He's still there.
If you’re looking for a quick answer to whether the Happy Face Killer is still alive, the answer is yes. Keith Hunter Jesperson isn't just a ghost of 1990s true crime documentaries or a name in a dusty case file. He is currently 70 years old, sitting in the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. It’s a strange, unsettling thought for many—that a man who claimed to have taken over 160 lives (though only eight are officially confirmed) is still breathing, eating, and even occasionally making headlines from behind bars.
Most people remember the "Happy Face" moniker because of those taunting letters. Jesperson would draw smiley faces on his notes to the media and police. It was his signature. A way to brag. He wanted the world to know he was smarter than the investigators who, at one point, had actually arrested the wrong people for his first murder. He wasn't just a killer; he was an attention-seeker. And honestly, that hasn't changed much in thirty years.
Where is Keith Jesperson now?
He isn't going anywhere. Jesperson is serving multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole. Specifically, he was convicted of murders in several states, including Oregon, Wyoming, and Florida. Because of the nature of his crimes and the interstate trail of bodies he left behind, the legal system basically ensured he would never see the outside of a fence again.
Life inside for a guy like Jesperson isn't exactly a mystery. High-profile serial killers in the Oregon State Penitentiary are kept under tight security, but they aren't totally isolated from the world. Jesperson has spent decades corresponding with "fans" or true crime researchers. It’s a bit macabre, but there’s a whole subculture of people who write to these guys. Jesperson has been known to reply. He’s also spent a lot of time painting. Some of his "art" even finds its way onto the internet through various "murderabilia" sites, which is a whole different ethical rabbit hole.
✨ Don't miss: Melissa Calhoun Satellite High Teacher Dismissal: What Really Happened
The 2024 connection and the DNA boom
The reason people are asking if the Happy Face Killer is still alive lately isn't just random curiosity. It’s because of cold case breakthroughs. Even while he sits in a cell, his past is catching up to him in new ways.
Back in early 2024, investigators in Florida finally identified a woman known for decades only as "Suzanne" or "Jane Doe." Her real name was Suzanne Kjellenberg. Jesperson had confessed to her murder years ago, but without a name for the victim, the case felt incomplete. Genetic genealogy—the same tech people use to find their cousins on Ancestry.com—finally gave her a name. This forced Jesperson back into the news cycle. He actually spoke with investigators from his prison cell to provide more details once they had the ID.
It’s a weird dynamic. He’s "helpful" now, in his own twisted way. It’s almost like he enjoys the spotlight returning to him every time a new victim is identified. It validates his ego.
The chilling backstory of the Smiley Face letters
To understand why this guy still haunts the public consciousness, you have to look at how he started. Jesperson was a long-haul truck driver. That gave him the perfect cover. He was a "drifter" by profession, moving across state lines with a heavy-duty vehicle that could easily hide a body.
🔗 Read more: Wisconsin Judicial Elections 2025: Why This Race Broke Every Record
His first victim was Taunja Bennett in 1990. This is where the story gets truly bizarre. A woman named Laverne Pavlinac actually falsely confessed to killing Bennett. She even implicated her boyfriend. They were both sent to prison. Jesperson was horrified—not because he felt bad for them, but because they were getting credit for his work. That’s why he started writing the letters on the walls of bus station bathrooms and to newspapers. He signed them with a smiley face. He wanted his "credit."
He eventually killed at least seven more women before he was caught in 1995. The victims were often people he met at truck stops—vulnerable individuals who wouldn't be missed immediately. That’s the cold reality of his "method."
Modern-day impact: Melissa Moore
You can't talk about whether Jesperson is still alive without mentioning his daughter, Melissa Moore. She has been incredibly vocal about her experience. Imagine growing up with a dad who you thought was just a hardworking trucker, only to find out he’s one of the most prolific killers in American history.
Moore has used her platform to help other children of killers. She hosts podcasts and appears on specials, often discussing the "red flags" she saw in hindsight. It’s a fascinating, albeit heartbreaking, look at the collateral damage these monsters leave behind. When people search for Jesperson today, they often find Moore’s work first. She has essentially reclaimed the narrative from her father.
💡 You might also like: Casey Ramirez: The Small Town Benefactor Who Smuggled 400 Pounds of Cocaine
Why we are still obsessed
There's something about the "Happy Face" name that sticks. It’s the contrast. The most cheerful symbol in the world attached to the most gruesome acts imaginable.
- The Trucker Element: The idea of a killer roaming the vast highways of America is a classic urban legend made real.
- The Letters: People love a "Zodiac-style" taunting of authority.
- The Longevity: The fact that he’s still alive in 2026 means the story isn't "over." It’s still being written with every DNA match.
What happens next?
Keith Hunter Jesperson will likely die in prison. There are no more appeals that are going to save him. There is no chance of a "good behavior" release. At 70, he’s entering his final years, and the Oregon Department of Corrections will eventually be the ones to announce his passing.
Until then, cold case units across the country continue to look at his old routes. Every time a body is found near a 1990s truck stop, his name comes up. He is a living library of unsolved crimes.
If you’re interested in following the latest developments regarding his cases or the identification of his remaining victims, there are a few things you can do.
- Follow Cold Case Research groups: Organizations like the DNA Doe Project often work on cases that might be linked to Jesperson.
- Monitor the Oregon Department of Corrections: They maintain a public inmate search tool where you can verify his status and location.
- Read "Shattered Silence": This is the book by his daughter, Melissa Moore. It provides the most "human" look at the monster, stripped of the media sensationalism.
- Check Florida and Oregon court dockets: New charges occasionally pop up when DNA identifies a new victim, as we saw with the Suzanne Kjellenberg case.
The "Happy Face Killer" is a reminder that the past isn't always past. As long as he’s alive, and as long as there are unidentified women along the highways of America, the investigation continues. He sits in his cell, the world moves on, but the science of 2026 is finally finishing the work the police started in 1995.
Actionable Insight: If you are following this case for genealogical or research purposes, focus your search on Interstate 5 and Interstate 10 corridors from the years 1990–1995. Most new identifications related to Jesperson stem from these specific geographical "kill zones" identified by his previous confessions and logbooks. Tracking "Jane Doe" identifications in these regions via the NamUs (National Missing and Unidentified Persons System) database is the most effective way to see if more of his crimes are being solved in real-time.