The FBI released a long-awaited note Wednesday which was found in admitted serial killer Israel Keyes’ Anchorage jail cell after his Dec. 2 suicide, although it apparently didn’t contain any immediate clues to further crimes he may have committed.
In a statement accompanying the note, FBI spokesperson Eric Gonzalez says the notes were discovered beneath Keyes’ body, soaked in blood. There is no indication as to when the notes were written, but Gonzales says the writings are believed to be Keyes’ last.
"As far as we know, (they are) his last writings, his last thoughts," Gonzalez said.
Authorities say Keyes was found dead after his wrist was slit with a razor and after he apparently choked himself with a bedsheet.
“Because of their initial condition, the writings were sent to the FBI laboratory in Virginia for processing,” Gonzalez said in a press statement. “The FBI laboratory was able to restore the notes to a condition that allowed for their review and analysis.”
According to the FBI, the note contained "no hidden code or message," according to the agency's analysis.
"There were no investigative leads. We'll let people draw their own conclusions as to the meanings of his writings,” Gonzalez said in an interview with Channel 2 Wednesday. “But at this point, we're releasing them. There's nothing else to follow up as far as anything he may have written down.”
The FBI had hoped the notes contained a message regarding the identity of other possible victims. Gonzalez said the FBI believes Keyes may be responsible for as many as 11 deaths across the U.S.
The FBI investigation is moving forward with the help of state and local agencies across the nation, which are all working to identify any other potential victims.
The four-page handwritten note was etched in cursive using a pencil and ink on a yellow legal pad, according to the FBI's analysis. The notes are written both horizontally and vertically in the margins on one of the four pages.
Nowhere in the writings did Keyes express remorse for any of his admitted crimes.
Gonzalez says the agency is planning to post Keyes' writings on the FBI's website, but won’t offer any comments or speculation on their meanings.
Editor's note: A previous PDF link to Keyes' writings has been removed from this story. Channel 2 News Director Tracy Sabo issued this statement today:
"Since the arrest of Israel Keyes, Channel 2 News has published many police reports, court documents, and recorded interviews related to the case. Our journalistic protocol has been clear in determining which documents are published on any Channel 2 News platform. In regards to the Keyes case, if authorities have found value in the public release of any of the suspect's statements, specifically in the effort identify potential victims or solve any crimes, those statements have been and will be published by Channel 2 News. The letter written by Israel Keyes and released today by the FBI does not that meet that same journalistic standard. The decision against publication is based on the FBI's own stated description and Channel 2 News' review of these writings. For this reason, Channel 2 News will not publish the most recently released writings of Israel Keyes. Channel 2 News' journalistic obligation to media transparency is not defined as a public platform from which criminal suspects or suicide victims be allowed to share the breadth of their thoughts with the public."
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