Who Was Keith Wuornos Aileen Wuornos’ Brother and How Did He Die?

Keith Wuornos (born 14th of March 1955; died: 17th of July 1976) was an American man infamous as the elder brother of Aileen Wuornos, the notorious female serial killer who murdered about seven men between 1989 and 1990. Keith Wuornos and his younger sister were raised by their grandparents and had an unpleasant upbringing.

There was physical and sexual abuse in their household, and some sources claimed that Keith and Aileen had an incestuous relationship. Whichever it was, all this dysfunctionality played a significant part in the person Aileen eventually became. Keith, on his part, avoided a life of crime. He lived a regular life and passed away at the age of 21 in 1976 as a result of cancer.

Keith Wuornos is the Elder Brother of Aileen Wuornos, the Notorious Serial Killer

Keith Wuornos was born on the 14th of March 1955 in Rochester, Michigan. His mother’s name is Diane Wuornos, while his father was the late Leo Dale Pittman. His maternal grandfather’s name was Lauri Wuornos, while his maternal grandmother’s name was Britta Wuornos.

Keith has multiple adoptive siblings, but his only biological sibling is his younger sister named Aileen. Aileen was born in 1956, making him a year older than her.

Wuornos and His Sister Was Raised by Their Grandparents after Their Mother Abandoned Them and Their Father Died in Prison

Keith Wuornos was largely raised by his mother, Diane, for the first five years of his life. His father was away in prison for child molestation charges, and his mom tried her best to provide a good home for him and his younger sister. However, by 1960, she grew tired. She took him and his younger sister back to stay with their grandparents and abandoned them there.

Keith Wuornos’ maternal grandparents, Lauri and Britta, adopted him and his younger sister in March 1960. They thus spent much of their formative years living with their grandparents. By all accounts, it wasn’t an ideal home to grow up in. Keith Wuornos’ grandfather, Lauri, was a physically abusive alcoholic, and there is no doubt that he extended some of his violent tendencies to Keith.

The matter was further complicated by the fact that the family was poor. Keith and his sister had to grow up without many of their needs being met. This made for some tough upbringing, and they had no choice but to fend for themselves.

Keith Wuornos Grew Up in Michigan and Was Close to his Younger Sister

Keith Wuornos spent much of his formative years in Michigan. He and his sister attended school like any other kid. His sister later dropped out and began a life of hitchhiking to different locations. It is unknown if Keith completed school, but from all indications, he remained in Michigan.

He picked up a job to make ends meet and must have been quite good at it as he could finance a good life insurance plan. Through it all, he remained close to his sister. They did not see each other often, but their strong bond was unshakable.

Some Sources Claim That Keith and Aileen had an Incestuous Relationship, but this is Not Confirmed

It is a well-known fact that Keith Wuornos’ grandfather sexually abused his younger sister named Aileen. It has, however, been claimed that Keith Wuornos was engaged in an incestuous relationship with his sister.

In fact, when Aileen fell pregnant as a 14-year-old in 1970, some sources have it that she claimed that Keith was the one that was responsible. This was, however, largely disproved, and it is believed that the person responsible for Aileen’s pregnancy was a friend of her grandfather who raped her.

Keith Wuornos Died as a Result of Cancer at the Age of 21

Keith Wuornos died at the age of 21. The young man had battled cancer bravely for several months, during which he was hospitalized at places such as the Ann Arbor Medical Center and the Letterman’s Army and Medical Center. Many of his relatives abandoned him during this period, except his younger sister, Aileen.

She visited him multiple times during this period. She was devastated by the level of his suffering and pressured his doctors to come clean about his actual fate. She also prayed and wished that God would perhaps cut his suffering short. Despite this love and unquenchable support, Keith later died at the age of 21.

The family conducted a funeral for him, which saw several of their relatives, including their biological mother, in attendance. His ashes and other possessions were later given to his sister, and she went out to the Gulf of Mexico to spread it.

He Left a $10,000 Insurance Check for His Sister

Despite their unsavory upbringing and later separation, Keith and his sister, Aileen, remained quite close. As such, before his death, he named her as the sole beneficiary of his $10,000 life insurance check. He wanted her to have the money so that she could stop hustling, but she wasn’t so enthusiastic about it.

Aileen preferred her brother’s life to any money, and so when she finally got the check, she blew through it as quickly as possible to get rid of it. She would continue her hustling ways, including prostitution, for several years. By 1989, she began killing the men that patronized her. She was eventually caught in 1991 and tried. She was sentenced to death in 1992 and was executed in 2002.

Did Aileen Wuornos Kill Keith Wuornos?

Aileen Wuornos did not kill Keith Wuornos, her brother. Keith died of natural causes, specifically cancer, at the age of 21. Any speculation contrary to this may stem from Aileen Wuornos’ antecedents of killing several men. However, her killing spree only started in 1989, about 13 years after her brother’s death.

Also, in the 2021 movie Aileen Wuornos: American Bogeywoman, it is claimed that Aileen killed Keith because he wanted to blackmail her over her killings. Aileen herself reportedly made this claim, but the interviewer pointed out that this was a pure case of weaving in lies with some fact.