A group of cold case investigators has claimed to have identified the Zodiac Killer: Gary Francis Poste. At the same time, the group has strongly criticized the FBI, claiming that the bureau did not do enough to investigate the lead connecting the suspect to crimes committed in the 1960s.
The Zodiac Killer Mystery Has Lingered for Over Five Decades
For more than half a century, the Zodiac Killer case has perplexed both law enforcement and the rest of the world. The serial killer was responsible for five homicides in and around the U.S. city of San Francisco, California, between 1968 and 1969. However, despite his cryptic letters sent to local newspapers, he could not be caught.
In October 2021, a team of cold case experts known as Case Breakers identified Gary Francis Poste as the serial killer. Although this organization has a semi-professional structure and members – mostly qualified for this type of forensic work, the evidence presented has not been enough to convince the local police.
Limited information has been made public about the identity of Gary Francis Poste. He grew up in California and lived in the city of Groveland, approximately 250 kilometers from San Francisco, and was a member of the U.S. Air Force. He passed away in August 2018 at the age of 80 and according to local media reports, had a violent past.
The San Francisco Chronicle was contacted six years ago by a relative of Poste, who accused the alleged Zodiac Killer of trying to kill him with a hammer. In addition, Poste’s daughter-in-law, Michelle Wynn, accused him of being a serial killer and claimed he had moved from California for his own safety.
The Case Breakers have based their case on forensic evidence and photographs found in Poste’s darkroom, which they have compared to the serial killer’s coded notes. In addition, Poste has been said to resemble a police sketch of the 1969 serial killer, as he had similar scars on his forehead. In addition, the letters in his name were found to change the meaning of the Zodiac Killer’s code.
Private Investigators Sped up the Identification of the Zodiac Killer
In November 2021, Case Breakers followed up on these facts, claiming to have uncovered crucial evidence in California. This included the fact that Poste gave away guns, including gun parts, gunpowder, and bullet casings, to friends and family in the period leading up to his death. The team also alleged that Poste had at one point been the leader of a group of young men trained to become “killing machines.”
In its most recent update, the group made startling claims, stating that a “senior FBI agent” had reportedly informed the group that Poste was listed as a suspect in the federal agency’s computer systems since 2016, and has his “partial DNA” in its lab in Quantico, Virginia. Case Breakers are currently analyzing Poste’s old hiking rug for clues that could link him to the murder of Cheri Jo Bates.
To date, police had officially named only one suspect in the case: convicted felon Arthur Leigh Allen. His identity was released at a police press conference, and he was linked to the case for possessing a watch with the symbol of the cross on it. He reportedly made a partial confession about carrying out the murders to a friend but died of a heart attack in 1992 before a case could be built against him.
Story written in Spanish by Joyce Kauffman in Cultura Colectiva News
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