The Zodiac was the moniker of the notorious serial murderer who terrorized North Carolina in the 1960s. He is linked to at least five murders, but in his final cryptic letter in 1974, he claimed to have killed 37 people. His identity has never been cracked by the FBI, but a team of private investigators recently claimed to have finally nailed the puzzle five decades later. So is the Zodiac killer alive? Herein is everything you need to know.
The Zodiac killer used to send cryptic letters to law enforcers and tabloids at the height of his killing spree in the 1960s and 1970s. However, it appears the messages offered so much about the killing yet so little about the murderer.
Was the Zodiac killer ever caught? Many suspects have been identified and several theories formed over the last 50 years, but no arrests have ever been made.
Is the Zodiac killer still alive in 2021?
The earliest killing linked to the serial murderer was the 1968 shooting of David Arthur and Betty Lou Jensen. His other victims included Bryan Hartnell, Michael Mageau, Darlene Ferrin, Cecelia Shepard, and Paul Lee Stine.
Many potential suspects have been identified and later ruled out of the mind-boggling cold-case that was closed in 2004 and later re-opened in 2007. They include;
- Lawrence Kane: He was believed to be the Zodiac because he knew coding, having worked in the naval reserves and had a striking resemblance to the sketch the murderer had sent to the authorities.
- Ross Sullivan: Identified as a suspect after the Riverside murder of Cheri Jo Bates in 1966.
- Arthur Leigh Allen: He was the principal suspect in the 1960s murders. However, investigations by authorities ruled him out, and he died in 1992 from a heart attack.
- Richard Marshall: Suspected for coincidental resemblance.
- Earl Van Best Jr.: He was accused of being the serial murderer by his son, Gary Stewart, in his book, The Most Dangerous Animal of All (2014), but experts ruled out his claims.
- Jack Tarrance: He was accused by his stepson Dennis Kaufman.
- Donald Lee Bujok
- Richard Gaikowski
The new Zodiac suspect
In the recent past, theorists have come up with more than 10 ways the Zodiac killer is still alive because he was never found, and his death was never reported. However, in October 2021, a cold-case task force called the Case Breakers claimed that they had finally decoded the identity of the infamous serial murderer.
The team of about 40 investigators, made up of retired detectives, military intelligence officers and journalists, identified Gary Francis Poste as the real notorious murderer of the late 1960s. Poste’s facial features match the Zodiac’s sketches, and they have the same shoe size. After decoding his cryptic notes, they discovered his full name. Unfortunately, the new Zodiac suspect passed away in 2018.
The FBI is yet to release an official report but said they would look into the private investigators’ claims. Gary’s family has not commented on the matter. The case remains open in the states where the murders occurred, and investigations are ongoing.
The question of whether the Zodiac killer is still alive remains a puzzle that the FBI is yet to solve. After more than five decades of trying to decode the Zodiac cyphers, the recent claims by private investigators seem to be close to unveiling the mysterious identity. But will the FBI confirm the revelation?
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