The Zodiac Killer

Between 1968 and 1969, a series of attacks in Northern California were attributed to an unidentified assailant who came to be known as the Zodiac Killer, after the name he used in letters sent to newspapers. He is confirmed to have killed at least five people, though he claimed a higher number.

The letters and ciphers

The killer sent multiple letters to Bay Area newspapers, some containing encoded ciphers. One cipher was solved by amateur codebreakers in 2020, more than fifty years after it was sent, though it did not reveal the killer's identity.

Investigation

Despite decades of investigation and numerous named persons of interest across various theories, no suspect has ever been charged, and the case remains unsolved. This page does not name any individual theory or suspect, as none has been conclusively established.

Current status

The case remains open with law enforcement agencies in California. It continues to generate new tips, documentaries, and amateur investigations decades later.