We will say that it was not acquired via FOIA but we've agreed not to disclose our source in an effort to shield the family from having it wind up on the internet.
Interesting. I do find it intriguing how much access you have gotten, even Deviant Podcast and the 2 guys from Somewhere in the Pines Podcast vs Josh Hallmark that seems to either burn bridges or avoid gaining actual facts on Keyes
There may be a difference in focus - although we have a podcast we do not think of ourselves as "podcasters," who need to complete season after season of "marketable product".
Thank you for this and thank you Steve Reyburn! I was wondering, and maybe you know or could find an opportunity to ask if not….but I’m wondering, did anybody in law enforcement call the phone numbers for the escorts in Louisiana? I don’t recall ever seeing if somebody followed up with them to see if they were OK or if they had heard from Keyes or had any information that might help the investigation. I’d also like to confirm what part of Louisiana they were located in, as it might shed some light as to where he was headed that morning.
It was interesting to see confirmation that Keyes swapped the rental car. I have always surmised that if he did swap it, he could have purposefully requested a white Ford focus both in the beginning and when swapping it. With his extensive history of renting vehicles, maybe he knew that was a common available model. In case it was seen on camera, it wouldn’t stand out as much. When swapping it, he may have requested another white Ford focus because of the fact it would have different plates, just in case his previous rental car plates had been spotted or caught on camera, or maybe he knew that the Texas police wouldn’t be looking for a car with Texas plates. But he would not have wanted his daughter or family to realize he had swapped his car, I’m guessing - so that might explain why he swapped it for the exact same model.
If you do get a chance to talk to the FBI or the Anchorage police, I’m sure you will already do this, but maybe you could get additional confirmation on whether he actually did swap the car for certain. I woke up thinking about this today. There is that huge mileage discrepancy if he did. And the rental agreement that was in the car during the arrest did didn’t they read from it that it was picked up in Las Vegas?
As of right now we consider this confirmed by the Rangers but we will reconfirm with the FBI if they ever get back to us. I don't think the rental agreement was in any of the evidence we've gotten so far.
I feel like somebody read it aloud on camera during the actual arrest footage. It’s been over a year since I watched that so I could be remembering wrong. Thankfully, you have released the whole video as well so I will check it out again later today!
Thank you! I knew it was mentioned in one of the interviews, but for some reason, I thought he had said Shreveport but was second guessing myself on that. Appreciate you clarifying!
If we ever get ahold of the FBI (we've been trying to get a call or email back for some time) we'll definitely ask if they tracked those numbers down. Given the nature of sex work, the connection between the area codes and an actual locality is tenuous at best - there's a tendency to move between areas to reduce the chances of arrest.
It would be interesting to know if any of that information is in the unreleased interrogations. You may be right about the rental car, although it's also possible that's the only car that was available to swap.
This is what I like about your work, fact based and not giving violent criminals a celebrity status, but pure documentation and research. As for the author attempting to insult Mr. Rayburn's hat, I come from the South, my grandfather was a police officer, and while he never got to wear his hat to work, he certainly loved wearing it for style off duty! Was even buried in his Western cowboy bolo tie not a traditional tie. This interview was very informative. I do worry about the reference to making Keyes case into a mini series; these shows where they hire handsome actors to portray disgusting demented criminals is irresponsible. Some people cannot decipher between comic book villains and real life evil. If there is a show sensationalizing Keyes, I do not think I will watch it, I prefer documentary style. Keyes looked like a cross between Beavis and the scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz, he was both terrifying and cruel, I hope he does not get portrayed like a rock star as so many other gross criminals have. I hope to hear more from Mr. Rayburn if he ever feels comfortable sharing an interview in a podcast.
We've seen some of that in the comments section on our youtube channel and we find it very disturbing too. People talking about psychopaths like they're basketball players or comic book villains like you put it.
That's why we wanted to interview Mr. Rayburn; the hard work he, Corporal Henry, and everyone else put into catching Keyes helped ensure that Samantha's death saved countless others from a tragic end.
We hope we get to talk to him about how to help keep schools safe; a lot of his career has been focused on that!
Also very interesting that the uniform officer that had driven around the motels the day before, looking for the white Ford Focus, was noticed by Keyes. He must have been used to being on the lookout for cops at all times.
Steve and Bryan and Deb and the whole team who were at the arrest all rockstars. It was the best arrest video I have ever seen. I loved how Bryan told Keyes “these are all undercover cops”. And you see like 8 LEO just surrounding him. Keyes stomach was probably in his mouth. It was so smoothly done. Thank you Steve for giving us better insight into what was going on. And thank you Crime Culture Media for your awesome research in this case. I do hope you’re able to get Mr Rayburn on a podcast. That would be huge! But this interview is an absolute gem!
One thing we noticed that a lot of the YouTube comments seemed to miss is that you see an unmarked car almost immediately before Keyes even exits his vehicle. A Chevy goes by and then circles around and pulls back up maybe 60 seconds later and another officer gets out of it.
Wow, fascinating. Clearly Steve Rayburn is a man of honour. He’s factual and humble and also remembers to credit Corporal Henry (and others) by name. And God. Very rare to see people practice what they preach these days. My respect for the Texas Rangers just grows and grows!
He came across as being very focused on facts and accuracy, and yes, he was very mindful of giving his fellow officers credit. And very friendly; he was a pleasure to chat with.
Interesting you’ve seen the actual ransom photo. Was that contained in the Texas FOIA or somewhere else?
We will say that it was not acquired via FOIA but we've agreed not to disclose our source in an effort to shield the family from having it wind up on the internet.
Interesting. I do find it intriguing how much access you have gotten, even Deviant Podcast and the 2 guys from Somewhere in the Pines Podcast vs Josh Hallmark that seems to either burn bridges or avoid gaining actual facts on Keyes
Thank you! We think our work is the best, too 😉
There may be a difference in focus - although we have a podcast we do not think of ourselves as "podcasters," who need to complete season after season of "marketable product".
Thank you for this and thank you Steve Reyburn! I was wondering, and maybe you know or could find an opportunity to ask if not….but I’m wondering, did anybody in law enforcement call the phone numbers for the escorts in Louisiana? I don’t recall ever seeing if somebody followed up with them to see if they were OK or if they had heard from Keyes or had any information that might help the investigation. I’d also like to confirm what part of Louisiana they were located in, as it might shed some light as to where he was headed that morning.
It was interesting to see confirmation that Keyes swapped the rental car. I have always surmised that if he did swap it, he could have purposefully requested a white Ford focus both in the beginning and when swapping it. With his extensive history of renting vehicles, maybe he knew that was a common available model. In case it was seen on camera, it wouldn’t stand out as much. When swapping it, he may have requested another white Ford focus because of the fact it would have different plates, just in case his previous rental car plates had been spotted or caught on camera, or maybe he knew that the Texas police wouldn’t be looking for a car with Texas plates. But he would not have wanted his daughter or family to realize he had swapped his car, I’m guessing - so that might explain why he swapped it for the exact same model.
If you do get a chance to talk to the FBI or the Anchorage police, I’m sure you will already do this, but maybe you could get additional confirmation on whether he actually did swap the car for certain. I woke up thinking about this today. There is that huge mileage discrepancy if he did. And the rental agreement that was in the car during the arrest did didn’t they read from it that it was picked up in Las Vegas?
As of right now we consider this confirmed by the Rangers but we will reconfirm with the FBI if they ever get back to us. I don't think the rental agreement was in any of the evidence we've gotten so far.
I feel like somebody read it aloud on camera during the actual arrest footage. It’s been over a year since I watched that so I could be remembering wrong. Thankfully, you have released the whole video as well so I will check it out again later today!
He was going to Lafayette, LA by the way... to see the prostitutes.
Thank you! I knew it was mentioned in one of the interviews, but for some reason, I thought he had said Shreveport but was second guessing myself on that. Appreciate you clarifying!
Now that you mention it, I think Shreveport was on his agenda as well.
He changed his mind when he realized that leaving town meant leaving his kid with his mom and the cult she had just joined... the Wells Church.
If we ever get ahold of the FBI (we've been trying to get a call or email back for some time) we'll definitely ask if they tracked those numbers down. Given the nature of sex work, the connection between the area codes and an actual locality is tenuous at best - there's a tendency to move between areas to reduce the chances of arrest.
It would be interesting to know if any of that information is in the unreleased interrogations. You may be right about the rental car, although it's also possible that's the only car that was available to swap.
This is what I like about your work, fact based and not giving violent criminals a celebrity status, but pure documentation and research. As for the author attempting to insult Mr. Rayburn's hat, I come from the South, my grandfather was a police officer, and while he never got to wear his hat to work, he certainly loved wearing it for style off duty! Was even buried in his Western cowboy bolo tie not a traditional tie. This interview was very informative. I do worry about the reference to making Keyes case into a mini series; these shows where they hire handsome actors to portray disgusting demented criminals is irresponsible. Some people cannot decipher between comic book villains and real life evil. If there is a show sensationalizing Keyes, I do not think I will watch it, I prefer documentary style. Keyes looked like a cross between Beavis and the scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz, he was both terrifying and cruel, I hope he does not get portrayed like a rock star as so many other gross criminals have. I hope to hear more from Mr. Rayburn if he ever feels comfortable sharing an interview in a podcast.
We've seen some of that in the comments section on our youtube channel and we find it very disturbing too. People talking about psychopaths like they're basketball players or comic book villains like you put it.
That's why we wanted to interview Mr. Rayburn; the hard work he, Corporal Henry, and everyone else put into catching Keyes helped ensure that Samantha's death saved countless others from a tragic end.
We hope we get to talk to him about how to help keep schools safe; a lot of his career has been focused on that!
Also very interesting that the uniform officer that had driven around the motels the day before, looking for the white Ford Focus, was noticed by Keyes. He must have been used to being on the lookout for cops at all times.
Steve and Bryan and Deb and the whole team who were at the arrest all rockstars. It was the best arrest video I have ever seen. I loved how Bryan told Keyes “these are all undercover cops”. And you see like 8 LEO just surrounding him. Keyes stomach was probably in his mouth. It was so smoothly done. Thank you Steve for giving us better insight into what was going on. And thank you Crime Culture Media for your awesome research in this case. I do hope you’re able to get Mr Rayburn on a podcast. That would be huge! But this interview is an absolute gem!
I got a kick out of the officer who pulled Keys over because he was 3 mile per hrs over the speed limit.. good job!
One thing we noticed that a lot of the YouTube comments seemed to miss is that you see an unmarked car almost immediately before Keyes even exits his vehicle. A Chevy goes by and then circles around and pulls back up maybe 60 seconds later and another officer gets out of it.
I love how one by one you see cars creeping in and LEO coming out of the shadows. It was brilliant
Wow, fascinating. Clearly Steve Rayburn is a man of honour. He’s factual and humble and also remembers to credit Corporal Henry (and others) by name. And God. Very rare to see people practice what they preach these days. My respect for the Texas Rangers just grows and grows!
He came across as being very focused on facts and accuracy, and yes, he was very mindful of giving his fellow officers credit. And very friendly; he was a pleasure to chat with.
Thank you! We thought this was a great interview, full of detail, and we're grateful to Steve Rayburn for being so generous with his time.