Koenig's body found in Matanuska Lake

PALMER — Law enforcement officials say they believe they found the body of Anchorage barista Samantha Koenig Monday in a Palmer lake.

“Investigators believe that Samantha died within hours of the abduction and we are continuing to investigate these facts,” Anchorage Police Chief Mark Mew told media assembled outside of police headquarters Monday evening. “Investigators further believe that the person responsible for Samantha’s death acted alone and we are confident that we have that person in custody.”

Koenig’s disappearance has dominated state headlines since she was abducted Feb. 1 from the midtown Anchorage coffee stand where she worked. Police said her abductor was captured on video.

The lake in question is Matanuska Lake, near the Fox Run RV Park and the interchange of the Glenn and Parks highways.

On scene Monday afternoon, law enforcement kept media at a distance but a handful of ice fishing shacks and two canopy-style tents were visible on the frozen surface of the lake.

There were several divers and snowmachines making runs back to the nearby parking lot. A large block had been cut out of the ice covering the lake. Divers tied themselves to ropes and air hoses were brought out to feed their bell-style diving helmets, a type of helmet usually used for long-duration diving.

A man who lives at the nearby Fox Run RV park said that Sunday night there had been activity on the lake, big front-end loaders had driven out there. He declined to be identified.

Media reports indicate the FBI also was on scene. Anchorage police investigators have been heading up the investigation into Koening’s disappearance.

A person of interest in the case, Israel Keyes, was arrested in Texas March 13. Federal court papers allege he illegally accessed someone else’s bank account starting on Feb. 28 and continuing up until his arrest. He was charged with fraud. As of Tuesday afternoon, that charge remained the only one formally brought against him. Mew said at the Monday press conference that Koenig's killer would be charged soon.

After Mew spoke, FBI Special Agent Mary Rook addressed the assembled media. Neither Mew nor Rook went so far as to say outright that Keyes is believed to be Koenig’s killer. But it sounded like Rook believed he was her abductor.

“If it had not been for the actions of some very alert and professional Texas police officers, Samantha’s abductor might still be at large,” Rook said.

She said that one of the questions she has been asked many times during this case was, “why Samantha?”

“I can tell you investigators found no direct association between the abductor and Samantha or her family,” Rook said.

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.