FBI agents in Oregon have received information from the FBI’s Anchorage Division that narrows the search for a woman who was allegedly raped by accused serial killer Israel Keyes. Keyes committed suicide while in jail this past weekend as he awaited trial for the murder of a barista, Samantha Koenig, last February in Anchorage.
Keyes told the FBI agents in Alaska that he raped—but did not kill—his first victim in Oregon sometime between 1996 and 1998. He said the girl was 14-18 years old. The sexual assault occurred on the Deschutes River near Maupin, Oregon. The victim was with friends, and Keyes was able to discreetly separate her from the friends. To date, authorities have not been able to find any relevant police reports that would fit this scenario, and it is possible that the victim never reported it. If Keyes was being accurate about the time period and the girl’s age, she would now be in her late 20s or early 30s. She may have lived in the area or simply been visiting the area on vacation.
Keyes told investigators that he oftentimes traveled great distances and liked to find his victims along hiking trails, at camp grounds, and in other remote areas.
Before his death, Israel reportedly told investigators that he murdered multiple people, including at least four in Washington State. He is also believed to have robbed banks as he traveled across the country, but the FBI has not yet identified any robberies in Oregon for which he may have been responsible.
The FBI is working with local law enforcement agencies in Oregon and across the country in an attempt to identify other unsolved cases that involve missing people, murders, rapes, and bank robberies.
Anyone who has information about the rape case is asked to call the FBI in Portland at (503) 224-4181, in Bend at (541) 389-1202, or the national hotline at 1-800-CALL FBI.
Photos of Israel Keyes:
