Get to know the man behind Australia’s favourite new real crime podcast. Here’s seven facts about Mapping Evil's Mike King:
What is the oldest cold case Mike has worked on?
Mike was invited by the Discovery Channel to investigate the 3,300-year-old mystery surrounding the death of King Tutankhamen. Amongst the team assembled to investigate the suspicious death of the world’s most famous Pharaoh, were Mike, his colleague – retired FBI profiler Greg Cooper – and the Supreme Director of Antiquities at the time, Zahi Hawass.
Using modern-day investigative techniques, King and Cooper narrowed the suspect list from four to one, determining that Tut was indeed the victim of a politically motivated murder. The 2-hour, Emmy Award-winning documentary ‘The Assassination of King Tut’ first aired in 2002. Mike King and Greg Cooper have subsequently released a book ‘Who Killed King Tut’. Mike quips, “Find any investigator who has solved an older case than King Tut and I’ll buy them a soda!”
How long did Mike work in law enforcement?
Mike’s career in public law enforcement spanned 28 years. He served in every division of policing, retiring as Chief of Staff in the Utah Attorney General’s Office. His career appointments have included: Detective, Special Agent, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Division Chief and Chief. He retired from public service in 2004.
Did Mike work for the FBI?
The simple answer is “No” – this is a common misconception. Mike has never worked for the Bureau, however he was trained by FBI profilers and has taught criminal profiling to thousands of investigators globally. He was the Director of the Utah Criminal Tracking and Analysis Project and served as co-chair of the FBI's ViCAP (Violent Criminal Apprehension Program) National Advisory Board.
Mike and an investigator from Scotland Yard were the only non-FBI profilers invited to co-author the popular book, ‘Profilers’. While Mike has taught and incorporated criminal profiling throughout his career, he has never purported to be FBI, something misrepresented from time to time in media.
What is the highest profile case Mike used GIS technology to solve?
GIS technology wasn’t widely used during Mike’s years of service. Since retirement however, he has worked extensively with law enforcement around the world to use GIS technology in both cold cases and ongoing criminal investigations. That said, Mike has leaned on geographic analysis to understand criminals and criminal behaviour since the early 1990’s.
What was Mike’s role in the take down of the Zion Society cult?
Mike was the lead investigator in the investigation and ultimate takedown of the cult of more than 100 people. His investigation led to the discovery of thousands of felony sexual assaults against the children in the group. He led a team of 70 police officers in the raid on the community in 1991, leading to the arrest and conviction of 12 adults and the rescue of the 32 children living there. His investigation is chronicled in the 2021 release of his book, ‘Deceived: An Investigative Memoir of the Zion Society’ (available through www.profilingevil.com).
What work has Mike done with serial predators?
Mike has worked on, consulted or interviewed predators associated with the following high-profile cases:
- Arvin Shreeve: The Zion Society
- Robert Ben Rhoades: “The Truckstop Killer”
- Richard Ramirez: “The Night Stalker”
- Dan & Ron Lafferty: “The Lafferty Brothers” (Ritual Killers)
- Oliver Benjamin Gerrish: “Big Ben”
- Michael Blake Jensen: “The Real Estate Rapist”
- Brandon Henry Wilson: “The Restroom Killer”
- USA Bureau of Justice Study on Serial Killers of the Elderly (9 serial killers)
What does Mike do today?
Today, Mike continues in a leadership role in the public safety space. Mike started his career with Esri in 2006 and completed his engagement with Esri in late 2022 as Global Director for Emergency Communications & Fraud. Mike is also an author – having written or contributed to a growing list of books covering topics from the death of King Tut, to the takedown of the Zion Society.
More recently, Mike has branched out into the space of podcast and vlogging. He appears regularly on CourtTV and can be seen on the Dr. Phil Show, Amazon Prime’s The Killing Season and other documentaries. Mike continues to work as a Board Member of the Cold Case Foundation – a team of profilers and interdisciplinary experts who support law enforcement worldwide on cases of unsolved homicides, missing persons and serial sexual assault.
You can hear Mike on the Australian podcast series Mapping Evil
Subscribe to the Mapping Evil with Mike King podcast.
