Edward Krause

Serial Killer

Edward Krause: Alaska's First Known Serial Killer

Early Life and Criminal Background

Edward Krause, whose birth name was reportedly Edward Slompke, was a German-born murderer, fraudster and fugitive who operated in Southeast Alaska during the early twentieth century. He was born around 1870 and immigrated to the United States before joining the United States Army. Krause was stationed at Wrangell, Alaska, with the 12th Infantry in the late 1890s. When his military unit received orders to leave Alaska, Krause deserted. He reportedly stole military payroll funds, forged documents and began using false identities. He eventually established himself in Petersburg, Alaska, where he presented the appearance of a respectable resident. In 1912, he even ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Alaska Territorial Legislature as a Socialist Party candidate. Behind this public identity, investigators believed Krause led a loosely organized group of thieves involved in fraud, property theft and murder. His victims were generally single men who had money, boats, real estate or other valuable possessions but few close relatives who might immediately report them missing.

Method of Operation

Krause appears to have selected victims whose disappearances could be explained by the transient nature of life in territorial Alaska. Prospectors, fishermen, laborers and sailors frequently moved between isolated communities, mining camps and coastal settlements. A man could vanish without producing the immediate alarm that would accompany a disappearance in a more established community. After a victim disappeared, Krause allegedly took control of the man's identification papers, bank records, deeds, mail and personal property. He forged signatures, assumed identities and conducted financial transactions in the missing person's name. These crimes allowed him to profit from his victims while also creating false explanations for their absence. No body conclusively attributed to Krause was ever recovered. Consequently, exact dates of death could not be established for most of the men connected to him. The available dates generally represent when a victim was last seen or disappeared and was presumed murdered. ...

Confirmed Victims: (3)

Kumajiro Yamamoto , Date of Death: 1913-01

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