In the article featuring Keyes arrest footage, we mentioned that it may be the only time we see the real Israel Keyes, stripped of his mask of sanity - insecure, nervous, and afraid.
Later that afternoon is his first ever interrogation by law enforcement. The 17-minute interview is conducted by Ranger Rayburn and FBI Special Agent Gannaway at the Lufkin Police Department.
He’s still nervous in this interview but his mask has returned. There are moments where his mask slips again but only moments - brief glimpses of the real Keyes where he his voice sounds quiet and defeated.
Towards the end, when Ranger Rayburn tells Keyes that they won’t be releasing his name to the media, Keyes replies, nearly giddy, “Alright!”
After explaining that it’s only to protect the integrity of the investigation, Texas Ranger Steve Rayburn notes wryly, “I know that’s okay with you.”
Following that he is transported to a federal facility in Beaumont Texas where, five days later, he speaks to two Texas Rangers, Steven Rayburn and Kevin Pullen, for nearly two hours.
At this point, his name has been released to the public by the Anchorage Police Department (APD). When Ranger Rayburn informs him that APD has released a press release with his name, you can hear Keyes on the brink of internal panic.
There is audible pain in his voice when he realizes that his carefully constructed image is collapsing. He asks Ranger Rayburn, “What, so my name is out there now, attached to this?”, followed by, “Who?! When?!”
This subsides when he hears that people aren’t saying anything bad about him - just that he’s a loner - which makes him laugh - who’s good at his job and an excellent father.
“Well, that’s all there really is to say anyway,” Keyes responds, trailing off in a mumble. The change in his demeanor is clearly noticeable. He's much calmer believing his image is intact, despite the fact that he has to know that won’t last very long.
This is the interview where Keyes is presented with his daughter Laney’s journal. He sounds uncomfortable when they begin discussing his daughter.
He’s surprised that they have her journal; he didn’t realize she had it with her on their trip and left it in his rental car. Keyes asks, with disgust tinting his voice, “You took her journal from her?”
Ranger Rayburn informs him that it was taken from his car as the result of the search warrant they executed, then asks Keyes to read a passage from the journal presumably as a way to soften him emotionally leading up to their questioning of his involvement in the disappearance of Samantha Koenig.
Just after this, Ranger Pullen notes that Keyes seemed shocked by the APD press release mentioning his name. They implore him to share his story with them himself; if other people tell his story, they tell him, they won’t get it right.
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