0:00
this is Samantha kig and shrouded in the
0:03
darkness of one of Alaska's cold winter
0:05
nights she suddenly and mysteriously
0:08
disappeared the news terrified her
0:10
family and what followed was a prompt
0:12
investigation conducted by local police
0:15
and the FBI in a desperate bid to track
0:17
down the missing teenager however sadly
0:20
efforts initially came back fruitless
0:23
that would be until approximately 3
0:25
weeks later when suddenly her family
0:28
received a photo it was a picture of
0:30
their daughter seemingly alive and well
0:33
and she was holding an issue of a recent
0:34
newspaper to prove it with this clue now
0:37
in their possession detectives knew that
0:39
it was now a race against the clock to
0:41
track down her kidnapper however little
0:44
did they know just how dangerous the as
0:47
salant was in fact this wasn't just a
0:50
random abduction but a meticulously
0:52
planned attack and one that spanned far
0:55
past
0:57
Samantha welcome or welcome back to
1:00
house crime folks my name is Adrien and
1:02
today we're looking at a case that sent
1:04
shock waves throughout the United States
1:06
in fact you may even know this story
1:08
already now on the surface our as salent
1:11
appeared to be the ordinary family man
1:14
however very little did any of his
1:16
family or friends know the terrible and
1:18
dark secrets he was hiding by the way I
1:20
post True Crime strange and chilling
1:22
stories here up to twice a week so if
1:25
you're not going to buy a coffee then
1:26
please at least consider subscribing
1:28
thank you and now with that said please
1:30
grab yourself a coffee and let's
1:31
caffeinate while we investigate this is
1:34
the case of Samantha
1:43
kic Howdy Folks and welcome to America's
Background
1:46
most northern state of course that being
1:49
Alaska with its Majestic mountains
1:51
pristine glaciers and abundant Wildlife
1:54
Alaska's stunning Landscapes and
1:56
features make it one of Earth's most
1:58
beautiful and or inspiring places today
2:01
we're focusing on the south central part
2:03
of the state nestled between the
2:05
coastline and jat National Park we can
2:08
find Alaska's largest city named
2:11
Anchorage also known as anchor Town
2:13
Anchorage offers many activities
2:15
including biking walking and viewing
2:17
Wildlife it is well known that outdoor
2:19
enthusiasts can explore the Tony n's
2:21
Coastal Trail which provides 22 M of
2:24
jaw-dropping Beauty And for those of you
2:27
who are less adventurous then why not
2:29
check out alka's Wildlife Conservation
2:31
Center the center allows many visitors
2:34
to see native animals like Bears moose
2:36
and bison up closeth alternatively if
2:39
cultural history is more your thing then
2:41
the Anchorage Museum features exhibits
2:43
on Alaskan history art and indigenous
2:45
cultures and the nearby chugat State
2:48
Park also offers breathtaking views of
2:50
the Alaskan landscape heading into the
2:53
city Anchorage boasts numerous bars pubs
2:55
and plenty of nightclubs to add to that
2:58
it also has a thriving Brewery scene
3:01
with establishments like midnight sun
3:02
Brewing Company offering many local
3:05
Brews it is also true Anchorage
3:08
certainly has something for everyone
3:10
whether that's mountainous hiking or
3:12
simply dancing through the night and at
3:14
the beginning of the year 2012 it was in
3:17
this city that you could find
3:18
18-year-old Samantha Tesla kig Samantha
3:21
was born on August the 30th 1993 to her
3:24
mother Darlene and her father James Jr
3:27
throughout her childhood Samantha was
3:29
known for her vibrant personality and
3:31
wide range of interests including a love
3:33
for Animals music photography and
3:36
outdoor activities and moving into her
3:39
teenagerhood she attended West High
3:41
School before moving on to ail High
3:43
School her friends often commented on
3:45
her infectious charm witty humor and
3:47
big-hearted nature three things that
3:50
proved that she was a well-loved figure
3:52
among everyone she encountered of all
3:54
the healthy relationships she had
3:56
fostered Samantha had an extremely close
3:58
bond with her father quite honestly the
4:00
two were absolutely Inseparable and he
4:03
would often say that he loved her like
4:04
no other human Not only was her early
4:07
life marked by Deep affection from
4:08
family and friends but Samantha had a
4:11
bright and promising future ahead of her
4:13
too in fact Samantha was torn between
4:15
dedicating her life to animals and
4:16
becoming a vet or alternatively serving
4:19
the United States and the Navy whatever
4:21
her choice she wanted to protect and
4:23
serve and that was evident in her
4:25
personality too however she was still
4:27
quite young and definitely not ready for
4:29
either of the those two jobs yet and so
4:31
instead she worked at Subway and then
4:33
House of Harley that was until she took
4:35
what is arguably the best and most well
4:38
respected job in the world of course I'm
4:40
talking about a barista as the new
4:42
Coffee Queen of her local coffee kiosk
4:44
named Common Ground she was introduced
4:46
to people from all walks of life many
4:49
good but some also not so good and sadly
4:52
you may already see where this is
4:56
going the date was February the 1st 201
4:59
12 and it was on this night that
5:01
18-year-old Samantha Koenig was doing
5:03
the evening shift at the Common Grounds
5:05
espresso coffee kiosk found on chuda
5:08
Road in Anchorage it was a very typical
5:11
evening of course with it being Alaska
5:13
in the middle of winter it was already
5:16
dark outside it was during this time
5:18
that Samantha was serving her last few
5:20
customers while also preparing to finish
5:23
for the night at around 8:00 p.m. she
5:25
could be seen tidying up the stand and
5:27
then completing her tasks with her usual
5:30
cheerful demeanor you see the coffee
5:32
stand was a small well-lit kiosk in a
5:34
busy part of Anchorage however given the
5:37
time of day and the season this night
5:40
was particularly quiet with only a few
5:42
people passing by and unbeknownst to
5:44
Samantha this routine evening would soon
5:47
take a sudden and tragic turn it was
5:50
8:30 p.m. when a man dressed in a dark
5:53
hoodie and ski mask approached the
5:55
coffee kiosk and after ordering a coffee
5:57
from Samantha he briefly engaged in
6:00
small talk with her as seen here on this
6:02
surveillance camera after receiving the
6:04
coffee the dark figure lingered around
6:07
the counter momentarily before suddenly
6:10
stepping into violent territory it was
6:12
in this moment that he abruptly pulled
6:14
out a handgun which he had kept
6:16
concealed under his clothing and with a
6:18
menacing tone he instructed Samantha to
6:20
hand over all of the cash from the
6:22
register and to follow his orders
6:25
surveillance footage captures Samantha's
6:27
shock and compliance as the man forced
6:29
her to to turn off all of the lights in
6:30
the kiosk while he slipped through the
6:33
window and after Samantha was ordered to
6:35
fall to her knees he then restrained her
6:37
with zipped TI while restrained Samantha
6:40
told the man that her father would be
6:42
here any minute to pick her up and so
6:45
after a slight pause he then started to
6:47
drag her out of the kiosk and towards
6:50
his parked vehicle that being a dark
6:52
colored truck which had its license
6:54
plates removed with the asal's arm
6:56
wrapped around her shoulder and his
6:58
other hand tight ly gripping the gun
7:00
that was pressed against her Samantha
7:02
had no option but to comply with his
7:05
orders she was hopeless helpless alone
7:08
and Afraid as they began to drive around
7:11
town the man explained to her that she
7:13
had only been abducted for ransom and if
7:16
she were to follow his orders down to
7:18
the finest Point she would ultimately be
7:21
fine but whether that would turn out to
7:23
be true or not was an entirely different
7:26
story it is known that Samantha pleaded
7:28
with this man man she tried to explain
7:30
that her family did not have much money
7:33
but the Man simply replied by demanding
7:35
that she handed over her phone which was
7:37
key to his plan it was at that moment
7:40
that she realized that she no longer had
7:42
it in her possession she must have left
7:44
it at the kiosk throughout all of the
7:45
panic which sure makes total sense to us
7:49
but it is also known that this severely
7:51
frustrated her as salent and so they
7:54
then returned to commong ground's coffee
7:56
kiosk at 8:56 p.m. to retrieve the
7:58
mobile phone the man then used it to
8:01
message her boyfriend and her boss to
8:03
tell them both that she had a difficult
8:05
day and she needed to get away for the
8:07
weekend however these messages felt
8:10
incredibly out of character for Samantha
8:12
and eventually both of them knew that
8:14
something unusual was
8:17
happening amid the messaging the man
8:19
asked Samantha to hand over a bank card
8:21
and Bank details but once again he was
8:24
out of luck when she told him that her
8:26
card was in her boyfriend's truck which
8:28
was located back at home so how do you
8:31
think he decided to respond he asked her
8:33
to drive them to the home where he then
8:35
smashed the truck's window to gain
8:37
access as the man broke into the truck
8:39
Samantha's boyfriend came running out of
8:41
the property to confront him he then ran
8:43
back inside to grab Samantha's father
8:46
but by the time the two came back
8:48
outside the asent was long gone now this
8:51
was quite the Bold move when you think
8:52
about it because not only Eddie
8:54
kidnapped Samantha but now he'd exposed
8:57
himself to two of her most cherished
8:59
people and with such a disorganized and
9:01
chaotic plan he had no way of telling if
9:03
this would go in his favor or terribly
9:05
wrong instead well sadly it would be the
9:08
former and with all said and done
9:10
Samantha and her kidnapper disappeared
9:12
into the
9:14
night I hate to say this but over the
The Aftermath
9:17
following several hours Samantha was
9:20
subjected to hell she was taken to a
9:22
secluded shed in the back Garden of a
9:25
residential home bound and then
9:27
subjected to physical and sexual abuse
9:30
throughout the night she was manipulated
9:33
forced to hand over her ATM card
9:35
information and then told that all of
9:37
this would be all over if she followed
9:40
his demands despite Samantha's
9:42
compliance and several pleas for Mercy
9:45
her fate had unfortunately already been
9:48
decided that's because the very next day
9:51
she was strangled to death and after her
9:54
death her body was left on the cold
9:56
floor of the shed unfortunately
9:59
Samantha's disappearance was not
10:01
reported until the following day hours
10:04
after she had already met her tragic end
10:07
despite the late start the FBI swiftly
10:10
descended upon Anchorage driven by a
10:12
desperate hope to find the missing
10:15
18-year-old but despite their Relentless
10:17
efforts nothing was found all of their
10:20
leads were frustratingly scarce and
10:23
sadly that is when their hopes began to
10:25
fade that was until 3 weeks later when
10:29
all of a sudden on February the 24th
10:32
Samantha's boyfriend received a chilling
10:34
message from her phone directing him to
10:36
a package left in a local park when the
10:39
Anchorage police arrived they found an
10:41
ominous photograph alongside a note the
10:44
photo showed a seemingly still alive and
10:47
well samanther while the note itself
10:49
demanded that $30,000 be deposited into
10:52
her bank account of course this was sure
10:55
to devastate her parents who all in all
10:58
managed to get gather
11:00
$5,000 unaware of what was actually
11:03
going on the truth is that Samantha was
11:06
already dead in this photo and her
11:08
lifeless body had merely been posed for
11:10
the camera her eyelids were sewn open
11:13
with fishing wire and makeup was cruy
11:16
applied to her face to create the
11:18
illusion that she was still alive
11:20
propped crudely against a wall she held
11:23
an issue of the Anchorage Daily
11:24
Newspaper dated February the 17th a
11:27
sickening ruse meant to buy time and
11:30
hope within days of this deposit
11:32
Samantha's debit card began to Ping from
11:34
various locations across America First
11:37
in Anchorage then in Arizona then New
11:40
Mexico before its final ping in Texas
11:43
and of course this indicated to the FBI
11:46
that whoever her killer was he was
11:48
traveling East along Interstate 10
11:51
surveillance cameras found near the ATM
11:53
machines all revealed a man who was
11:55
concealing his identity with a disguise
11:58
which was smart but not smart enough and
12:01
that's because he unknowingly left a
12:03
vital clue behind that being his white
12:06
Ford Focus which could be seen in all of
12:09
the surveillance footage so it's no
12:11
surprise that this vehicle became a key
12:14
lead for detectives and after tracking
12:16
the car down to a rental agency in Texas
12:19
they discovered that not only had it
12:21
been rented by a man who fit the profile
12:23
of the suspect but his travel plans
12:25
seemed to match the locations of all ATM
12:28
withdrawals to and soon enough on March
12:31
the 13th a Texas state trooper in the
12:33
quiet town of Shepherd finally spotted
12:36
the white Ford Focus which at the time
12:39
he noticed was parked at a hotel nearby
12:42
and so with patience and precision the
12:44
trooper watched and waited for the
12:46
driver to emerge to see if this really
12:49
could be their
12:51
guy as the car pulled onto the road the
12:54
officer tailed it discreetly heart
12:56
pounding in his chest while his eyes
12:58
remained locked on the Ford Focus but
13:01
for now he had no reason to pull the
13:03
vehicle over now thankfully this car
13:05
exceeded the speed limits rather quickly
13:08
and so with that said the officer now
13:09
had a reason to stop him after flashing
13:11
to pull the driver over both vehicles
13:14
finally came to a stop and after getting
13:16
out of the vehicle and then walking up
13:18
to the man behind the wheel this man
13:20
revealed himself as Israel keys after a
13:22
brief search inside the Ford Focus he
13:25
would find Samantha's bank card and
13:26
mobile phone therefore solidifying his
13:29
involvement in her disappearance he also
13:31
found the disguise used while
13:33
approaching the bank machines and what
13:35
appeared to be a large sum of cash now
13:37
of course this was a huge win for all
13:39
detectives working on the case but now
13:42
they had Israel in custody they had to
13:43
find out who he was so let me ask and
13:46
then answer the big question here what
13:48
do we know about Israel
13:51
Cas born on January the 7th 1978 Israel
Childhood
13:55
grew up in Richmond Utah he was part of
13:58
a large family that held conservative
14:00
religious beliefs and believe it or not
14:03
he was the second of 10 children born to
14:05
Heidi hackinson and John Jeffrey Keys No
14:09
Surprise to this story but Israel's
14:11
family lived in isolation disconnected
14:13
from mainstream Society initially devout
14:16
Mormons the keys family later began
14:19
attending services at a church known as
14:21
The Ark which surprise surprise adhered
14:24
to the white supremacist Christian
14:26
identity ideology oh boy here we go
14:29
Israel would later describe the ark as
14:31
fostering an Amish like environment now
14:34
during the time attending the ark the
14:36
keys family became friends with the
14:38
neighboring family of chivi kho who
14:41
would later be convicted for triple
14:43
murder committed in
14:44
1996 it is noted that Israel's
14:47
upbringing was largely defined by this
14:49
isolation and the family's
14:51
self-sufficient lifestyle they would
14:53
eventually move to a rural area near
14:55
cville in Washington where they
14:57
continued to live without electric
14:59
electricity or any running water of
15:01
course further alienating them from
15:03
modern society this environment fostered
15:06
Israel's deep-seated antisocial
15:08
Tendencies and he would later describe
15:11
himself as feeling severely disconnected
15:13
from people from a very young age during
15:16
his adolescence he began to exhibit
15:18
concerning signs that could evolve into
15:21
future criminal behavior that being he
15:23
developed an interest in weapons and was
15:25
known to have killed animals for fun
15:28
there are other things two which quite
15:30
honestly are too gruesome to even
15:32
mention in this video you have probably
15:34
heard this before already but killing
15:36
animals for fun is the Hallmark sign of
15:39
a clinical psychopath in the making at
15:41
the age of 14 Israel already stood at 6
15:44
feet and 2 in and so he was much bigger
15:48
than most of his peers not only that but
15:50
he knew how to throw his weight around
15:52
too he would use this to his advantage
15:55
and often broke into neighbors houses
15:57
shot his neighbors with BB guns and even
15:59
stole and resold real Firearms now
16:03
despite these warning signs he would
16:05
actually avoid getting into any serious
16:07
trouble during his youth not only
16:09
avoiding any punishment but also keeping
16:12
his darker inclinations hidden from
16:14
those around him his family's religious
16:16
environment did very little to curb
16:18
these Tendencies and eventually he would
16:21
even distance himself from them and
16:23
their
16:25
beliefs moving into his adulthood Israel
Adulthood
16:28
was part of the the Army in 1998 and
16:30
served for three long years during this
16:32
time he was based in Fort Lewis Fort
16:34
Hood and then in Egypt as part of the
16:36
SII Peninsula peacekeeping Force now
16:39
despite his seemingly successful
16:41
military career many of those who knew
16:43
him during this time would later recall
16:45
him to be socially isolated not only
16:47
that but he also exhibited very
16:50
disturbing Behavior this included him
16:52
expressing admiration towards Ted Bundy
16:54
and also admitting that he had no
16:56
empathy for others after being
16:58
discharged from the Army Israel decided
17:00
to work in construction instead starting
17:03
his own business in Alaska where he
17:04
lived with his girlfriend and their
17:06
daughter now you could say that
17:08
outwardly Israel appeared to be a normal
17:10
hardworking Family Man however beneath
17:13
the surface he was living a dark double
17:15
life a double life that detectives were
17:18
only just about to find out
17:21
interrogation began on March the 13th
17:23
2012 back in Anchorage Alaska as he sat
17:26
in the interrogation room he began to
17:28
disclosed many details surrounding the
17:30
kidnapping during this time he also
17:33
explained how he carefully planned the
17:35
abduction as the questioning continued
17:38
Israel provided a chilling account of
17:40
what followed it was noted that he
17:42
murdered her shortly after the abduction
17:44
explaining the act with a very matter of
17:47
fact tone he then concealed her body in
17:49
a shed on his property left it there and
17:52
then proceeded to go on a planned family
17:54
holiday disgustingly her body lay hidden
17:57
while Israel and his family traveled to
17:59
New Orleans where they then embarked on
18:01
a cruise Israel outlined his actions in
18:04
a very calculated matter noting how he
18:07
carefully considered each and every
18:08
detail in order to avoid detection he
18:11
further elaborated how 2 weeks later he
18:14
then returned to the shed where
18:15
Samantha's body lay he meticulously
18:17
prepared her body applied makeup and
18:20
adjusted her appearance to make it seem
18:22
as if she was still alive of course he
18:24
then took the photograph used in The
18:26
Ransom note towards the end of the
18:28
interrogation Israel finally disclosed
18:31
the location of where they could find
18:33
her body explaining how he had
18:35
dismembered her and then disposed of her
18:37
in Matanuska Lake where the cold Waters
18:40
would make it extraordinarily difficult
18:42
to retrieve the interrogation provided a
18:45
clear and direct account of Israel's
18:47
actions but most importantly it offered
18:50
crucial information that led to the
18:52
recovery of Samantha's body the recovery
18:55
was a painstaking process one which
18:58
required meticulous coordination between
19:00
multiple law enforcement agencies
19:03
Matanuska lake is a remote and icy body
19:06
of water located north of Anchorage
19:08
Alaska and so you can imagine that this
19:10
operation was very remote it was early
19:13
April and the lake was still frozen over
19:16
of course complicating all recovery
19:18
efforts for Samantha divers from the
19:20
FBI's evidence Response Team along with
19:23
local law enforcement were deployed to
19:25
the scene they had to break through the
19:26
thick ice that covered the lake using
19:28
using specialized equipment to create an
19:30
opening large enough for divers to
19:32
access the water once the ice was
19:34
breached the divers descended Into The
19:36
Frigid dark Waters of Matanuska Lake
19:39
Guided by Israel's coordinates the
19:42
conditions were challenging to say the
19:43
least with visibility severely limited
19:46
and the water temperature near freezing
19:49
after several tense hours of searching
19:51
the divers finally located Samantha's
19:54
remains which had been weighed down to
19:56
prevent her from resurfacing the body
19:58
was carefully brought back to the
20:00
surface and then transported to the
20:02
State medical examiner's office while
20:05
here they formally identified her and
20:07
then conducted an autopsy her recovery
20:10
marked the tragic conclusion and end of
20:12
an intense and emotional investigation
20:15
providing her family and the community
20:18
with The Morbid closure that they had
20:19
been
Conclusion
20:22
seeking Samantha kig was a cherished
20:25
friend and beloved daughter whose
20:27
presence brought War war and joy to
20:29
everyone who knew her she had a
20:31
close-knit circle of friends who admired
20:34
her for her genuine kindness infectious
20:36
laughter and the way she could make any
20:39
situation brighter with her positive
20:41
energy she seemed to have a way of
20:43
making people feel special and valued
20:46
always ready to lend an ear or a
20:48
shoulder to lean on she created bonds
20:51
that will forever be remembered and
20:53
treasured by those who were fortunate
20:55
enough to know her Samantha's family was
20:57
the Cornerstone of her life and she was
21:00
deeply loved by them in return she was a
21:03
devoted daughter a loving sister and a
21:06
source of pride and joy for her parents
21:09
sadly she was taken from this world by a
21:12
cold and calculated killer a killer who
21:15
began to open up in his subsequent
21:18
interrogations and this is where we
21:20
realize that this story is merely a
21:22
chapter in Israel's books because it
21:25
turns out that Samantha was not actually
21:28
Israel's first victim oh No in fact from
21:32
his best estimates she was number 11 you
21:36
see we are only merely touching the
21:38
surface of the morbid underbelly of
21:41
Israel Keys a man whose dark and
21:44
terrible history spans far beyond his
21:46
barbaric actions against Samantha and so
21:50
with so much to unpack here let's just
21:53
say that I'll be back with another video
21:55
to reveal more secrets about his life
21:57
and of course to pay remembrance to as
22:00
many other
22:03
victims so I think I'm going to leave
Outro
22:06
this story here today folks but as you
22:08
can tell I'll be back with a follow-up
22:09
video later next month kind of like a
22:12
prequel to this story this was an
22:14
incredibly sad case to cover and what
22:16
made her murder even worse was the
22:18
absolute senselessness to all of it
22:21
however as you'll see later on in part
22:23
two it was the Catalyst in taking down
22:25
one of America's most prolific serial
22:28
killers as always I'd love to know what
22:30
you think about this story not only that
22:32
but what do you think about part two
22:33
coming out next month it's kind of a
22:35
difficult one because I really do like
22:37
covering cases that have barely had any
22:39
coverage here on YouTube but as you know
22:42
Israel Keys is quite the popular serial
22:44
killer one final message but if you want
22:46
to support me in the channel or simply
22:47
just support Nero then check out my
22:49
patreon here alternatively check out my
22:51
social media here most notably my
22:53
Instagram anyway that is it for me today
22:55
thank you so much for watching I really
22:57
do appreciate you being here and as
22:59
always I'll see you again very very soon
23:01
for another video Until That moment
23:03
arrives though remember to look after
23:05
yourself look after each other and of
23:07
course stay safe thank you and goodbye