The Killing of Samantha Koenig

Between June 2001 and February 2012, Israel Keyes, an American serial killer, bank robber, burglar, arsonist, kidnapper, and sex offender, killed at least three people and committed scores of additional offenses, such as armed robbery, rape, and burglary.

Samantha Koenig was just 18 years old when serial killer Israel Keyes abducted and murdered her in Anchorage, Alaska, before stitching her eyelids open for a horrific "proof of life" shot.

Keyes resided in Anchorage with his girlfriend and 10-year-old daughter. On February 1, 2012, he kidnapped Koenig from her coffee stand, and told her she was being held hostage for ransom.

But it didn't take long for the cops to track him down once he started withdrawing money, even though he always wore mask to conceal his face.

The Beginning

Samantha Koenig was 18 years old and worked at Anchorage's Common Grounds coffee shop in 2012. 

Israel Keyes, from Utah, claimed to have committed his first murder in 1998, shortly after enlisting in the United States Army.

He abducted Koenig from the drive-through coffee shop where she had worked on February 1, 2012. That evening, shortly before eight o'clock, he approached the window, pointed a revolver at her, informed her it was a robbery and demanded that she turn the lights off.

As soon as she did, he tied her hands, leaped through the window, shoved many napkins into her mouth, and dragged her away from the coffee shop and into his pickup truck. He then drove her to his residence while claiming that his only goal was to kidnap her and hold her for ransom.

It was a lie, though. Keyes no longer needed Koenig to be alive after stealing her debit card and phone. He finally moved her from his truck at two in the morning and carried her to his tool shed where he bound her by the neck. Keyes then went inside to make sure his daughter and girlfriend were sleeping. He returned after pouring himself a glass of wine.

Keyes told Koenig how he would rape her and then strangle her to death with the rope he had previously tied around her neck while sitting there sipping wine, and that is exactly what he did. Koenig's body was left in the shed, and he returned to his home to pack his own suitcases as well as one for his daughter.

He also scheduled a cab at 5 a.m. sharp to take him to the airport so he could fly to New Orleans for a two-week Caribbean tour he and his family had planned.

The Famous Ransom Photo

Samantha Koenig was reported missing the next day, hours after she had died. Despite the delay, the FBI acted quickly in the hopes of finding the missing girl. However, their efforts were futile, and leads were not many.

When Keyes returned from his vacation on February 17, he decided to take Samantha Koenig's ransom photo and assure her parents that if they provided him money, she would be safe.

He stitched Samantha Koenig's eyes open with fishing line that day, braided her hair, and put makeup on her face.

The following day, on February 24, he contacted her boyfriend from her phone, instructing him to search for a package in a nearby park. Anchorage police discovered the photo as well as a note asking that $30,000 be deposited into Koenig's bank account. Her parents were happy to pay.

The Killer is Arrested

Samantha Koenig's debit card began beeping within days of her parents' payment into her account. First in Anchorage, then Arizona, New Mexico, and finally Texas. The FBI deduced quickly that her abductor was driving east on Interstate 10.

However, Israel Keyes had made an error during one of his first withdrawals; a white Ford Focus was seen by an ATM camera in Arizona.

By March 13, a Texas state trooper in the town of Shepherd had discovered the automobile in a hotel parking lot. According to CBS, he waited for the owner  and followed until the car exceeded the speed limit, at which point he pulled Keyes over. When the trooper searched the vehicle, he discovered Koenig's ATM card, her mobile phone.

Samantha Koenig's body was recovered on April 2, just a few days after Keyes confessed to his crimes.

That's also when he revealed how he created the ransom photo by stitching Samantha Koenig's eyes open.

Israel Keyes managed to conceal a razor blade in his cell in the Anchorage Correctional Complex in Alaska on December 2, 2012, which he used to commit suicide.

He left a message: 11 blood-splattered skulls labeled "We Are One." Officials believe this refers to the total number of victims.