'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUI/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwT/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAM9UyV//xAAeEAABBAIDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAACAQMEEQAFBhMhQf/aAAgBAQABPwDUnEiSmpL4vO9ZIaBdCVfFxzkOvJwiKI7ara+Dn//EABcRAAMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABITH/2gAIAQIBAT8A10//xAAWEQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABACH/2gAIAQMBAT8AcC//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Julie Harris was a 16-year-old girl who disappeared on March 2, 1996, while waiting for a drive to the church in the city of Colville, Washington. She was a specially-abled medalist in skiing whose sudden disappearance sent shockwaves across the community.
Her family members immediately reported about the case, but the investigators were unable to find her alive back again. Her amputated legs were found, many weeks later, while the rest of her body was found almost after a year. Over a decade later, the murder of Julie Harris was connected to the infamous serial killer Israel Keyes, after his arrest in 2012. With more research, it was found that Keyes lived in the same area around the time Julie Harris was abducted.
Trending
Upon questioning, Keyes neither agreed nor denied the charge. Wild Crime: Eleven Skulls, ABC's new four-part docuseries, documents the span of crime committed by Israel Keyes. The search behind the disappearance of Samantha Koenig in 2012 led the investigators to other murders done by Keyes. One such case involved the abduction and murder of Julie Harris. The series was released on Thursday, December 5, 2024.
What is the story of Julie Harris?
Julie Harris was born on June 10, 1983, to Sherri Odegaard, who had a sibling brother named Clifford Robinson. From childhood, the young girl was enthusiastic about outdoor activities, including biking and swimming. Julie Harris' two feet had been amputated, and so she had to wear prosthetics. Her mother described her as an obedient and religious kid who loved to visit the church.
The young girl's passion for sports promised a future, even though she struggled with her grades. Sherri had reportedly told her that she could only take part in the Special Olympics for skiing if she improved in her academics.
On Sunday, March 3, 1996, when Julie Harris went outside of her house in Colville, Washington for church. She was last seen alive while waiting for a drive to church. Her mother started panicking about her girl when one of the neighbors informed her that she had been spotted walking to Main Street with a tall man wearing a trench coat. Even after operating a search mission, the whereabouts of Julie Harris couldn't be detected.
It was after multiple weeks that Julie's wallet and her prosthetic feet were found by the Colville Tributary River; hence, his murder was ruled as a homicide. Almost a year after Julie's disappearance, on April 26, 1997, the victim's rotten body was found by a group of children three miles away from the southwest of Colville. Investigators couldn't determine the original reason that caused Julie Harris' death.
Initially, the murderer was suspected to be Sherri's boyfriend, who lived with them at that time. However, as per the mother, Julia had shared a very close relationship with her boyfriend. Eventually, the suspect was raised out of the radar, after no concrete evidences were found.
What happened to Israel Keyes?
It was after the murder of Samantha Koenig, and following his demand for ransom money, that Keyes was arrested by the police from a parking lot in Lufkin, Texas. Upon further investigation, the authorities comprehended that Keyes may have been involved in the murder of Julie Harris, too.
The serial killer was an 18-year-old teenager at the time of the murder and resided in the same locality in Colville, Washington. One of Julie's friends reported that she had seen Keyes talking to Julie at the place where she went swimming. What was more suspicious was that she had shared her phone number and address with him.
While being interrogated in Alaska, Israel Keyes confessed to having murdered William Scott Currier, Lorraine Sinmonne Currier, and Samantha Tessla Koenig. The FBI found Keyes to have been connected to eleven murders. He was added with charges including robbery, housebreaking, ambush, abduction, and s*xual assault committed between from 1990s to February 2012.
He was presented before the jury but tried to escape a hearing held on May 23, 2012. He was held at the Anchorage Correctional Complex in Alaska, where he managed to get his hands on a razor blade. Israel Keyes killed himself on December 2, 2012, by cutting his wrist and trying to choke himself.
His next trial was scheduled for March 2013. Keyes never denied nor accepted the allegations made against him for the murder of Julie Harris. After Keyes's death, the murder of Julie continues to remain a mystery.
Check our other articles to know more details about the murders of Israel Keyes.
