According to FBI insights, arsonists are often sexually motivated. The act of setting a fire, watching it burn, and observing the emergency response provides a sexual experience for the perpetrator. This psychological driver is a critical, though not widely known, aspect of criminal profiling for this type of crime.
To cope with the reality of raising a serial killer, Keyes's mother, a religious zealot, rationalized his actions as a divine message. She believed he was "put on this earth to warn humanity about the dangers of turning your back on God," a narcissistic survival instinct to absolve herself of responsibility.
Unlike typical serial killers who have a preferred victim and operate in a specific area, Israel Keyes was dangerously unpredictable. He would fly to a random city, drive hundreds of miles to a pre-buried "kill kit," and abduct anyone, making his crimes nearly impossible to link or profile.
Despite decades of research, the core question of "nature versus nurture" in creating a psychopath remains the central unsolved mystery for FBI criminal profilers. While killer Israel Keyes had an abusive childhood, his nine siblings did not become killers, underscoring the complexity and leaving experts without a definitive answer.
To uncover the full story of Israel Keyes, the book's author had to spend her own money to legally compel the federal government to release documents they were actively hiding. This demonstrates that critical journalism often requires costly legal battles against institutions, a significant barrier to uncovering the truth.
Israel Keyes, who had no birth certificate, social security number, or educational records, was not only accepted into the US Army but trained for special operations. This reveals a potential blind spot in military recruitment protocols and highlights how Keyes's inherent capabilities were valued and honed by a government institution.
While ubiquitous surveillance seems like a deterrent, meticulous predators can circumvent it. Israel Keyes operated post-9/11 by carefully managing his digital footprint. Other criminals evade detection by targeting marginalized victims who receive less law enforcement attention, or by physically removing surveillance equipment from crime scenes.