SAMANTHA KOENIG - 18 yo / Accused: Confessed Serial Murderer; Israel Keyes (deceased) - Anchorage AK

Father pleas for tips about his missing daughter and hints that she knew her abductor

• 18-year-old Samantha 'Sammy' Koenig vanished on Wednesday night from her coffee stand workplace
  
• CCTV footage shows an armed man forcing her to leave the coffee shop
  
• The teen had filed for a restraining order in November but it was never issued
  

Last updated at 9:03 PM on 5th February 2012
The desperate father of a
18-year-old girl who went missing Wednesday night hinted that she likely
knew her abductor, but he would not release the names of his suspects. ‘The police, I'm sure, have investigated it and I'm sure are questioning these people daily,’ James Koenig said.
His
daughter Samantha went missing from her job at a drive-thru coffee
stand in downtown Anchorage, Alaska and he been gone for three days.



Mysterious: All of the coffee stand's cash disappeared with the pretty teen and her kidnapper

According
to court documents, Samantha filed a protective order against a man in
November, but the order was never finalized because she did not appear
in court to uphold it.
Surveillence
footage of the coffee stand shows a man wearing a dark hooded
sweatshirt and possibly a baseball hat approach the turquoise coffee
stand and force Samantha out.


The footage itself has not been publicly released, and police will not specify what type of weapon the man was carrying.
The coffee stand's takings for that day also disappeared with the pretty teen and her kidnapper.


Kidnapped: Samantha Koenig, 18, was abducted from a coffee shop where she worked as a barista, police say

Samantha,
known to friends as Sammy, was very close with her father and lived
with him. Mr Koenig has pleaded for information about his daughter’s
whereabouts and offered a $12,500 reward made up from donations by
friends and family.
‘I will
give you anything in this world. I will meet you, I will give you
whatever you want. Just please bring my daughter back,’ Mr Koenig said.


Shocking abduction: The Common Grounds Espresso coffee stand where Samantha was last seen on Wednesday night

'She's one of the sweetest girls you'll ever know. She's got the biggest heart.
'She's funny. She's sarcastic. Every girl that knows her calls her her best friend.
He added: 'I need her home. Every day she's missing the odds are against us.'
Samantha's boyfriend of nine months, Dwayne, had arranged to pick up the barista when her shift finished at 8pm, police said.
That night he was held up by work. Detective Slawomir Markiewicz said: 'By the time he arrived, she was gone.'
Koenig
said he knew his daughter must have been snatched, before the
surveillance footage emerged, because it was so out of character for her
to disappear or lose contact.
He had spoken to her by phone just 90 minutes before her shift ended, he said.


Hometown: Samantha lives with her father James in Anchorage in Southern Alaska



Enthusiastic worker: Samantha had only been working at the coffee kiosk for a month but was popular with customers

When she hadn't called by late Wednesday night, the frantic father called her cell repeatedly.
'I
called her cellphone until the battery finally died, and texted it and
everything,' he said. 'It would ring until it went to voice mail. And
then, noon yesterday, it just went to voice mail, straight out.'
He
told the Anchorage Daily News: 'I don't know if my daughter's being
fed, taken care of, if she's still alive, if she's getting any sleep.'
The
teenager's boyfriend Dwayne said: 'This isn’t in Samantha’s nature.
She’s a good-hearted girl. This doesn’t need to be happening to her, so
we need to find her as soon as possible.'


Close family: Sammy's father had spoken to her by phone just 90 minutes before her shift ended

Melanie
Ornelas, another barista who worked at the stand the following morning
said there was coffee on the counter when she opened the stand the next
morning.
'It looked like, in the middle of (making) a drink, she just left,' Ornelas told the Anchorage Daily News.
Samantha left without her things, but left a note asking if she had to work on Saturday, she said.
Common Grounds owner Michelle Duncan said that the day's takings vanished with Koenig.


Pretty teen: Tapes show Samantha Koenig leaving the coffee stand with a man who was apparently armed

The stand's windows and doors had been locked as normal, Duncan said, but the alarm wasn't set.

But until the footage from the surveillance cameras emerged colleagues were unconcerned.
'We didn't even have a red flag,' Duncan told the local newspaper.

'We didn't know anything was wrong until we found out she hadn't been heard from.'
Samantha had only worked for Common Grounds for around a month and seemed to enjoy her job, Duncan said.
She was a lively, bubbly girl who had already proved popular with customers.
Police
initially called the kidnapping a 'suspicious' missing person case. But
by Friday afternoon they were convinced the attractive brunette had
been abducted.
Police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker said: 'It went from 'somebody didn't come home' to 'something very serious.'
More than 20 detectives are working around the clock to find Samantha, Detective Markiewicz said.

Watch the video

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2096685/Samantha-Koenig-missing-Teen-barista-abducted-coffee-shop-armed-kidnapper.html#ixzz1lXrsW8b4

Family begs for return of kidnapped Alaska barista Samantha Koenig, offers $12,500 reward

Police have not made any arrests

By NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Sunday, February 5, 2012, 12:45 PM

Samantha Koenig, 18, was abducted after she closed up a coffee stand on Wednesday night in Alaska, police say.

The
family of an Alaska teenager who was kidnapped while working at a
coffee bar is offering a reward for anyone who has information about her
whereabouts.

"I want to ask my daughter's captors to please send her home," James Koenig told reporters on Saturday, according to the Anchorage Daily News, offering over $12,500 for any clues about what happened to his daughter Samantha.

The 18-year-old was last seen on Wednesday evening leaving the Common Grounds Espresso stand in Anchorage, where she worked.

Koenig's
boyfriend of 10 months, who has chosen to be identified only by his
first name Dwayne, was supposed to pick her up from work when he
discovered she was missing.

"I had the only means of transportation for her and I got off work and went to go get her, and she wasn't there," he said, according to MSNBC. "It was a mess."

She
was spotted on surveillance tape leaving the store with an armed man,
according to police, who said the coffee bar's cash was also missing.

“They left on foot, we know that much, but beyond that her disappearance became a complete mystery,” Lt. Dave Parker said, according to ABC News.

Police
have not released the surveillance footage or revealed what kind of
weapon the man was carrying, and have made no arrests in the case.

Though
police have yet to comment on any link between Koenig and her abductor,
her father believes his daughter knew the man who kindapped her.

She
filed for a protective order against a man in November — not Dwayne —
but the order was never issued because she did not show up in court for a
required hearing, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

Koenig's
family and friends are rallying to raise more reward money, handing out
lime green ribbons in exchange for the donations to honor Samantha's
favorite color.

"I just need her home," her father said at a
press conference Saturday, held at the coffee stand where his daughter
vanished. "Every day she's gone, the odds are against us."

"I
will give you anything in this world," he said in a plea to the
kidnappers. "I will meet you, I will give you whatever you want. Just
please bring my daughter back."

Missing Alaska Teen 'Too Afraid' to Follow Through With Protective Order, Dad Says

Feb. 6, 2012

The tearful father of missing Alaska teenager Samantha Koenig abducted
by an armed man said that she 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.

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.

Samantha Koenig, 18, was last seen Wednesday evening on surveillance
video that showed her leaving the Common Grounds Espresso stand 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.

The reward for a Koenig more than tripled over the weekend to $41,000.

The Anchorage Police Department has 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.

"You can clearly see that she is being taken against her will. You can
see her reaction," Parker said. Police will not disclose what type of
weapon the abductor had, but said the man is armed.

"We know they left the area on foot. Did he have a car parked somewhere?
Did he go to a friend's house?" Parker said. "[Investigators] are
absolutely beating the boards in the investigation and they are working very hard."

Parker said that numerous detective units are working hard on the case
as tips come in, but they do not have any hard leads that they could share.

"She's still gone. We don't know where she went," Parker said. "At this
time, they have not released the name or description of anyone who is a person of interest."

Koenig's father James Koenig has his own theories, but is similarly tight-lipped.

"I have suspicions, but that's all they are," Koenig said. He said he
did not wish to name any people that may, in fact, be innocent.

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.

"No one is holding up," he said. "They're doing all they can. They're handing out flyers and talking to whoever will listen."

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.

"I want her to come home and I want the people who did this to go away forever," Koenig said.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/missing-alaska-barista-samantha-koenig-afraid-follow-protective/story?id=15524027#.TzCLF4FZofw

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Anchorage Police said they are making progress in
the investigation of missing 18-year-old Samantha Koenig. Police said
she was abducted from her job at Common Grounds Espresso last Wednesday
night.
As the search continues, community members are banding
together and organizing a candlelight vigil in hopes of bringing
Samantha back home. When the vigil was first created on Facebook, the
location was at the Delaney Park Strip.
Now, the organizer of the
vigil, Michelle Tasker, said more than 500 people are planning on
attending the event, and because of that Anchorage Police are moving the
group to Town Square. Tasker said she never met Samantha, but she knows
her father, James, from back in high school.
“It wouldn’t have
mattered if I knew him or not,” said Tasker. “It’s just something I
would want someone to do if it was my child out there.”
Since Samantha went missing last Wednesday, friends, family and
supporters have put up signs, and created ribbons to spread the word of
her disappearance.
“Well, we will all know what this is until
Samantha comes home. Her favorite color is lime green,” said Renee
Sitton, who is helping organize the vigil, as she pointed to her green
ribbon. “I will never forget that color because of Samantha.”
Tasker
has been buying candles and organizing the details of Saturday's vigil.
She's not alone. She's received an outpour of messages all day, with
people asking how they can help, too.
Organizers are asking that you dress warmly and bring candles if you plan to attend the vigil.
It will be held in Downtown Anchorage at Town Square at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.
http://articles.ktuu.com/2012-02-08/candlelight-vigil_31040037

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — You've probably seen them all over town, the fliers asking for information about 18-year-old Samantha Koenig's disappearance. And while police continue to search for the missing barista, the community is stepping up in helping distribute those fliers and to spread the word.

Even strangers are pitching in.

“Maybe my little part can help,” said Amy Barham, who is helping distribute fliers.

But Amy Barham and her family said they're running into obstacles. Barham went to Wendler Middle School to pass out fliers to her children's classmates, but she said the school told her it was against policy, and that the fliers would scare the kids.

“These should be things they’re well aware of and in conscience of so I felt like it should be appropriate at 7th and 8th grade schools, but they said no,” said Barham. “And they wouldn’t let me put them in the parking lots either. I wanted to put them on the cars and they wouldn’t let me do that school property.”

Superintendent Carol Comeau said the district shared the flier earlier this week with all staff, but decided not to post it in public areas of schools or distribute them to students.

A spokesperson for the district said, "if we were to allow all good-faith requests, our families would be inundated with information which many times has no relevance to them…While we fully support many of the requesting organizations, we simply cannot accommodate their wants. During the school day, our students and staff must remain focused on education."

Samantha's father told us earlier this week that distributing fliers to students will get them into homes much more quickly.

“She absolutely refuses to let me put fliers in the schools, in the hallways where all the kids know about what's going on maybe they heard something maybe they heard them talk about it,” said James Koenig. “She only will put them in the faculty lounge where nobody will see my fliers.”

But while some say this may be one obstacle, the word of Samantha's disappearance is spreading across the community, all in hopes of bringing her back home safely.

http://articles.ktuu.com/2012-02-09/fliers_31043804

ANCHORAGE, Ak—

Tonight in downtown Anchorage hundreds of people gathered for a candlelight vigil for Samantha Koenig. It's been 10 days since the teenage girl disappeared from her workplace -- a coffee stand in midtown.

Family members insist that the vigil was not held in Samantha's "memory." They were quite clear about that. They insist that it was held in order to send a message to Samantha: that those who care about her are not about to give up in this case.

Samantha disappeared on the night of February 1st, after finishing a shift at the Common Grounds coffee shop. It's near the intersection of East Tudor Road and Old Seward Highway.

A police videotape shows Samantha being kidnapped by an unidentified man. She hasn't been seen since. One woman says that she also witnessed the kidnapping.

The video has not been released publicly. Nor has Samantha's father seen it. James Koenig says he agrees with the police decision to withhold the tape. He says that its release would only encourage vigilantiism -- and he does not want that.

The Koenig family has been offering a $41,000 reward for information leading to Samantha's safe return.

Tonight that reward is being increased -- thanks to donations from a concerned public.

Michelle Tasker -- a friend of the family -- says the reward now totals $60,000.

But Samantha's father says he is not yet ready to release the size of the new reward. He said that he expected new donations to arrive tonight -- as a result of the vigil.

He hopes to tally-up the donations tonight and release a new figure as early as sometime tomorrow.


http://www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-hundreds-gather-at-town-square-for-samantha-20120211,0,4780676.story

Samantha Koenig: Man arrested in connection with her disappearance

On Thursday, Marc 15, 2012, Police announced that they have arrested a
man in connection with the disappearance of Samantha Koenig, 18,
reports KTRE News.

Samantha was last seen working at a drive-through coffee stand called
Common Grounds Expresso on Wednesday night February 1 in Anchorage,
Alaska around 8:00 p.m. when her shift ended. Her boyfriend came to
pick her up, but Samantha was not there.

Police announced that they have arrested Israel Keyes, 34, who they
are calling a "person of interest" in the case. Keyes is a construction
contractor that works for his own company, Keyes Construction.

Keyes was pulled over for a traffic violation while he was driving his car in Luftin, Texas and then arrested. KTRE reports that when police searched the car they "found enough evidence in the vehicle to arrest the driver for suspected kidnapping."
Court documents state that Keyes was charged with using someone else's bank card without the owner's consent.

Court records show that Samantha filed a protective order against a
man in November, but she never followed through with the order.
Authorities did not know if the incident was related to Samantha's
disappearance, but now they are saying that Koenig and Keyes did not
know each other "before."

James Koenig, Samantha's father stated he does not know Keyes or anything about him.

"Never met him, never seen him," a spokes
person for James said. "Has no clue what connection he may have to his
daughter. To his knowledge his daughter doesn't know him either."

"We are seeking information from any and all individuals who have had
personal contact with Israel Keyes since January 1, 2012, as well as
information from anyone who has had any contact with him in the past
through his business, Keyes Construction. People with information are
asked to call the following number: 1-800-225-5324 OR 1-800-CALL-FBI."

The whereabouts of Samantha are still unknown.


Continue reading on Examiner.com Samantha Koenig: Man arrested in connection with her disappearance

Arrest made in Texas in disappearance of Samantha Koenig

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."
http://www.adn.com/2012/03/15/2373079/arrest-made-in-koenigs-disappearance.html

Body found in Alaska not missing barista
7:46 PM, Mar. 21, 2012

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (WTW) — A body found near a lake north of Anchorage is not that of a barista missing for nearly two months after being kidnapped from a coffee stand, police said Wednesday.

The body found by a person snowshoeing in a state park Tuesday evening is male, police spokesman Dave Parker said Wednesday.

The discovery of the remains led to speculation that it was 18-year-old Samantha Koenig. The young woman has not been seen since Feb. 1, when a surveillance camera captured images of her being led away from the coffee shack by a man who police believe was armed.

The case of the missing barista has galvanized the city in recent weeks with dozens of volunteers plastering the city with posters of the young woman's smiling face in hopes of aiding her safe return. Earlier this month, a 34-year-old Anchorage man was arrested in Texas for using her credit card or bank card, and Parker said he's a "person of interest" in her disappearance.

Israel Keyes' arrest in Lufkin was the result of a combined effort of Anchorage police, the FBI and Texas authorities.

Parker said it had not yet been determined if the body found at Eklutna Lake is connected to any other missing persons cases in Anchorage.

The body was of an adult male. Parker said investigators could not determine the victim's sex at the time the body was discovered.

The victim hasn't been identified. A post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death and identity may take a few days, Parker said.

http://www.htrnews.com/usatoday/article/38855783?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

March 31, 2012
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Federal agents seized on Friday a shed from the
Turnagain home of the suspect linked to the the case of a missing Alaska
barista.

Agents moved in Friday night on Israel Keyes' property, The Anchorage Daily News reported (http://bit.ly/H6JMuz
) Saturday. Authorities have said Keyes is linked to the abduction of
Samantha Koenig but have not elaborated how he is connected.

Keyes, 34, is a self-employed carpenter who was
arrested in Texas for ATM fraud March 13 and caught with a stolen debit
card and rolls of money. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday.

Neighbors said about 10 p.m. a flatbed truck pulled in
front of the house. 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 shed with green trim.

Later a forklift operator picked up the shed and backed
slowly out of the short driveway while four 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 blue house
and blinds covered all its windows.

FBI spokesman Eric Gonzalez would not say if the shed
was related to either the investigation of Keyes' alleged debit card
fraud or the investigation of Koenig's disappearance.

"We're still investigating," Gonzalez said.

Police searched Keyes' home on Spurr Lane in Turnagain the day he was arrested.

Koenig was abducted two months ago near her work. A surveillance camera showed her being led away by a man.

Keyes worked in Washington 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. He started his Alaska business in
2007.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/19e7e59efe9b419a83b73e25c3e236be/AK--Missing-Barista/

Samantha Koenig: Body found in Matanuska Lake may be missing barista

A body has been recovered by a dive team from Matanuska Lake and the
authorities believe it may be the body of missing Samantha Koenig, 18,
of Anchorage, Alaska, reports the Washington Post.

Samantha was last seen working at a drive-through coffee stand called
Common Grounds Expresso on Wednesday night February 1 in Anchorage,
Alaska around 8:00 p.m. when her shift ended. Her boyfriend came to
pick her up, but Samantha was not there.

Then on Thursday, March 15, 2012, Police announced that they have
arrested a man in connection with the disappearance of Samantha,
reported KTRE News.

Police had arrested Israel Keyes, 34, who they are calling a "person
of interest" in the case. Keyes is a construction contractor that works
for his own company, Keyes Construction.


Continue reading on Examiner.com Samantha Koenig: Body found in Matanuska Lake may be missing barista - National missing persons | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/missing-persons-in-national/samantha-koenig-body-found-matanuska-lake-may-be-missing-barista#ixzz1qybA1Zba

Samantha Koenig's Body Found in Matanuska Lake, APD Says


ANCHORAGE, Alaska— Anchorage police announced Monday evening that a body believed to be that of missing barista Samantha Koenig was found during a crime-scene investigation in Matanuska Lake, apparently ending a months-long mystery that has gripped the city and attracted national coverage.

In a joint appearance with FBI officials at APD headquarters, APD Chief Mark Mew said divers discovered the body Monday morning during an investigation at the lake.

The search drew numerous members of APD, the Alaska State Troopers and FBI to the scene, which lies off the Glenn Highway near the Palmer-Wasilla Highway interchange and the Matanuska-Susitna Regional Hospital. State medical examiners will verify the identity of the body.

While Mew, speaking in prepared remarks to local media, said officials' silence had made informing the public difficult, he deemed it necessary to the investigation.

"I can only reiterate and again assure you our joint decisions to not release more information were driven exclusively by our desire to maximize the potential for Samantha Koenig's safe return," Mew said. "Unfortunately, that potential no longer exists."

According to Mew, APD believes Koenig was murdered soon after her disappearance, and that charges in her abduction and murder were forthcoming.

"Investigators believe Samantha died within hours of her abduction, and we are continuing to investigate these facts," Mew said. "Investigators further believe the person responsible for Samantha's death acted alone, and we are confident that we have that person in custody."

Koenig had not been seen since the night of Feb. 1, when APD says surveillance video from Common Grounds Espresso shows Koenig being abducted by an armed man.

At several points in the investigation, officials said that they had been proceeding under the assumption that Koenig was still alive.

Prior to Monday’s crime-scene investigation, the last major breaks in the case were related to the March arrest in Lufkin, Texas of 34-year-old Israel Keyes, described by APD as “the main player” in the Koenig case, on a federal access-device fraud charge.

Keyes is accused of using a debit card taken from a man’s vehicle on the night of Koenig’s abduction at locations across Anchorage, as well as in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas prior to his arrest. He is being held at the Anchorage Correctional Complex, after U.S. Marshals transferred him from Texas.

Late Friday night, FBI and APD officials seized a large shed from the Turnagain home on Spurr Lane where Keyes lived, which was subsequently taken to the FBI’s Alaska headquarters in Downtown Anchorage for examination over the weekend.

Mary Rook, special agent in charge of the FBI's Anchorage Division, said investigators believed there was no connection between the abductor and the Koenig family. She credited callers and officials who provided information in the case from Alaska, as well as the Lower 48, for their role in the investigation.

"We received hundreds of phone calls from people in Anchorage and from many locations across the Lower 48," Rook said. "Likewise, when assistance was required in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, local, state and federal authorities moved quickly to support and move this investigation forward. In fact, were it not for the efforts of several very alert and dedicated Texas law enforcement officers, Samantha's abductor may still be at large."

Investigators had been at the lake since mid-morning Monday, where FBI spokesperson Darrin Jones confirmed that authorities were conducting an investigation that was related to Koenig’s Feb. 1 abduction.

Access to the lake was blocked off, but several undercover APD vehicles and the department's Major Crime Scene Unit van were present. A wide area was roped off with crime-scene tape, and several marker cones had been placed on the ground.

At Monday's press conference, Rook again asked the community for further information relating to a white Chevrolet pickup truck Keyes drove as part of his business, Keyes Construction, as well as tips from anybody who helped Keyes remove a large utility rack from the vehicle or saw it in the vicinity of Common Grounds Espresso on Feb. 1.

"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."


http://www.ktuu.com/news/investigators-say-matanuska-lake-scene-related-to-samantha-koenig-040212,0,442208.story

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 listed 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 and 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.

http://www.kpic.com/news/national/Body-of-missing-Alaska-barista-believed-found-145926795.html

A body discovered in a lake outside Anchorage was confirmed Wednesday
as that of missing Alaskan teen barista Samantha Koenig, police told
NewsCore. "We just got confirmation, 20 minutes ago, that it is definitely her," Anchorage police spokesman Dave Parker said.
Koenig, 18, was abducted from an Anchorage coffee stand Feb. 1.
Local
carpenter Israel Keyes, 34, is suspected of killing her. He is being
held in jail in Anchorage on unrelated fraud charges, but authorities
told the Anchorage Daily News that he was directly tied to the case.
Asked
about further charges over Koenig's death, Parker said, "It takes a
while for charges, but he is being held. We know where he is." He said
local authorities were working with the FBI on the case.
Anchorage
police chief Mark Mew said, "Investigators believe that Samantha died
within hours of abduction, and we are continuing to investigate these
facts."
Koenig's body was found Monday underneath ice in Matanuska Lake, near Gateway, 37 miles northeast of Anchorage.
Investigators,
including an FBI search team, used snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles
to navigate across the frozen lake's surface. Officers used chain saws
to cut away a four-foot hole in the ice for divers to explore the water
below.
They discovered the body in less than an hour, using sonar
to guide them due to the low visibility within the lake, the Daily News
said.
It is not known how authorities knew to look for Koenig in
such a specific area of the remote lake. Parker said there would be no
further details released until the investigation had progressed.
http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpps/news/missing-teen-barista-samantha-koenig-body-confirmed-dpgonc-20120405-fc_19039424

Alaska Serial Killer Committed Suicide With Hidden Razor and Bedding

By CHRISTINA NG (@ChristinaNg27)
Dec. 5, 2012




Serial killer Israel Keyes committed suicide in his Alaska jail cell by embedding a disposable razor blade into a pencil and slitting his wrist and using bedding material to strangle himself, the FBI said today.

Keyes, 34, left behind "crumpled, blood soaked paper" with writing on the pages.

Keyes' death came as he was slowly confessing to a string of methodically planned murders that spanned the country. He had admitted to eight murders at the time of his suicide, but had yet to tell investigators the identities of all his victims and left police wondering how many more victims there may have been.

The suicide occurred while Keyes was locked alone in a cell after 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 1. His body was discovered the next morning at 5:57 a.m., the FBI said.

He used a weapon he had apparently constructed by embedding a blade from a disposable razor into a pencil. He slashed his left wrist with the razor, and then used a strip of bedding to strangle himself.

"There is no indication of any criminal involvement from other persons," according to the FBI in Anchorage. "Pages of crumpled, blood soaked paper that appeared to have writing on them were recovered from the cell."

The papers have been handed over to the FBI for laboratory processing.

Keyes, 34, was in jail after his arrest for the death of teenage barista Samantha Koenig. While in jail, he told investigators how he traveled the country to kill and bury caches of weapons, money and tools for disposing of bodies to use in future crimes.

The suicide was Keyes' last act of violence committed by a merciless killer who told police that he "liked to do it."

Along with details of his suicide, investigators also released the grim details about Koenig's final hours and her killer's intricate plan to kill.

Koenig was abducted, sexually assaulted and strangled by Keyes who went on a two-week cruise before returning to dismember and hide her body, according to the FBI.

"These details are being provided both to fully explain the courage and resolve Samantha displayed in the final hours of her life, as well as in the hopes that the release of additional details will help investigators of other murders committed by Israel Keyes," a statement released by federal prosecutors, the FBI and Alaskan police.

They also released video of Koenig's abduction and part of their interrogation of the confessed serial killer.

When Keyes was on the prowl for a victim, he selected the Common Grounds coffee stand in Anchorage, Alaska, where Koenig, 18, was working. Keyes picked the coffee stand for its location and late hours, authorities said. He had no previous connection to the teenager.

A ski mask clad Keyes approached the coffee stand just before closing time on Feb. 1 and ordered a coffee. After Koenig handed him the coffee, he pulled a gun and demanded money. She complied and surveillance footage released by investigators shows Keyes climbing into the coffee stand and tying Koenig up with zip ties.

He forced her outside and toward his white truck, which he had earlier prepared by removing the license plates and unmounting tool boxes off the bed of the truck.

"Samantha broke away from Keyes and tried to run away," investigators said. "Keyes chased her and tackled her to the ground. He put one arm around her and pointed a gun at her body with the other hand, telling her that she needed to cooperate, that the gun had a very quiet ammo and that she should not do anything to make him kill her."

Keyes "drove around town" telling Koenig that he was kidnapping her for ransom. She explained that her family did not have much money and tried to convince him to let her go. Police said he intended to kill her all along.

When Keyes realized that Koenig did not have her cell phone, he went back to the coffee stand to get it as it was an integral part of his plan. He used the phone to text Koenig's boyfriend and the owner of the coffee stand.

"The text messages made it appear that Samantha just had a bad day and was leaving town for the weekend," investigators said. "Keyes then took the battery out of Samantha's phone."

When he asked her for her debit card, she explained that it was in the truck she shared with her boyfriend at her house and gave him the pin number.

"Keyes put Samantha in the shed in front of his [Keyes'] house, bound her, and turned the radio up in the shed so no one would hear her if she screamed," the release said. "He also told her that he had a police scanner and would know if she attempted to alert the neighbors."

Keyes went to Koenig's house for the debit card and was confronted by Koenig's boyfriend who was looking for her. The boyfriend went into the house to call for help and Keyes was gone with the debit card by the time he got back.

Keyes returned to the shed, sexually assaulted Koenig and strangled her, the statement said.

"Keyes left her in the shed and then went back inside his house, where he packed for a pre-planned cruise that he was taking from New Orleans," authorities said.

He left Feb. 2 and returned Feb. 17. Upon his return, he used a typewriter to prepare a ransom note and demanded that $30,000 be deposited into the account tied to the debit card.

He went back to the shed and took steps to "make it appear that he was still alive" and took a Polaroid photo of her tied up. His arm was in the photo holding a newspaper from Feb. 13, the statement said.

He put the note in a park and texted its location to Koenig's boyfriend. Police recovered the note.

"In the days that followed, Keyes dismembered Samantha's body and drove out to Matanuska Lake, where he cut a hole in the ice and put her body in the lake," investigators said.

Koenig's father deposited donated reward money into the ransom account and Keyes was arrested after ATM withdrawals were made in Anchorage, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

The FBI has also released an ominous list of 35 trips Keyes made around the U.S., Mexico and Canada over the last eight years.

Keyes, the owner of an Anchorage construction company, had been facing a March trial in Anchorage federal court--and possibly the death penalty--for the killing of Koenig.

While in jail he had been confessing to at least seven other killings in Washington, New York and Vermont. Police have confirmed that he was responsible for the deaths of Bill and Lorraine Currier of Essex, Vt.

Investigators are now piecing together a deadly puzzle that is uncovering a macabre lifestyle of Keyes traveling to kill simply because he "liked to do it," prosecutors said.

Police and the FBI spent hours talking to Keyes in the months after his arrest and he was cooperating, talking to investigators as recently as Thursday.

Authorities wouldn't say how Keyes killed himself, only that he was alone in his cell. An autopsy will be conducted.

The FBI is asking for the public's assistance with any information about Keyes' travels in order to identify additional victims. They ask that anyone with information contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/alaska-serial-killer-israel-keyes-committed-suicide-hidden/story?id=17883891#.UMCwC3fwFFw

I know it's unlikely, but I can't help but wonder if he killed the unidentified girl found on
October 29, 2006 in Kilgore, Gregg County, Texas. Her case is on the Doe Network as
Case File 483UFTX

Uplatedreaming wrote:I know it's unlikely, but I can't help but wonder if he killed the unidentified girl found on
October 29, 2006 in Kilgore, Gregg County, Texas. Her case is on the Doe Network as
Case File 483UFTX

If he was ever in Texas he very well may have. Texas is a long way from Alaska.

I'm sure there are many unsolved murders and missing girls he is responsible for that will forever remain unsolved.

I'm happy he is dead but wish he had left information about all of his victims.

He was too much of a coward to face his punishment.

He was arrested in Lufkin, Texas. Which is an hour and half drive's almost directly south of Kilgore. He also had boarded a cruise ship in New Orleans. He had some familiarity with Texas/Louisiana area. The FBI said he left stashed murder kits around the country. The Kilgore area has a lot of meth labs and criminal activity. It also has a a lot of unused wooded areas with lots of brush.

The Jane Doe has a resemblance to Samantha Koenig. So does Brandi Wells who disappeared from nearby Longview, Texas in 2006 and has never been found.

He was in Texas for his sister's wedding in March. Wonder how long his sister lived down there. Could have visited her before?

Uplatedreaming wrote:He was arrested in Lufkin, Texas. Which is an hour and half drive's almost directly south of Kilgore. He also had boarded a cruise ship in New Orleans. He had some familiarity with Texas/Louisiana area. The FBI said he left stashed murder kits around the country. The Kilgore area has a lot of meth labs and criminal activity. It also has a a lot of unused wooded areas with lots of brush.

The Jane Doe has a resemblance to Samantha Koenig. So does Brandi Wells who disappeared from nearby Longview, Texas in 2006 and has never been found.

Very good possibility. He was a monster and the world is well rid of him.