Episode 79: The Suspicious Death of Ben Keita

On Nov 26, 2016, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, 18-year-old high school student Ben Keita was reported missing by his parents, Ibrahima and Aissata Keita. He apparently left his home in Lake Stevens, Washington State by himself, without his wallet, phone or car.

Temperatures around that time were freezing, and his family was worried the cold could trigger problems for Ben’s sickle cell anemia.

Because Ben left his cell phone behind, the police were not able to get a precise location to begin their search, so they began by looking through a wide sweeping wooded area around the Keita home. Experienced searchers, including a dog trained to detect human remains, were deployed.

The search for Ben stretched on for days, and then to weeks.

Six weeks passed with no sign of Ben. Then, on January 9, 2017, a group of teenagers wandering into the woods stumbled across an awful sight. About 12 to 14 feet from a trail, and about 10 feet from the nearest backyard fence was the body of Ben Keita. He was hanging from a rope strung over a tall branch in a densely wooded area just blocks from his home. Disturbingly, his body was found in an area that was previously searched multiple times in the days after his initial disappearance.

One end of the rope was fashioned into a noose around Ben’s neck; The other end was attached to a branch that was estimated to be 50 feet in the air. Ben’s feet were 2 and a half feet off the ground. Incredibly his neck was not broken. His official cause of death was recorded as asphyxiation.

Despite the odd circumstances, based on the fact there were no other evidence of trauma, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner determined the manner of death to be suicide.

But Ben’s parents immediately objected to this finding. His family said there was no reason to suspect anything was bothering Ben to the point that he would take his life. Ben was a young black man being raised in the Muslim faith. To Ben's family, Ben's cause of death was nothing short of a lynching.

What happened to Ben Keita?

Sources:

Victim Connect Resource Center. (2024, October 29). Victim Connect Resource Center - Confidential referrals for crime victims. https://victimconnect.org/

King, R. (2017, March 9). Parents again call for FBI to investigate death of Ben Keita | HeraldNet.com. HeraldNet.com. https://www.heraldnet.com/news/parents-again-call-for-fbi-to-investigate-death-of-ben-keita/

Hanna, J., & Hassan, C. (2017, March 4). Family asks FBI to probe black Muslim teen’s hanging. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/03/us/washington-teen-ben-keita-hanging/index.html

Staff, C. (2017, March 3). FBI reviewing case of Muslim teen found hanging from tree. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-reviewing-case-of-muslim-teen-found-hanging-from-tree/

Green, S. J. (2017, March 14). Hate-crime suspicions cloud death of Muslim teen in Lake Stevens. The Seattle Times. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/hate-crime-suspicions-cloud-death-of-black-teen/

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This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep