10 Careless Mistakes That Got Serial Killers Caught

Israel Keyes is not a household name when it comes to serial killers but he's perhaps one of the most horrifying examples of the modern-day monster.

Keyes was incredibly meticulous and calculating. For years (maybe even decades) he traveled around the country killing with no discernible victim "type". He would buy a one-way plane ticket then rent a car and drive thousands of miles before finding a victim. He hid supplies of "kill kits" in cities across the nation, digging them up on his travels even years after he buried them.

The abduction, kill, and dumpsites were often spread out to cover his tracks. If police even found the bodies — and to this day, there are potential victims still labeled as "missing" — there was no evidence or reason to believe that any of these victims were actually pieces of a larger puzzle.

This was not a man who makes "stupid" decisions. Keyes operated by a strict set of rules that allowed him to continue killing without suspicion. He wasn't a ghost — his serial killer profile just simply didn't exist in the minds of law enforcement.

Had he not broken his own rules, he'd almost certainly be adding to his victim count today.

Israel Keyes planned to abduct his next victim only if she had her own car. She didn't and he did it anyway. He was caught using the victim's debit card and her DNA was found in his car.