By Dave Workman
Survivalist Bunker in North Bend WA. Photo Courtesy of King County Sheriff's Office.
Senior Editor
He was described by authorities and news accounts as a “survivalist” and five days after he murdered his wife and daughter in their North Bend, WA home, authorities tracked him to a secret bunker on a mountainside just a few miles away, where he committed suicide as cops closed in.
Nobody may ever figure out what made 41-year-old Peter Keller kill his wife, Lynnettee and their daughter, Kaylene on April 22. They believe he spent the past eight years building a split-level bunker using hand-cut logs and timbers in preparation for doomsday, and retreated there following the killings.
It took expert trackers, savvy detective work by the King County Sheriff’s Department, and no small amount of luck to find that hidden fortress on the north slope of Rattlesnake Ridge, which overlooks North Bend, about 30 miles east of Seattle. The bunker was described to TGM as “a real piece of work” by Sheriff’s Sgt. Cindi West and King County Sheriff Steve Strachan.
Indeed it was, having been built into a steep, wooded slope well off a popular hiking trail and a power line right of way that traverses the ridge.
After the bunker was located by a SWAT team that quietly moved in early on the morning of April 27 – thanks to one team leader who smelled smoke from a hand-built wood stove in Keller’s hideout – heavily-armed sheriff’s deputies and a relief team from the Seattle Police Department tried to smoke the suspect out with teargas. When that didn’t work, they mounted an all-night vigil in near-freezing temperatures, leaving a couple of officers suffering from mild hypothermia.
In all, 15 lawmen ended up suffering from dehydration, and one broke an ankle during the operation.
On the morning of April 28, deputies using explosive charges blew off part of the bunker’s roof and inside they found Keller lying in a pool of blood, a Glock pistol in his hand. He fired the only shot in the standoff, putting a bullet into his head.
After Keller killed his wife and daughter, and the family pets, he tried to burn down their home in an attempt to cover the crime. Several gasoline cans were found placed around the house. But North Bend firefighters arrived quickly on the scene and doused the flames. After the bodies were discovered, detectives investigating the double homicide found images on the hard drive of Keller’s computer that led them to the location of the hidden bunker, about 1,300 feet up the side of Rattlesnake Ridge, and in direct line uphill from North Bend’s popular Outlet Mall. Various images showed the progress Keller made on his hideout over the course of several years.
Keller’s bunker was loaded with survival supplies. In all, sheriff’s deputies recovered 13 firearms, including several that were disassembled and inoperable. Among them was a Mossberg 500 shotgun with pistol grip, two AR-15s, an SKS, and a Ruger 10/22, all in pieces. Lawmen also found one telescopic sight designed for extreme long-range shooting. One sheriff’s deputy expressed a concern that Keller might have been able to fire shots from the bunker down toward the mall.
The bunker was something of an engineering marvel, with multiple levels, electric wiring, a water system that enabled him to pump water from a nearby creek and a loft for sleeping. Keller allegedly built the shelter to survive a doomsday scenario, and apparently he planned to go it alone. Various descriptions of the shelter said that despite its elaborate construction, it had been designed for a single occupant.
Now that sheriff’s detectives have removed more than 100 pieces of evidence including all firearms and ammunition, the bunker will be destroyed so that it cannot become an attractive nuisance.
