Did a Serial Killer Commit Suicide in Alaska Jail?
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(ANCHORAGE, Alaska) — A murder suspect who apparently committed suicide in an Anchorage, Alaska, jail on Sunday is suspected of being a serial killer, according to the FBI.
Authorities said that Israel Keyes, 34, died of an apparent suicide while being held in the Anchorage jail on federal charges related to the kidnapping and death of an 18-year-old Alaska woman, Samantha Koenig.
Police say Koenig was abducted from an Anchorage coffee kiosk last February. Keyes was later arrested in Texas after he was caught using the victim’s debit card. He was facing the death penalty.
A spokesperson for Alaska State Troopers said Keyes was alone in his cell, and authorities do not suspect foul play. The exact nature of his death was not disclosed.
Mary Rook, the FBI special agent in charge of the Anchorage office, told reporters the agency had developed information that Keyes was responsible for “multiple additional victims.” She said they believe Keyes is responsible for the deaths of four people in Washington state, one in New York state and a married couple in Vermont.
U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler said the investigations into the deaths will continue even though there will be no prosecution.
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