0701 | The Death & Life of Israel Keyes

Summary

True Crime Bullsh**

Episode 0701 | The Death & Life of Israel Keyes
Release Date: September 29, 2025
Host: Josh Hallmark / Studio BOTH/AND

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Episode Overview

The season seven premiere of True Crime Bullsh** takes listeners deep into newly-uncovered FBI files related to serial killer Israel Keyes, focusing on the chilling juxtaposition of his death and his continued influence on the host’s life and the ongoing investigation. Host Josh Hallmark reflects on the emotional impact of seeing posthumous photographs of Keyes, explores fresh evidence, scrutinizes maps and possessions taken from Keyes at his arrest, and analyzes interviews and documents that provide new perspectives on Keyes’ activities, victims, and mindset. The episode underscores how Keyes remains an enigmatic, persistent presence—"as much alive as dead"—in the study of his crimes.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Emotional Impact of Revisiting Keyes’ Death

• Josh shares the experience of viewing crime scene photos of Keyes’ dead body for the first time, describing a sense of both sobriety and surrealism after spending nearly a decade obsessively researching the case.
  • Memorable quote:
    “He’s been as much alive to me as he has been dead... So seeing his lifeless body was incredibly sobering. In one second he went from this powerful omnipresent presence to just dead.” (07:29)
• The moment serves as a pivot, reframing Hallmark’s understanding of Israel Keyes as both powerful and mortal, and reinforcing his motivation to dive even deeper into the investigation.

2. New Documents: Contradictory FBI Assertions

• A newly reviewed FBI report from July 2013 cast doubt on some established beliefs about Keyes.
  • Detective Bell’s notation: Keyes killed “at least 11 people” over 14 years, beginning in 1998 (not 2001 as previously believed).
  • This clearly contrasts statements from Agent Halla who previously relayed 11 was likely the upper limit and his murders started in 2001.
  • Hallmark highlights the importance of parsing these official narratives as they can shift the scope of potential victims and investigation timelines.

3. Artifacts from Keyes’ Arrest and Car

• Over 240 photos were taken at Keyes’ arrest; Josh examines several overlooked or contextually misunderstood items.
• Notable items:
  • An empty Diet Dr. Pepper bottle
  • Maps: Detailed Avis map of Las Vegas metro area and US West Coast.
  • DVDs (mostly horror): Including The Strangers, Gothika, Dreamcatcher, Wrong Turn trilogy, Queen of the Damned, Ghost Ship, etc.
  • Book: Bones by Jonathan Kellerman (“the most boring book I have ever tried to read”) (09:06)
• A location in Los Angeles mentioned in the book and highlighted areas on the map tie directly to investigation theories on possible burial or crime sites.

4. Sarah Keyes’ Journal – Personal and Investigative Insight

• Sarah’s journal, found in the car, does not reveal direct evidence but gives context and new leads.
  • An October 2011 entry, for instance, fills in Keyes’ whereabouts during days previously unaccounted for—potentially narrowing windows for unsolved cases. (17:38)
  • Reveals ordinary aspects of their relationship, but accidental gaps that could be crucial when synced with known travel or crime dates.
  • Memorable moment: Police returning a sentimental poem to Keyes: "You can't just... kid can't have a day like that anywhere except Alaska." (16:32)

5. Physical Evidence and Trip Artifacts

• Items such as clothing (ski mask, gloves, sunglasses), a drill, police scanner, 12 memory cards, and a support brace (SI belt) found in the vehicle.
• A Walmart receipt documenting a shopping trip with his daughter Sarah, where he purchased a folding shovel, air freshener, and industrial lube (not personal—clarified as “Super Tech lubricant”) at a critical time in Texas during the disappearance of Jimmy Tidwell.
• Analysis of these items helps tie Keyes to specific crimes or suspicious activities, especially when integrated with known case timelines.

6. Analysis of Keyes’ Porn Collection and Escort-Driven Planning

• New context for two porn DVDs and a printed photo found in his car:
  • The photo depicts a young black trans woman in lingerie, with phone numbers and “ratings” written on the back.
  • FBI analysis confirmed the photo was downloaded from Keyes’ email and points to an overt interest in black trans escorts.
• Interview Excerpt: Keyes describes his process for contacting escorts:
  • Quote:
    “I would use the Internet or phone books to get lists of phone numbers and I would rate the phone numbers and then I would just...call down the list of numbers until I got a hit on one.” (25:00)
  • The phone numbers tracked were from central Tennessee (Nashville), northern Louisiana (Shreveport), and Houston TX—areas significant due to local missing person cases fitting Keyes’ supposed methods.
  • Hallmark highlights that Keyes’ search for black trans sex workers aligns with known unsolved cases and evidentiary “caches” stashed in some of these locations.

7. Mapped Movements and Keyes' Route Planning

• A AAA Western States and Provinces map, found in the car, reveals highlighted routes from Port Angeles to Los Angeles, and from Salt Lake City to Rock Springs—routes tied to known or suspected Keyes trips and missing persons cases.
• Keyes claims he didn’t do the highlighting, but evidence points otherwise.
  • Highlighted locations also include Eugene, Medford, Riverside (CA), and Las Vegas—arising repeatedly in the investigation’s “cache” and missing persons findings.
  • “All four of these highlighted areas have come up in our investigation into Keyes…” (36:59)
  • Hallmark investigates the edition of the map to discern original vs. added marks, deepening understanding of Keyes' mobility and possible hunting grounds.

8. New Confirmations on Keyes' Military Activity

• Confirmed via documents: Keyes trained at Fort Hood (TX) and Fort Irwin (CA), supporting previous suspicions about travel routes and periods out of sight for military training.
  • Direct quote from Keyes:
    “I was stationed in Fort Lewis, Washington. I did training missions down here in Fort Hood and Fort Irwin in California. Six months in Egypt. That was pretty much it.” (41:04)

9. Keyes’ Online Activities and Dark Web Comments

• Keyes told the FBI he used the screen name “Is it” to argue politics and comment on disappearances he was responsible for—though Hallmark notes these comments remain unfound so far. (41:35)

10. Israel Keyes’ Family and the Ongoing Haunting

• Sarah’s presence during Keyes’ crime spree is confirmed (she was asleep in the backseat as he used a victim’s ATM card).
• Hallmark reiterates the emotional toll of the ongoing investigation—Keyes’ presence remains, "just outside the door," no matter how long he has been dead.
  • Memorable closing thought:
    “No matter how long nor how dead he was, he will always be just outside the door.” (47:08)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "He’s been as much alive to me as he has been dead... So seeing his lifeless body was incredibly sobering. In one second he went from this powerful omnipresent presence to just dead." – Josh Hallmark (07:29)
• "I'd rather read chaotic nonsense than absolute lifeless tedium." – Josh Hallmark, on the Kellerman book (09:06)
• "You can't just... kid can’t have a day like that anywhere except Alaska." – From Sarah Keyes' journal, read by Law Enforcement (16:32)
• "I would use the Internet or phone books to get lists of phone numbers and I would rate the phone numbers and then I would just, you know, when I got to whatever area that I was going to do it in, I just call down the list of numbers until I got a hit on one." – Israel Keyes on his process for contacting escorts (25:00)
• "I go like a year obsessed with one thing and then completely drop it. And then the next year it’s something else." – Israel Keyes, on shifting criminal interests (23:09)
• "All four of these highlighted areas have come up in our investigation into Keyes." – Josh Hallmark, on the map highlights (36:59)
• "No matter how long nor how dead he was, he will always be just outside the door." – Josh Hallmark (47:08)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:46 | Opening reflections: seeing Keyes’ body, personal impact of nine years investigating | | 07:29 | Emotional resonance of seeing Keyes’ death photos, transitioning to detailed evidence | | 08:40 | Introduction of previously unseen items and FBI evidence from Keyes’ arrest | | 13:29 | Detailed discussion of car artifacts: tools, digital memory cards, clothing | | 14:40 | Law enforcement interview and analysis of Sarah Keyes’ journal | | 17:38 | Insights from Sarah’s entries, filling gaps in Keyes' known activities | | 18:58 | Keyes’ Walmart trip and cash purchases, tying artifacts to potential crimes | | 21:52 | Extended interview with Keyes about escort processes, shifting obsessions | | 25:00 | Keyes outlines system for contacting and rating escorts (key process insight) | | 33:04 | Map discovery: highlighted routes, implications for investigation | | 36:59 | Analysis of specific highlighted areas and correlation with cold case locations | | 40:19 | Confirmation of Keyes’ military stints and implied travel windows | | 41:35 | Revelation of Keyes’ online comment activities | | 44:55 | Reflection on reviewing Keyes’ prison time and death investigation files | | 47:08 | Concluding thoughts on Keyes’ persistent, haunting presence in the investigation |

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Summary Takeaways

• The new FBI files and physical evidence challenge previous timelines and victim counts, underscoring the vast and still-uncertain scope of Keyes’ crimes.
• Keyes’ planning was meticulous and wide-ranging, with compelling connections to missing person cases in multiple states, revealed by tangible artifacts such as maps and receipts.
• Despite his death, Israel Keyes remains a psychologically pervasive and confounding figure for those who continue to investigate him.
• The episode sets up deeper explorations for the remainder of the season, promising further revelations as documents are scrutinized and new evidence is unearthed.

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Listen for:

• Deep-dive narrative and personal reflections from host Josh Hallmark.
• Chilling audio from Keyes and investigators, revealing both method and mindset.
• Contextual documentation analysis often overlooked in standard true crime narratives.

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For more in-depth exploration and to support the investigation, visit patreon.com/studiobothand.

Transcript

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Consider supporting studio both and on Patreon. Patrons have access to ad free and early episodes, bonus content file access, event discounts and more. And all Patreon support goes directly into our investigations. To support the show go to patreon.com studiobothand. This is a studio both and production. This past spring marked nine years that I've been working on this podcast. Nine years that Israel Keys has been living rent free in my head. Nine years of living inside Keys life posthumously. So when we received over 1000 new documents directly linked to his case, I found myself completely dumbfounded when one of the first images I clicked on was of Israel Keyes dead body laying face down in his prison cell bed. This is true crime bullshit. The Serial Investigation into Israel Keyes Season 7 Episode 1 the Death and Life of Israel Keyes. Obviously Keyes has been very much dead throughout the making of this podcast and my awareness of an investigation into him and his crimes. But he's also been very much alive in all the work we've done, the conversations we've had, the time we've devoted to his case. He's been a ghost living in the walls of my home and office, sitting next to me on long flights to Anchorage, Seattle, Los Angeles and so on. He's been as much alive to me as he has been dead. So seeing his lifeless body was incredibly sobering. In one second he went from this powerful omnipresent presence to just dead. I don't know that I can properly articulate how impactful that was. But much like his confession of killing the couriers, it's likely something that will stick with me for the rest of my life. And as impactful as it was, I eventually had to just keep clicking, clicking on more images. Photos of his cell, photos full of blood, more photos of Keyes body, photos of his other bloody finger painting, photos of his keepsakes, and photos of photos he'd thrown away. The whole experience very much reframed a lot of what I thought or felt about Israel Key. Simultaneously, these files gave us so much new information about Keyes. Information with very significant investigative value. Chief amongst those new files were the investigation into Keyes death by suicide and Keyes arrest and post arrest files, photos and videos. In this episode I'll be detailing the contents of Keyes's arrest and post arrest reports which are significant. But I want to start with one of the last notations in that post arrest report which was a report created by the FBI and submitted to the arresting officers with the Texas Rangers. That notation reads Detective Bell stated Keyes was a serial killer responsible for the murder of at least 11 people in multiple states over a 14 year period. This report is dated July 25, 2013, eight months after Keyes died by suicide. And it's in stark contrast to what Agent Halla stated in our discussions last year. Halle told me that the FBI believed that Keyes had likely only killed 11 people in the US and that they believed his first murder was in 2001, 11 years before his arrest. But according to Bell, at the close of their investigation into Keyes, Keyes first murder would have been in 1998 and not 2001. And they believed Keyes killed at least 11 people rather than at most. In this File There are two arrest videos and more than 240 photos taken at the scene of his arrest and in the following hours. The majority of these are items seized from his rental car. Now obviously we've gone over the FBI's list of these items several times now, so I'm not going to relist those items. But what I am going to do is go over items that never appeared on that list and provide some much needed context or follow up to certain items included on that list. The first few items are, in my opinion, as of now, of least an empty diet Dr. Pepper bottle found in the back of his trunk an Avis map of the Las Vegas metro area and most of the United States West Coast a collection of DVDs including the following horror the Strangers, Cloverfield, Terista, Slither, Cry Wolf, the Return, Queen of the Damned, Gothika, Dreamcatcher, Ghost ship, wrong turn, 1, 2, and 3 and altered and then there was a copy of the book Bones by Jonathan Kellerman. And this book has made me reevaluate my harsh stance on our good friend Dean Koontz because it is absolutely the most boring book I have ever tried to read. I'd rather read chaotic nonsense than absolute lifeless tedium. In fact, I only made it to page 24 before passing it off to our beleaguered intern to read. They spent about a day highlighting areas of interest and ultimately only one thing stood out, a reference to a location in Los Angeles, which we'll dive into shortly. 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[Bowen Yang]

The photos of items seized from Keys's rental car also included a drill, his police scanner, 12 different memory cards for a digital camera. Other than photos of a trip to the zoo and from Keys's sister's wedding, it's unclear what else was on these memory cards. An active SI belt, which Google tells me is a supportive brace worn around the pelvis to alleviate sacroiliac joint pain by providing comprehensive support and stability to the pelvic girdle. The clothing Keys wore during his cross country ATM withdrawals, which it turns out are the same clothes he wore during the Azle bank robbery during his trip to Texas a month prior. And those included specifically demarini batting gloves, a hoodie, Winchester amber shooting glasses, a cutoff shirt sleeve used as a mask, and a ski mask. And all of these will become more relevant as we make our way through the season. And then there was Sarah's journal.

[Investigator]

Lauren's your only kid?

[Bowen Yang]

Yep.

[Investigator]

From what I understand, talking to folks that's talked to her, she's pretty sure. And she goes to public school?

[Israel Keyes]

Yep.

[Investigator]

What grade did you say she was in?

[Israel Keyes]

Fourth.

[Investigator]

Does she write journals because she wants to, or is that something that she does on her own? Is that a part of a school assignment?

[Israel Keyes]

Not really.

[Investigator]

She just does it because she enjoys it.

[Israel Keyes]

Yeah, she, you know, needs a little coaxing.

[Investigator]

Do you encourage her to write in the journal?

[Israel Keyes]

Yeah, her teacher does, too.

[Investigator]

What's your teacher think about her.

[Israel Keyes]

Teacher'S pet? Oh, really? Yeah.

[Investigator]

What she want to do? What does she want to do when she gets out of school?

[Israel Keyes]

I don't know if she. She thinks that for him.

[Investigator]

I know a lot of girls want to be nurses and teachers and.

[Israel Keyes]

Yeah, I don't know. She talks about a lot of different stuff, but.

[Investigator]

Yeah, she does. Does she like living in Alaska?

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah.

[Investigator]

I know she likes animals. You know, we've talked to. I haven't personally talked to. I mean, they've shared with me other investigators have. About her journals and her poems that she puts in her journals and things like that. I did bring a part of her journal I wanted you to look at, if you wouldn't mind. It's something she wrote in her journal. I'll show it to you.

[Israel Keyes]

You took her journal from her?

[Investigator]

No. We got a search warrant on the car and there was a journal in the car. This ain't got nothing to do with the crime that you're accused of. It's just something that I want you to see. I don't know if you've ever seen this, but I thought you might enjoy it. Can you read that? You can't just Kid can't have a day like that anywhere except Alaska. They don't have noose that runs around in Texas. I also brought you something that you're welcome to keep. You can have both of them if you want them.

[Israel Keyes]

If they'll let you have.

[Investigator]

If not, we'll put them in your property.

[Israel Keyes]

That's fine. Either way.

[Bowen Yang]

I need to be clear that Sarah's journal does not provide any shut and closed evidence. What it does provide, though, are clues about her relationship with her father and time she spent with and away from him. As an example, on Monday, October 17th of 2011, she wrote about how great her previous weekend had been that she and her father spent Friday working together on a house. On Saturday they cleaned her bedroom together, and on Sunday she spent the day at someone's house that she'd only met once before. It's unclear if Keyes was with her or not, but that night she wrote that she and her dad ate pizza and watched football together. And this seemingly innocuous entry adds three days to our calendar where Keyes was previously unaccounted for October 14th, 15th and 16th of 2011. Those three days happened to narrow the scope on when he was in the Northeast that month while working on the Sugar Shack in Maine. It's something we'll explore more deeply later this season. Along with other entries in Sarah's journal, the final five items to discuss were critical items that gave us new information about previous information, items that gave us clear insight into Keyes plans for that March 2012 trip and where he'd likely been prior, and new maps that would both reaffirm old ideas and theories and provide new information about Keyes's travels. First were a pair of sweatpants with what appears to be blood stains running down the right leg. Next was the actual printed receipt from Keyes. February 17, 2012 Trip to the Walmart in Jacksonville, Texas, a Walmart I visited over the spring while in Texas and Louisiana. This is the trip where Keyes purchased a folding shovel, air freshener and lube while on his way from Dallas to the Houston airport. This was just two days after Jimmy Tidwell was last seen, and one day following the Azel robbery and Alito arson. You'll recall that not only was Sarah with him at the time of the transaction, but actually in the store and seen on surveillance. And immediately after this purchase, Sarah Keyes used $500 in cash to buy a Walmart prepaid card. As you may also remember, this Walmart is just a 45 minute drive from where Jimmy Tidwell's truck was recovered days later. The new files also included photos of these items which were recovered from Keyes's rental car. And those photos confirm that the lube was not personal lube. It was super tech lubricant, which I'm told is similar to WD40. The third item was a photo of the two porn DVDs found in the rental. Full Service Transsexuals, Volume 2 and Combat Zone. We've known about these DVDs since my initial receipt of the FBI FOIA. However, another item found in Keyes backpack provided some additional context to those DVDs. Folded up in that same DVD travel case was a photo of a woman. The FBI files mentioned this, but didn't provide some very critical information. And for the longest time we just assumed it was a photo of Tammy. The FBI files said wallet, photo of black woman, handwriting on the back. However, these new files included a copy of that photo as well as new information about it. The photo is actually a printed out picture which Keys had downloaded from an email. The black woman in it is in lingerie, leaning over a desk. She's clearly in her 20s. And according to the attached report, she's a trans woman. And on the back of that printout, Keys had written three numbers.

[Israel Keyes]

On the one on the prostitutes, on prostitution, was there a preference on gender? Always is there. Did you have. Did you see male prostitutes? No. Well, no. Kind of male prostitutes. I was gonna say. You get really fuzzy on your definitions. I forgot how somatic you could be. Half male.

[Interviewer]

That's one way to say it. Are you thinking or are you just.

[Bowen Yang]

You're done with that?

[Israel Keyes]

Are you expecting an answer on that? No, for the most part. As female prostitutes. Sounds like a yes to me. For the most part, yeah. Well, I'm sure you guys found my porn collection, so. You know, I have a wide range of tastes and it just varies.

[Interviewer]

Okay.

[Israel Keyes]

It's. That's the way I am. I go like a year obsessed with one thing and then completely drop it. And then the next year it's something else.

[Interviewer]

And the prostitution thing played that same. Played along that same thing.

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah.

[Israel Keyes]

I mean, yeah.

[Interviewer]

Visiting prostitutes, is that something that you've continued to do? Over the years. Including in Anchorage.

[Israel Keyes]

Yeah, I mean, I've done it over the years. That's something I do all the time.

[Interviewer]

Okay. Is it something when you. Is it something that you use the Internet for? Is it something you do out to the street? I know there's not a lot of streetwalkers anymore. At least up here there are.

[Israel Keyes]

Thanks to Craigslist.

[Interviewer]

Yep, Craigslist and Backpage and a few others.

[Investigator]

But.

[Interviewer]

Is Internet the way that you would usually find them or how would you.

[Israel Keyes]

No, that was. I mean, really, I've only used computers for the last few years. I was always. Seems like every time I use computers, I get busted, so bye. By somebody who wasn't supposed to see it. Put it that way. You didn't figure out how to clear your history? Well, I got better at it, but I was so paranoid about it because it seems like damn thing would always pop up inopportune moments.

[Interviewer]

Did Kimberly ever see that stuff?

[Israel Keyes]

Oh, yeah, she saw stuff. Yeah. We were together for a long time, so she saw. I made my share of mistakes.

[Interviewer]

Which websites did you use the most? You mentioned Craigslist. That's the most popular, I think.

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah.

[Israel Keyes]

I would use. I would use the Internet or phone books to get lists of phone numbers and I would rate the phone numbers and then I would just, you know, when I got to whatever area that I was going to do it in, I just call down the list of numbers until I got a hit on one.

[Interviewer]

How would you rate it?

[Bowen Yang]

What was the.

[Israel Keyes]

I would rate it just based on. The vibe I got off of the ad or the description online. And then, you know, usually only about 25% of the numbers work. So I'd write down a lot of different numbers.

[Interviewer]

So would you actually call and talk to somebody and see what they had to say? And that would be part of the rating too?

[Bowen Yang]

Yeah.

[Dan Morgan]

Okay.

[Interviewer]

So with that in mind.

[Israel Keyes]

The.

[Interviewer]

Rating thing, how many facts this means.

[Israel Keyes]

We figured it out.

[Interviewer]

That look familiar?

[Israel Keyes]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Is that what that is, the 1, 2, 3 rating system? Because we know that those are numbers and we know what those are numbers too, but. Okay, that makes sense what you're talking about with a rating system then. Did you call any of these?

[Israel Keyes]

No, I don't think so.

[Interviewer]

Because this was from your trip.

[Israel Keyes]

Well, it was in the car.

[Interviewer]

It was in the car. So it was on that when you're.

[Israel Keyes]

When you were arrested.

[Bowen Yang]

Right.

[Israel Keyes]

That wasn't a for sure thing. That was just one of those things. If I had had the opportunity to go up there, I would have gone. It's not like I was gonna go for sure.

[Bowen Yang]

Luckily for us, those numbers weren't redacted in the files. I tried calling and got disconnected or wrong numbers, but what we did have were area codes. And these numbers were for phone numbers in central Tennessee, including Nashville and areas just north of Route 412, northern Louisiana, including Shriveport and Houston, Texas. As Keys mentioned, each of these phone numbers included a rating. Central Tennessee was rated 11, Northern Louisiana was rated 3 and Houston was rated 2. And the thing is, all three of these areas are quite telling based on what we know about Keys and some of the research and theories we've developed over time. To start Based on the three NamUs 45 cases along Route 412 in Tennessee, Holly Bobo, Amber Cates, and Bethany Markowski, we've long suspected that Keyes was active in that area. And we can place Keyes in Louisiana at least three different times between 2008 and 2012. And we now know he not only staked out southern Louisiana quite methodically, but he also hid at least one cache there. Northern Louisiana and Shreveport in particular are directly en route from Dallas and Lufkin to central Tennessee. We've gathered several tips placing Keys in southern Missouri and western Arkansas between 2006 and 2008. We'll get into this later this season. And most compelling is that Keyes seemed to be looking for a black trans woman, specifically at that time. And we know that Based on the Namus 45, Keyes had photos of the Live Oak Doe on his computer. The Live Oak Doe was a black trans woman found on Live Oak street in Houston, Texas in 1986. Clearly, Keyes was not responsible for her death. He was 8 at the time of her recovery. But it seems very likely that Keyes was searching for dead black trans women in Houston, Texas, while he was in Texas with a list of black trans escorts with him. Now, I know we don't necessarily have to parse any of Keyes statements. He's careful with his words and constantly tries to misdirect through semantics. But we do not know for sure that Keyes didn't have this list on his previous trip to Texas. There were other items found on him from that trip, including the Jacksonville Walmart receipt, cash from the Azle bank robbery, and so on. Second to that, if Keyes was merely looking to have sex with an escort and not actually kill someone, why would he need to drive upwards of three hours to Shreveport or further to Nashville, when Dallas and Houston are much larger cities with presumably many more sex workers?

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[Podcast Host]

I've got Dan Morgan here on the pod.

[LifeLock Advertiser]

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[Dan Morgan]

Hey, how's it going today?

[Podcast Host]

It's going good, man. Tell us who you are and what you do.

[Dan Morgan]

I'm Dan Morgan. I'm an attorney and a managing partner at Morgan and Morgan, which is America's largest injury law firm.

[Podcast Host]

That's pretty awesome. I think I saw a billboard of yours recently that said 20 billion. 120 billion is an insane number.

[Dan Morgan]

Yeah, 20 billion recovered. It's actually, I think somewhere north, probably closer to 22, 23 after this year. And each year we get bigger and badder and our army grows. So the number will hopefully keep getting bigger and bigger as time goes on.

[Podcast Host]

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[Bowen Yang]

What?

[Podcast Host]

What would I do if I got into an accident?

[Dan Morgan]

Probably the easiest way is dialing pound law. That's £529 from your cell phone. We are always open. Our call center is always waiting to take your call. 247 365.

[Bowen Yang]

Wow.

[Podcast Host]

Dan Morgan from Morgan and Morgan, America's largest injury law firm. Thanks for coming by the show.

[Dan Morgan]

Thanks for having me. Visit forthepeople.com for an office near you.

[Bowen Yang]

The final item of significance to us was a second map.

[Israel Keyes]

Any X's on them anywhere? Anything?

[Bowen Yang]

No.

[Matt Rogers]

Highlight.

[Interviewer]

Maps either.

[Israel Keyes]

The only map you found that had highlighting on it.

[LifeLock Advertiser]

I didn't believe highlighting.

[Israel Keyes]

Who did the highlighting on that one?

[Bowen Yang]

I don't know.

[Israel Keyes]

I just found that map.

[Bowen Yang]

What about the map that when you.

[Israel Keyes]

I think there was one in the car. It was highlighted when I was arrested. Yeah. Yeah, but I didn't do the highlighting on. That's all I'm saying. I know that's what they were thinking.

[Interviewer]

Well, it was the interstate that was highlighted and.

[Bowen Yang]

Right.

[Interviewer]

You don't seem to really be an interstate kind of person.

[Israel Keyes]

No, that's just.

[Bowen Yang]

In keys rental car, Texas Rangers and the FBI found a folded up AAA Western States and provinces map. One side featured California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and part of Colorado. The other side featured Washington, Oregon, Idaho and parts of Montana, Wyoming, British Columbia and Alberta. And this fairly well worn map was marked specifically there were routes and different cities and locations highlighted in pink and yellow. Now according to Keyes in that audio you just heard, he isn't the one who might marked up this map. According to Keyes, the highlighting was there when he found it. However, there are a few links to Keyes that may escape even the keenest of eyes. For example, one route that's highlighted is from Port Angeles to Los Angeles, a route we know that Keyes had driven. Another highlighted route is Salt Lake City to Rock Springs, Wyoming. Another route we know that Keyes had driven. Now, before we get into what else was highlighted, it's worth noting that in addition to the highlights added to it, the map was manufactured with certain areas highlighted in orange, yellow and green. Generally urban areas, forested areas. And in some cases it was nearly impossible to determine whether some of those highlights were original to the map or were added. But the pink highlights were clear. On the Washington state side, Interstate 5 was highlighted from Port Angeles to Redding, California. And on the reverse side, Interstate 5 was highlighted from Redding, California to Inglewood, California, which is just outside of LA. There was one other section where it was to close clear that highlights had been added. Utah and Wyoming. Someone highlighted from the Salt Lake City Airport through Green river to Rock Springs, Wyoming. And then curiously, just south of Rock Springs, that person highlighted the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. It's a reservoir we've mentioned before that spans from Green River, Wyoming south into Utah. It's a location we've long agreed is the most likely site of the Green river cache. It's also where a motel worker told me that she saw the FBI searching back in 2012 or 2013. And there it was highlighted on a map found in Israel Keys rental car. As for the remaining highlights on the map, the researchers and I were stumped. So I started mining the Internet trying to find this specific edition of this specific AAA map. And after a few weeks it arrived in my. In addition to the Port Angeles to Inglewood and the Salt Lake City to Rock Springs, highlights were the following, which had been added after the map was Port Angeles, Washington, Eugene, Oregon, Medford, Oregon and Los Angeles, California. Riverside, California and Las Vegas, Nevada are two ambiguous spots where the highlighting on Keyes map appears to be larger and or differently shaped than the highlighting on the original. But it's unclear if those were added or not. And much like Flaming Gorge, all four of these highlighted areas have come up in our investigation into Keyes. Keyes obviously spent a lot of time in Port Angeles and buried at least one cache there. Although Hala believes there are likely two caches in Port Port Angeles. Eugene, Oregon is where Wendy de Hoop was last seen. However, Hala believes it would be very challenging but not impossible for Keyes to have been involved in Wendy's disappearance. Eugene is also the last known location of Kevin Scott Nordquist, who disappeared just 12 hours after Keyes checked out of a motel two hours away in Gresham, Oregon. Medford, Oregon is just 14 miles from where Celia Darlene Barnes disappeared While hiking on September 1st of 2002, a date Keyes cannot be accounted for. Los Angeles is a place Keyes traveled at least six different times between 2000 and 2012. It also comes up in that terribly boring book, Bones, where they discuss the best place to bury someone in urban la. More on that later. And nearby in Riverside county, we have the Lake Paris and potential cache sighting, the disappearance of Donald Tobin and the Namus 45 missing person, Christine Nicole Hamilton. Now, there is one caveat, and it's a big one. There is, of course, the possibility that Kim highlighted this map. She did, after all, work in Rock Springs on occasion. But for all of Kim's travels, we have no record of her ever going to Medford, Eugene, or taking road trips from Port Angeles to la or vice versa. Also, why would Kim highlight Flaming Gorge Reservoir? And why would Keys be so cagey about just saying that he found it somewhere rather than Kim loaned it to him? In addition to the map, there were other little tidbits of new information. Some that confirmed tips we've received over time, others that answered small and maybe inconsequential questions we've had over the years, and some that expanded research avenues we've already gone long down. For example, we can now confirm the tip that Keyes trained at the Fort Hood and Fort Irwin military bases in Killeen, Texas and Barstow, California, respectively.

[Israel Keyes]

What year did you go in the army? Either 99 or 2000. I don't remember. Had to be 99 or 98.

[Investigator]

I don't know. How did it happen?

[Israel Keyes]

How do you go in the Army? I got tired of living on the farm.

[Investigator]

Well, I mean, did you see a commercial on TV or.

[Bowen Yang]

No.

[Israel Keyes]

I'd always wanted to go in the Army.

[Bowen Yang]

What was.

[Investigator]

What attracted you to the Army?

[Israel Keyes]

I'd read World War II books from the time I could read and thought it was all so great and wanted to go. How long did you serve? Just three years.

[Bowen Yang]

Three years.

[Israel Keyes]

Whereabouts did you serve? I was stationed in Fort Lewis, Washington. I did training missions down here in Fort Hood and Fort Irwin in California. Six months in Egypt. That was pretty much it.

[Bowen Yang]

We also found that Keyes told the FBI that he used the screen name. Is it to not only argue politics with people online but to comment on disappearances that he was responsible for. Comments we've yet to find. Yet. And confirmation that Sarah was asleep in the backseat of his rental car when Keys used Samantha's ATM card while en route from Vegas to Texas and during other criminal activity on that same trip.

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[Podcast Host]

I've got Dan Morgan here on the pod.

[LifeLock Advertiser]

Say hi Dan.

[Bowen Yang]

Hey.

[Dan Morgan]

How's it going today?

[Podcast Host]

It's going good, man. Tell us who you are and what you do.

[Dan Morgan]

I'm Dan Morgan. I'm an attorney and a managing partner at Morgan and Morgan is which. Which is America's largest injury law firm.

[Podcast Host]

That's pretty awesome. I think I saw a billboard of yours recently that said 20 billion won. 20 billion is an insane number.

[Dan Morgan]

Yeah, 20 billion recovered. It's actually, I think somewhere north. Probably closer to 22, 23 after this year. And each year we get bigger and badder and our army grows. So the number will hopefully keep getting bigger and bigger as time goes on. Awesome.

[Podcast Host]

So how does someone get in contact with Morgan and Morgan? What would I do if I got into an accident?

[Dan Morgan]

Probably the easiest way is dialing pound law. That's £529 from your cell phone. We are always open. Our call center is always waiting to take your call. 247 365.

[Bowen Yang]

Wow.

[Podcast Host]

Dan Morgan from Morgan and Morgan, America's large injury law firm. Thanks for coming by the show.

[Dan Morgan]

Thanks for having me. Visit forthepeople.com for an office near.

[Bowen Yang]

After hours of poring over the Keyes post arrest files, I went back to the death investigation files. A long report and interviews detailing exactly how Keyes died and how exactly it was able to happen. I flipped through photos. His head, his hands covered in blood, caracol, other writings I'd never seen or heard of before, his cell and final moments. From all angles. I learned about his time in prison, how he spent his days leading up to his death, what he had access to, what he didn't. And all this new information. The things we've barely skimmed over today, things Halla told me that we haven't released yet, things I learned on my trips to Texas and Louisiana. It all started to come together in a single frame. The death and life of Israel Keyes. Over the next few months, I talked to new witnesses, old friends of Keyes, cops, other investigators, former FBI agents and sources close to the Keyes family. I'd receive and go through thousands of pages of missing persons files. And I'd spend hours with the team with Somewhere in the Pines going over everything. By late summer, the life and death of Israel Keys was more visible and made more sense than ever before. And it was clear that no matter how long nor how dead he was, he will always be just outside the door.

[Israel Keyes]

Please excuse me, but I got to ask. I only be nice because you want something my Fairtail Arab princess. Be careful how you respond cause you are in love and this song I never gave you an encouragement. And it's still the end to the.

[Bowen Yang]

End to the end. This episode was written, researched, edited and produced by me, josh hallmark with additional research by jordan taylor, shayna walensky and michelle tooker. This episode was made possible by the following patreon producers amy basil, kendall c, heather horton, weed and sherry dee, dale axton, stephanie taylor, lydia rodarte, quayle, shelley, drew vipond, amelia hancock, christina sisson, nicole and dennis henry, gillian natale, lana holiday, Tuesday woodworth, zach ignatowitz, warren kathleen studer, annette l, casey jensen richardson sc benjamin chopa, fong, trista, nicole, ash fish, becky c, pink, jen j, corey deatley, robyn carol, lisa jordan m. Kate luzier, john comrie, kathy nation, carrie jordan tea, bethany heinz, lauren ferry, emily payne, tori meyers, sabrina abbott, megan inman, ashley kupin, michael randall and duane c. Thank you to true crime bullshit's newest patreon supporters, david b, suzanne c, chris, ashley k, vicky v, billy j, evan a, colin a, karen o, helen r, melissa m, claire s, sarah p, kristen g, carla l, jared w, amanda b, db, margaret s, brie charles wm, jill r, laura w, jeannie m, rachel s, rihanna, laurie and daughter of delos to support the investigation, go to patreon.comstudiobothand this episode included music by howling at the moon odyssey, lee rosevir, josek, sergei cheremisinov, dawn of a new era, a life in the day and radical face with featured music by tom york.

[Israel Keyes]

Is do me. The more you try to erase me the more the more the more I oh the more the the more the more I try to.

[Investigator]

You.

[Matt Rogers]

This is Matt Rogers from Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang.

[Bowen Yang]

This is Bowen Yang from Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang.

[Matt Rogers]

Hey, Bowen. It's gift season.

[Bowen Yang]

Ugh. Stressing me out.

[Matt Rogers]

Why are the people I love so.

[Bowen Yang]

Hard to shop for?

[Matt Rogers]

Probably because they only make BO boring gift guides that are totally uninspired. Except for the guide we made in.

[Bowen Yang]

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[Matt Rogers]

It's giving gifts with categories like Best Gifts for the mom Whose idea of a sensible walking shoe is a stiletto.

[Bowen Yang]

Or Best Gifts for Me that were so thoughtful I really shouldn't have.

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Check out the guide on marshalls.com and.

[Bowen Yang]

Gift the Good stuff at Marshalls.

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