Global Courant 2023-05-17 21:12:10
A volunteer cold case team says an FBI official has confirmed that the man they believe is the “Zodiac Killer” is currently listed as a suspect and accuses government agencies across the country of failing to properly investigate the alleged serial killings.
Thomas Colbert, an investigative reporter and leader of the nonprofit volunteer team Case Breakers, said in a press release this week that a whistleblower on his team was told by an FBI agent that Air Force veteran Gary Francis Poste is considered a suspect in a database for the murders and that the lab has a “partial” DNA sample.
“The felon has been secretly listed as the Zodiac ‘suspect’ in headquarters computers since 2016,” the group wrote in a press release. “With his ‘partial DNA’ safely locked away in the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia.”
The FBI has consistently dismissed reports and conclusions that the case has been resolved, telling Fox News Digital in October 2021 that the case was still open.
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The San Francisco Police Department distributed this composition of the Bay Area’s “Zodiac Killer.” At left is a drawing of witnesses to the murder of a San Francisco cab driver. A team investigating unsolved cases said they identified the Zodiac Killer. (Getty Images)
That same month, the Case Breakers announced they had identified Poste, who died in 2018, as the Zodiac Killer believed responsible for at least five murders that occurred in 1968 and 1969 in the San Francisco area. Unlike most serial killers, the Zodiac Killer taunted authorities with complex numbers in letters sent to newspapers and law enforcement. The murders have spawned books, films and documentaries in the years since, and amateur and professional sleuths have weighed in on the case in an effort to unmask the killer.
Today, Case Breakers believe they have linked Poste to each of the murders, and the team hopes law enforcement will compare the DNA they found on a hiking mat and confirmed to be Poste’s to DNA from the crime scene, including mysterious hair found on Cheri. Jo Bates, a sixth victim in Riverside, California, believed to have been the victim of the Zodiac Killer in 1966 based on a 1975 FBI memo.
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This is a copy of the white envelope in which the last Zodiac letter was sent to lawyer Melvin Belli. It featured an emotional appeal for help from the cryptographic killer who has been linked to five murders in the San Francisco area and claims responsibility for three others. The letter also contained a blood-stained piece of shirt ripped from one of Zodiac’s victims. Belli, in Germany, where he is attending a seminar for lawyers, called on Zodiac to contact him and advise how he could help. Zodiac’s letter indicated that he “lost control” and could take his 9th and 10th victims. (Bettmann / employee)
“We believe 100% that our Cheri Jo Bates case is unrelated to the Zodiac case,” Riverside Police Officer Ryan Railsback told Fox News Digital in October 2021. “Nothing has changed about that.”
In a Wednesday press release, Case Breakers said law enforcement agencies at all levels have flouted state law, ignored evidence, mishandled DNA and succumbed to “apathy,” “egos” and fear of “humiliation.”
“Like police officers, federal agents deal with huge files, constant training, strange rules, and bureaucracy. But when someone wearing a badge or uniform collaborates with others to avoid or conceal material, evade difficult procedures, or lie about evidence, they hurt.” our volunteers and the thousands of families waiting for answers,” the Case Breakers whistleblower said in a statement. “So are the 10 siblings left behind in the Zodiac victim families. Unfortunately, the team has documented more than two dozen examples of unprofessional law enforcement in the field.”
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Case Breakers explained in the press release that “the actions of SFPD, Riverside PD and FBI warrant serious review.” Colbert told Fox News Digital that it is the victims’ relatives who deserve answers, including whether Poste is considered a suspect by the FBI.
“As a nation, we’ve let them down — especially the remaining 10 siblings,” Colbert said, adding that “the cover-up itself is nonsensical to the people who are still waiting.”
“The FBI’s investigation into the Zodiac Killer remains open and unsolved,” the FBI’s San Francisco office told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation and out of respect for the victims and their families, we will not be commenting further at this time.”
Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report
Andrew Mark Miller is a writer at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.
