peace somehow.

RIP Samantha
I hope justice be swift for your family.

Sounds like Keyes told them where to find her...Why would they know to look there otherwise? Wonder if there are others that are missing or murdered that he could be responsible for.

Body of barista, 18, found in Alaska lake two months after abduction from coffee shop
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: 23:50 EST, 2 April 2012
UPDATED: 00:53 EST, 3 April 2012

The body of an 18-year-old barista has been found in a lake, more than two months after she was abducted from the coffee stand where she worked in Anchorage, Alaska.

After hours of searching Monday, police divers found Samantha Koenig's remains in Matanuska Lake, 39 miles north of the spot where she was last seen being kidnapped by an armed man.

Detectives believe her killer targeted the teen at random. She has no known connections to the suspect -- who is in police custody on unrelated charges.

Police said they believe the Anchorage woman died within hours of her abduction. They would not say how she was killed.

'Investigators further believe the person responsible for Samantha's death acted alone, and we are confident that we have that person in custody,' Anchorage Police Chief Mark Mew said.

Israel Keyes, 34, a self-employed carpenter, is the only man named as a 'person of interest' in the case.

He is currently being held on fraud changes after he allegedly used a man's stolen debit card to make purchases and withdrawal cash so he could flee to Texas.

He was arraigned March 27 in federal court in Anchorage on a fraud charge, shortly after being returned from Texas, where he was arrested, and pleaded not guilty.

'We are working closely with the US Attorney's Office, and charges for Samantha's kidnapping and murder will be forthcoming,' Mew said.

Local and federal investigators are seeking witnesses who may know something about the movements of Keyes' white three-quarter ton Chevrolet pickup, which was seized after Keyes' arrest in Texas.

'We would like to reiterate our request for information relative to the movement of the white pickup truck,' FBI Special Agent in Anchorage Mary Rook said at Monday's news conference

'Specifically, we want to hear from anyone who may have seen the truck in the vicinity of Matanuska Lake,' she said.

Investigators earlier said they're looking for people who may have seen the truck in late January and early February near the midtown Anchorage coffee shack where Samantha Koenig worked as a barista and other locations.

The truck was equipped with green tool boxes that run the length of the box on each side. It also was photographed with a rack over the box, but the truck may have been driven without it, investigators said.

FBI agent Darrin Jones last week said the rack may have been off of the vehicle at the time of the incident.

Keyes likely would have needed help moving the rack on or off the truck, and investigators would like to speak to anyone who may have assisted him.

Read more: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

What horrible news!! That poor girl was out in those freezing waters for 2 months! I hope they have the right man and he (like Lisette said) told them where she was. So damned sad!!!!!

By Michael Muskal
1:05 p.m. CDT, April 3, 2012

Authorities are weighing whether to charge an Alaska man, now in federal custody, in connection with the kidnapping and death of Anchorage barista Samantha Koenig. Her body is believed to have been recovered Monday from a local lake.

Tests are still being conducted on the remains found by a team of divers in Matanuska Lake north of Anchorage, but authorities are confident the body is that of Koenig, police spokesman Lt. David Parker said by telephone Tuesday. The family has been notified, he said.

“Investigators believe Samantha died within hours of her abduction,” Chief Mark Mew told reporters at a news conference Monday night. “Investigators further believe the person responsible for Samantha's death acted alone, and we are confident that we have that person in custody.”

The suspect in Koenig’s death is Israel Keyes, 34, who entered a not-guilty plea when he was arraigned March 27 on federal fraud charges. Keyes, who was returned to Alaska from Texas -- where he was arrested -- is charged with access-device fraud for allegedly making cash withdrawals with a stolen credit card.

The case has shaken Anchorage. Koenig, 18, was last seen on a surveillance tape Feb. 1 about 8 p.m. leaving the midtown Anchorage coffee shack where she worked. She was being led by a man with a weapon.

In the following weeks, Koenig's family distributed thousands of fliers showing pictures of the missing woman and offered a reward for her return.

Police called the case a kidnapping, and Mary Rook, the FBI's special agent in charge, told reporters that the abduction appeared random.

“Investigators found no direct association between the abductor and Samantha or any member of her family,” Rook said at the news conference. “I believe it was largely the dissociative nature of this crime that so perplexed investigators, at least initially.”

Investigators said they are continuing to seek out witnesses who may know something about the movements of Keyes' white three-quarter-ton Chevrolet pickup, which was seized after he was arrested. Keyes is described as the owner of a construction company.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Press conference at above link!

Community Mourns Loss of Samantha Koenig

by Abby Hancock
Channel 2 News
7:54 a.m. AKDT, April 3, 2012

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—
When the public learned that Anchorage police investigators found what they believe is the body of 18 year-old Samantha Koenig on Monday, many in the community -- as well as across the state and the country -- were shocked by the news.

The two-month search for Koenig began after APD says she was abducted Feb. 1 from her workplace at Midtown coffee stand Common Grounds Espresso. On Tuesday, Koenig family spokesperson Michelle Tasker thanked law enforcement and the public for its support.

"The family would just really like to show their deepest gratitude to the FBI and APD, the other law enforcement involved for all their dedication and hard work, and of course the public for all their love and support in embracing Samantha and the family," Tasker said.

A makeshift memorial that formed Monday night at Common Grounds has been growing ever since. Baristas say people stopped by all day Tuesday to leave flowers or cards.

Heather Jordan, a friend of the Koenig family, said that like many others she'd been hoping for a different outcome.

"I was hoping we'd find her and bring her home to James. That's what we wanted and yesterday, it was a sad day to find out she's gone," Jordan said.

Michael Griffin, an employee at the Alaska Club Midtown, says he went to high school with James Koenig, Samantha's father. He said Samantha used to come into the gym often and called her a sweet girl.

"It's just pretty terrible, you know, that people do stuff like that," said Griffin. "It changes lives for everybody...all around town."

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

BY LISA DEMER; ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS
Published: 04/04/12 12:33 am | Updated: 04/04/12 12:33 am

Federal prosecutors say it will be at least a couple of weeks before much new information about the abduction and killing of 18-year-old Samantha Koenig becomes public.

An FBI forensic dive team discovered her body Monday under the ice at Matanuska Lake, north of Anchorage in the Mat-Su Borough near the intersection of the Glenn and Parks highways.

Anchorage police and FBI agents are jointly investigating the case.

Neither of the agencies involved will say how they zeroed in on the spot on the lake where Koenig's body was found, nor how they linked her abduction to Israel Keyes, an Anchorage self-employed carpenter jailed without bail last month on a fraud charge.

Authorities say he is directly tied to Koenig's disappearance but he hasn't been charged with her kidnapping or death.

Police Chief Mark Mew on Monday said investigators believe the person who killed Koenig acted alone, and that they are confident he is in custody.

New details about what happened to Koenig are not expected to emerge unless additional charges are filed, authorities said.

"Until and unless there are charges, there's nothing else that we are going to comment on," U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler said Tuesday. "We have that ethical obligation. ... We don't try to go out and say 'this is what the person did,' before they are charged. That's not fair."

A federal grand jury next convenes in Anchorage in a couple of weeks.

'DEAR SAM'

Still, the discovery of the body was a significant development in a case that has consumed Anchorage for two months.

Koenig vanished around 8 p.m. on Feb. 1 at the end of her shift as a barista at Common Grounds Espresso, a coffee shack on Tudor Road in the parking lot of the Midtown Alaska Club. A security video showed a man forcing her to leave with him.

On Tuesday, mourners created a shrine at the coffee stand with flowers, Teddy bears, candles and notes. The stand closed early but people kept coming to drop off remembrances.

"I did not know this child, but her passing breaks my heart," one man wrote on a note left with a bouquet of roses.

"Clearly monsters live among us. To her family, I grieve with you."

"Dear Sam," another note said. "Hope you are looking down and seeing how many people love you."

A MAJOR EFFORT

The operation to find and recover the body relied on the FBI's highly specialized forensic dive team.

Twelve people from the FBI, including nine divers, came from the Lower 48 for the search, said Charles "Bart" Bartenfeld, an FBI agent based in Quantico, Va., and program manager of what the FBI calls its Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team.

Members of the team are stationed in four of the FBI's biggest offices -- Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., and Miami -- and join up for operations and training. All but the leaders also carry a regular caseload.

Usually the divers get weeks or even months of notice before going into the field, Bartenfeld said. Federal cases typically take a long time, and often divers are following up on old leads. They may be looking for weapons thrown into the water or trying to recover drugs from semi-submersible vessels at the bottom of the sea.

Bobby Chacon, an FBI agent and senior team leader of the Los Angeles dive unit, supervised Monday's dive. He spent four months diving in the Atlantic Ocean to recover bodies and airplane debris from the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800 off Long Island.

Both Chacon and Bartenfeld went to Iraq to check a canal for an AK-47 suspected of being used in the 2006 rape of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the murder of her and her family. The person whose tip drew them there later recanted.

This time, Bartenfeld got the request from Anchorage to help on the Koenig case Friday night, and was told "we need you now." By Saturday, they were mobilizing.

ICE DIVING IN MURKY LAKE

Before a pair of divers went into the water Monday, the team used sonar and a remotely operated vehicle to look under the ice, Bartenfeld said. Investigators cut a dive hole through ice 2 1/2- to 3-feet thick.

"If you can cut down on the amount of work in the water, that's good. You're working in an environment that's hostile to human life," said Chacon, who's been diving for the FBI for 17 years, longer than any other agent.

That evening, Bartenfeld and another diver slipped into the murky, dark lake water. They couldn't see, but they were guided by the sonar, he said. They felt well-prepared. They are ice-diving certified and use layers of extra FBI procedure to ensure safety, Chacon said.

The divers were tethered to land through hoses that supplied air from a surface tank and provided a channel for communications and depth measurements. They wore helmets to protect their heads from the cold and ice.

They didn't have to dive deep, maybe 40 feet. They stayed in the water just under an hour. 40 feet??

Support crews included FBI paramedics, other divers monitoring equipment, and Anchorage police. About two dozen people were there in all.

Investigators moved two white tents over the spot where the divers went in, and a snowmachine pulling a long, covered sled was seen leaving less than an hour later.

Mew told reporters they discovered Koenig's body.

The divers said they couldn't talk about what they were looking for or what they found.

But usually, they said, when they find evidence it can be significant. They both used to be case agents.

The investigation into Koenig's death continues.

Read more here: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

How did Samantha Koenig die? Details like this apparently won't be brought to the public's attention for at least a couple of weeks. At least that is what officials are saying while the APD and the FBI prepare new charges for Israel Keyes. He is the only man known to have been taken in custody regarding Sam's disappearance, meaning he is the only person believed to have abducted and murdered the missing 18-year-old barista. Wouldn't the release of evidence at this time be okay now that Samantha has been found and their only suspect is in custody?

The body of Samantha Koenig was discovered trapped beneath the ice of Matanuska Lake, in an area that doesn't appear to have been searched by chance. It's apparent that perhaps a tip or some other kind of evidence led them to this very specific location, which is approximately a half-hour outside of Anchorage. Did Israel Keyes lead officials to this region or something else?

The questions surrounding this case have intensified in the crime-viewing community, and the rumors have also appeared to double. There are rumors that Koenig had been involved in selling drugs and this may have played a role in her demise. There hasn't been any clarification released on whether or not Keyes and Koenig had ever been connected by any means aside from this case. It's truly confusing, and hopefully investigators release more details, soon.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

There are rumors that Koenig had been involved in selling drugs and this may have played a role in her demise.

WOW!! First time I've heard this!

Samantha Koenig Update: FBI Protocol Hinders Release of Details

April 07, 2012 01:20 AM EDT

The Samantha Koenig case has appeared to slow in momentum since the discovery of her body beneath the thick ice of Matanuska Lake. While it's been confirmed via autopsy that the body is indeed hers, there are several other details in the case that have yet to make it to the public. It's been revealed by Anchorage Police Department Spokesman Lt. Dave Parker that the FBI's involvement in the case has changed protocol in how, and what, information is released.

So what reasons are there for the FBI being involved, and why are there so many details not available. Why is this case so twisted and confusing when it was originally "just a disappearance?" The Federal Bureau of Investigation generally applies to national security and domestic terrorism as well as serial killers and the sort.

So, could the FBI have some kind of interest in Israel Keyes? He's been reported as investigators' only suspect in the disappearance of Samantha Koenig, and they've publicly acknowledged that the man they have in custody is the only person responsible for the abduction and murder of the 18-year-old barista.

Could Israel Keyes be a potential serial criminal? Could he be connected to any of the other strange disappearances or unsolved homicides left in his path of the several U.S. states in which he's resided? These are all just questions, but without any information coming out from Anchorage there will probably never be answers.

As of this week there have still been no charges filed in Anchorage against Israel Keyes regarding the abduction and murder of Koenig. Of course it was reported after the confirmation of Samantha's body that charges could take a few weeks. So it's time to be patient, apparently.

It would be interesting to find out just how deep this case is, since so little is being released.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Samantha Koenig: a tragic wake-up call

April 17th, 2012 Editorial

It seemed like a scene out of a movie: a pretty young woman working late, alone and probably without a care in the world — until out of nowhere a man takes her by gunpoint to an unknown location, probably never to be seen again.

Unfortunately this was not a movie; these were the events that 18-year-old barista Samantha Koenig faced in her final days of life.

With a devastating event like the Koenig abduction rocking the city, everyone is on edge, taking precautions that they would not have in December to protect themselves and their loved ones from a danger that seems inevitable. But what happens when the fallout finally settles and we go back to our normal lives with the murder fading behind us? We stop looking over our shoulders every few minutes, we leave the pepper spray at home and we go back to thinking nothing bad can happen to us.

Until it happens again.

Koenig’s abduction was one of those events that re-spawned fear in the eyes of the citizens of Anchorage. Many others have occurred before hers.

In 1988 a 34-year-old woman named Magdalina Perez was reported missing after failing to show up to pick up her son. In 2001 Lisa Marie McCumiskey, 20 years old, was last heard from a friend she called on a pay phone after spending the evening at Chilkoot Charlie’s; she never made it home.

And it’s not just women who are at risk of being kidnapped or abducted.

In 2000 Thomas Brabazon was last seen at his apartment in Eagle River. In 2002 Doug Foster disappeared after celebrating his 21st birthday and being dropped off by some friends. In 2004 Damon Bonds, 32 years old, was last seen by some friends who later found his truck abandoned at a parking lot with his dog tucked inside.

Kidnappings, abductions and murders occur frequently, even in a city as small as Anchorage.

People take for granted the ideas of safety when no immediate threat is present. Would Samantha still be alive if she had carried a Taser? Would any of the other individuals be safe at home with their families if they’d been carrying pepper spray? While those questions are not possible to answer for those that have already been lost, it could mean the difference for anyone else out there who ends up out late somewhere alone, male or female.

Fathers sometimes joke, giving their daughters pepper spray and say that it is a way to deter unruly boyfriends. The daughters sigh, roll their eyes, and stuff the spray in their purse just to appease their fathers. Men, young and old, would not consider carrying anything that would make them appear weak.

But unfortunately we live in a time where the threat is real and all people should be taking their safety more seriously.

While we cannot live our lives constantly in fear, why does it always take an event like Koenig’s disappearance to get people to pay attention and take the extra effort to stay safe?

UAA offers a course called Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) to train women of all ages in self-defense training against any assailants. There are also a variety of martial arts courses, which condition people physically and mentally while learning a variety of attacks and takedowns, which can help them in real world situations.

Packing pepper spray, a Taser or even a pocketknife can make the difference. Even keeping car keys in hand can be used as a weapon against a potential attacker. Fighting back has been proven to be a better option than going quietly with someone; a person’s chances of survival are a lot higher because they are more likely to get away or have someone overhear the commotion.

No one can ever be too safe or too prepared when it comes to being attacked. Parents should prepare their children, spouses should prepare each other and friends should prepare other friends. If everyone took a little bit of time to prepare him- or herself, the less likely these abductions would be to occur.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Memorial will be held Sunday for missing barista whose body was found in a lake

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First Posted: April 17, 2012 - 7:10 pm

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A memorial will be held Sunday for an 18-year-old barista whose body was pulled from Matanuska Lake earlier this month.

Anchorage police say in a release that the public is invited to the memorial for Samantha Koenig at West High School.

She was abducted Feb. 1 from the coffee stand where she worked. Anchorage Police Chief Mark Mew has said they believe they have the responsible person in custody.

The only man who has been listed by Anchorage police as a "person of interest" in the case, Israel Keyes, was arraigned March 27 in federal court in Anchorage on a fraud charge.

Keyes pleaded not guilty to a charge of access device fraud and remains in jail. Police say additional charges are expected.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Thanks for posting the editorial above Wrap. It sure makes some good points. I used to have pepper spray but that was when I worked graveyard, at a domestic violence counseling place where most people are court mandated to attend, classes got out late and I got out later, often alone. I thought I should have some sort of protection especially considering the clients we had. I never had to use it thou'. I have carried my keys in my hand for years to use as a weapon if needed.

I think everyone should carry pepper spray. I don't carry it only because I forget to buy it. Stupid excuse!!

'I don't carry it only because I forget to buy it. Stupid excuse!!'
Makes sense to me!

LOL..I don't think of it as I am not in danger, but if I were ever IN danger..I would be pissed for not being prepared!!!

Ben Anderson | Apr 19, 2012

In an Anchorage district courtroom Thursday, Israel Keyes -- the 34-year-old contractor who stands accused of kidnapping and killing Anchorage barista Samantha Koenig -- pleaded not guilty to new, serious charges filed against him the day before.

With members of Koenig’s family in the courtroom, Keyes entered not-guilty pleas to all three charges against him: Kidnapping resulting in the death of 18-year-old Koenig, receiving and possessing ransom money, and access-device fraud, a charge he had previously pleaded not guilty to in March.

Keyes said little in Wednesday’s arraignment, allowing his attorney, public defender Richard Curtner, to do much of the talking. Also sitting at the defense table with Keyes and Curtner was Jacqueline Walsh, a Seattle-based attorney who is -- at least temporarily -- assisting in the case. When U.S. District Court Judge Michael Thompson asked Curtner if the defense intended to appoint a second attorney to the case, Curtner replied that it could be a possibility as the case progresses.

“Not at this point,” Curtner said, “(but) we may in the future.”

In court, Keyes looked much the same as he did a few weeks prior, when he pleaded not guilty to the sole count of access-device fraud. Things grew much more serious for him on Wednesday, when a grand jury handed down the two additional charges.

The kidnapping charge carries a maximum penalty of death, though it’s too early in the trial process to say if the prosecution intends to seek the death penalty -- U.S. Code dictates only that the government must file intent to seek the death penalty in a “reasonable time before the trial.”

Though Alaska as a state has never had a death penalty, because Keyes is being charged in federal court, the kidnapping charge could still potentially result in execution. The situation is similar to the case of Joshua Wade, who faced the death penalty in federal court on a charge of carjacking that led to the 2007 death of his neighbor, Mindy Schloss. Wade was eventually sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Schloss and another woman, Della Brown, in 2000. Wade confessed to both murders in a plea deal that allowed him to avoid the death penalty.

Keyes’s original trial -- on the access device fraud charge -- was slated for May 21, but that court date has been suspended while both sides build their cases. No new trial date was established Thursday.

The finer points of the case will likely remain unknown until the trial begins, as law enforcement officials and the U.S. attorney’s office have remained tight-lipped on specifics.

The new charges came in the wake of the discovery of Koenig’s body in Matanuska Lake on April 2, ending speculation that had lasted for months that Koenig might still be alive. The charging documents allege that Keyes abducted Koenig from the Common Grounds coffee stand on the night of Feb. 1 and walked her across Tudor Road to his white pickup truck. From there, he allegedly stole a debit card shared by Koenig and killed her some hours later.

After flying to Houston, Texas for about two weeks before returning to Anchorage, Keyes allegedly demanded ransom money from Koenig’s family via a text message sent from her phone. That money was deposited in the account tied to the stolen debit card, which Keyes then used to withdraw nearly $2,500 over the course of two weeks, the indictment said. Police had previously said that Keyes was tied to the abduction and murder of Koenig, but until Wednesday the exact role that Keyes played had remained largely unknown.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The man suspected of kidnapping an 18-year-old Anchorage barista killed her less than a day after her abduction and then used her cell phone and debit card to demand and obtain ransom money, a federal prosecutor said.

A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted Israel Keyes, 34, owner of a contracting business with himself as the only employee, on charges of kidnaping resulting in death, receiving and possessing ransom money and debit card fraud in the death of Samantha Koenig.

The indictment alleges Keyes forced the teenager from the Common Grounds coffee stand in Anchorage on Feb. 1 and took her to his white pickup truck across the street, assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Feldis said at a press conference.

“The allegations continue that he confined her and intentionally killed her early the next morning,” he said.

The state of Alaska has no death penalty but Feldis said the crime of kidnapping and killing carries that potential under federal law. Feldis took no questions and did not address whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty. He also did not indicate how Koenig died.

Koenig’s family said there was no apparent previous connection between the teen and the suspect.

“The investigation is continuing,” said Anchorage Police Department spokesman Dave Parker. “This is just one step in the process.”

Keyes will be arraigned on the new charges Thursday morning.

Police early in the investigation said surveillance cameras showed an armed man “significantly taller” than the 5-foot-5-inch Koenig and wearing a dark hooded sweat shirt had led her away just before the coffee stand was to close at 8 p.m.

Feldis said the suspect stole a debit card from a vehicle she shared that was parked near her home, obtained the personal identification number from Koenig and scratched the number into the card.


Keyes killed Koenig early on the morning after the abduction, Feldis said. Divers on April 2 pulled Koenig’s body from the bottom of a frozen lake north of the city in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

The case gripped Alaska for weeks as residents held out hope that Koenig would be found alive.

Keyes used Koenig’s phone to send text messages to conceal the abduction, Feldis said, and then boarded a flight to Texas.

Prosecutors said he flew back to Anchorage on about Feb. 17 and a week later, on Feb. 24, sent a text message using Koenig’s phone. The message demanded ransom and directed that money could be deposited in the account connected to the stolen debit card.

Koenig’s family followed the directions and deposited donated reward money into the account.

Prosecutors said Keyes made withdrawals from automated teller machines twice in Alaska. He flew from Anchorage to Las Vegas on March 6 and withdrew money a day later in Willcox, Ariz., and Lordsburg, N.M. He withdrew money March 9 in Humble, Texas, and on March 11 in Shepherd, Texas, according to the indictment.

Investigators said earlier that the man who made withdrawals had hidden his face.

Police in Lufkin, Texas, stopped Keyes on March 11 on a speeding charge. He was quickly identified as a person of interest in the Koenig abduction.

Officers found rolls of cash bound in rubber bands on the floorboard of the car and maps with highlighted routes from north to south through California and highlighted areas in Arizona and New Mexico. In the trunk, officers found a gray, hooded sweat shirt, glasses and a piece of gray T-shirt cut to make a face mask and other clothing that matched those worn by the suspect as he made withdrawals in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

The stolen debit card was found on Keyes, authorities said.

Keyes was flown back to Anchorage and arraigned March 27 on the debit card fraud charge. A federal magistrate ordered him held without bail.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

There's the connection and why LE stayed silent. WOW!!

No wonder LE wouldn't say a word!
Now I understand why Samantha's Dad was so adamant that she didn't know him! That poor family, meeting the ransom believing she was alive. This POS needs to rot in hell too!