Alaska News

Police chief: Keyes involved in Samantha Koenig kidnapping

The arraignment of Israel Keyes, who police say has ties to the Feb. 1 abduction of barista Samantha Koenig, went quietly Tuesday at a U.S. District courthouse in downtown Anchorage.

Clad in a yellow jumpsuit, Keyes pleaded not guilty to a single charge of access device fraud. The lone federal charge, which could net him a 15-year prison sentence, is the only crime with which Keyes thus far stands accused. And although Keyes has not been charged with any crimes directly related to Koenig's abduction, investigators reiterated Tuesday that they believe he had something to do with the 18-year-old's disappearance from a Midtown coffee stand. But citing a need to protect the ongoing investigation, they continue to refuse to offer more details about Keyes's involvement.

Investigators did, however, emphasize that they believe the public has a role to play in getting to the bottom of what happened to Koenig and where she might be. In particular, detectives want information from anyone who may have seen Keyes's white Chevy pickup in the weeks leading up to and following the abduction. The FBI believes the truck likely was without its heavy-duty construction rack and tool boxes the night Koenig vanished.

"It's reasonable to assume that that utility rack in (Keyes's) truck was difficult to get on and off that vehicle," FBI assistant special agent Darrin Jones said, "and we have reason to believe it may have been off the vehicle at the time of the (abduction)."

It's one of few concrete links publicly stated that place Keyes closer to the crime than merely using someone's stolen bank card.

Keyes was subdued throughout the brief hearing, speaking steadily into the microphone to answer the judge's questions. Little was revealed about the man who was arrested on March 13 in Lufkin, Tex., after being pulled over for a speeding violation that led to a hit on his name in relation to the Alaska abduction. An affidavit filed last week alleges that Keyes may have used someone else's debit card from Feb. 28 to March 13, withdrawing nearly $2,500 from ATMs in Alaska, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. And it suggests that that card was stolen just hours after Koenig went missing.

After Keyes's arraignment, Anchorage chief of police Mark Mew again appealed for public help and assistance, asking for any information related to Keyes's whereabouts. Mew said investigators are "intensely interested" in information regarding to the whereabouts of Keyes's truck in the last weeks of January and the beginning of February. The truck is currently in police custody, taken from Keyes's Anchorage residence following his arrest in Texas.

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Police had previously stated Keyes is a "person of interest" in the Koenig case, but on Tuesday, they made a more direct connection to the actual abduction.

"We want to let the public know that Israel Keyes, in our belief, is related to or involved in the abduction of Samantha Koenig," Mew said.

But investigators wouldn't say if they thought other people were involved, whether Koenig knew Keyes prior to her disappearance, whether they think she's still in Alaska, if she has been hurt, or whether additional charges are pending against Keyes.

A contractor who operated under the name Keyes Construction, Keyes told the court on Tuesday that he was in debt and his checking account was likely overdrawn. He added that his assets amounted only to several thousand dollars worth of tools and "a couple thousand" more that he said he might be able to get for his trailer -- but even if he sold it all, it wouldn't be enough to pay off his debts.

During the arraignment, it also was revealed that Keyes has 10-year-old daughter.

The press conference following Keyes's arraignment was dominated by a familiar dance. Reporters lobbed a lot more questions at prosecutors and investigators than were answered.

U.S. Attorney for Alaska Karen Loeffler said investigators were not trying to obstruct the flow of information, but because of the sensitive and ongoing nature of the case, were wary of providing too many specifics.

"We're not giving you details on the investigation because ... we're still looking for Ms. Koenig" and "things that aren't public and aren't advised in court, we're not going to put out there because the investigation is still ongoing."

Had Keyes's attorney sought bail for his client, new details would have been released about the case. To make sure Keyes stays put and isn't released, prosecutors were prepared to let an investigator take the witness stand and demonstrate why Keyes is a both a flight risk and a danger to the community. But because Keyes's newly appointed defense attorney didn't immediately take up that fight, there was no need for prosecutors to show their hand -- yet.

"We don't have all the details yet," Loeffler said. "And what we don't have is Ms. Koenig."

Anyone with information in the case is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Contact Ben Anderson at ben(at)alaskadispatch.com

Ben Anderson

Ben Anderson is a former writer and editor for Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2017.

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