Last Known Contact
Israel Keyes and Missing Persons Info
What is the "NamUs 44," anyway?
When the FBI searched Israel Keyes's home in Anchorage, AK, they took possession of a computer hard drive that contained more than 13,000 photographs of people. To identify the subjects, the Forensic Audio, Video and Image Analysis Unit (a part of the Digital Evidence Laboratory) ran the images through facial recognition software that grouped them according to various features (hair color, facial structure, and other attributes). The process is described in Part 07 of 08 in the FBI Vault, starting on page 355. The FBI Vault is free to access and does not require registration. Investigators determined that 520 different people were pictured. Representative images were cross-referenced with visually similar subjects in the NamUs (National Missing and Unidentified Persons System) photographic database on October 25, 2012. They identified 62 matches representing a total of 44 different people. The people on this list are collectively referred to as "the NamUs 44."
Why did he have these pictures?
The photographs were downloaded from the internet, and the majority of them (38) were identical to pictures featured on the subjects' "Missing Person" flyers. It's unclear whether or not Keyes intended to save them to his hard drive. On the FBI's Kidnappings & Missing Persons page, clicking on a picture of someone's "Missing Person" flyer will trigger an automatic download of that file. It is entirely possible that he was clicking on pictures aimlessly (he admitted that he often cruised the internet when he had been drinking heavily). Two of the people on this list were clearly not randomly included. They disappeared at the same time as one another, in June of 2011, from Essex Junction, VT. Their names were William and Lorraine Currier. After his arrest, Keyes confessed to their murders.
Is this a list of his potential victims?
No. Israel Keyes is not believed to be involved in most of these cases. Daniel Barter disappeared 19 years before Keyes was born; Chioma Gray and Georgina DeJesus were both found alive and returned to their families; and he has been officially ruled out in most of the others. Some of the cases have been solved. Others cannot officially be classified as "solved" because the presumed murderers are deceased, which means a trial will not take place (and in the absence of a conviction, all are presumed innocent in a court of law). Several investigations have uncovered strong circumstantial links to likely suspects. Many of the cases remain open to this day.
If they aren't his victims, what is their significance?
Keyes admitted to following his own crimes and searching for information about his victims online. Instead of typing in their names, he is believed to have used other search criteria such as date, location, physical description, or other details. It is worth noting that of the 44 people on this list, eight of them disappeared along with at least one other person. NamUs also allows users to search by reference number (a 1-5 digit number preceded by "MP" for "Missing Person" or "UP" for "Unidentified Person"), and several of the people on this list have strikingly similar reference numbers... but changing even one digit will yield drastically different results.
Where were they last seen?
Our researchers created a NamUs 44 Map showing the last known whereabouts, as precisely as we have been able to determine, for 47 individuals (all of the NamUs 44, one person whose picture was mistakenly attributed to one of the original 44, and two additional Keyes victims publicly acknowledged by the FBI). It was created using information that is available for free to the general public. We are publishing this map for research and discussion purposes only. It should not be considered a definitive resource, as the materials consulted are neither exhaustive nor individually vetted, and our case summaries include speculation by the authors. We urge you quite strongly to do your own research rather than accepting others' conjecture as fact.
What can I do to help?
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT ANYONE personally affected by these cases; it is essential that we respect their right to privacy. It is our hope that sharing the most accurate information available could ultimately lead to answers for their families. If you have information that could potentially help in an investigation, however insignificant it may seem, please contact the proper authorities, not civilian podcasters or journalists. If you find errors in this map, please contact the owner: lastknowncontact@gmail.com.