THE 18 UNSOLVED CHARACTERS [PT2]

10/4/2018

There were misinterpretations of the characters in the 408 cipher by the Harden's, but the essence of the message was a series of ramblings comprising of 390 deciphered characters, leading some to interpret that the final 18 unsolved characters at the foot of the cipher would hold the identity of the murderer. Otherwise, the author could easily have split the cipher into three equal parts of 130 characters (10 rows of 13). The fact he didn't, lending credence to the idea he had deliberately chosen to leave 18 spaces available to him, to create a second encrypted code, in which he would reveal his identity if solved. Thereby negating the random 'filler' theory. However, this idea has a fundamental drawback.

Here is the decoded 390 character message
"I like killing people because it is so much fun. It is more fun than killing wild game in the forrest because man is the most dangerous animal of all. To kill something gives me the most thrilling experence. It is even better than getting your rocks off with a girl. The best part of it is that when I die I will be reborn in paradice and all the I have killed will become my slaves. I will not give you my name because you will try to slow down or stop my collecting of slaves for my afterlife."

There were misspellings such as forrest, experence and paradice, but this wasn't unusual in the many Zodiac communications, and doesn't change the deciphered character or letter count, fixed at 390. But on the switch from the cipher mailed to the Examiner (cipher 2) to the Chronicle (cipher 3) he appears to actually omit something from his original message. This wasn't a spelling error, but seemed like he lost the train of thought moving from cipher 2 to 3, or from one line to another.

He ended up with "The best part of it is that when I die I will be reborn in paradice and all the I have killed will become my slaves." Was this really his original message, or did he transfer it to the cipher incorrectly?
Was the original message either "The best part of it is that when I die I will be reborn in paradice and all those I have killed will become my slaves" or "The best part of it is that when I die I will be reborn in paradice and all the people I have killed will become my slaves." If so, then his original message would have contained either 392 or 396 characters of legible text. In consequence, leaving only 12 or 16 unsolved characters on the final line of the 408 cipher.

The blue square shows the end of the word "the". One can see that by moving the letter 'E' across two places to accommodate "those", the remainder of the cipher would be equally shifted. If we added "people" after "the", then the remainder of the cipher would be shifted six places across. The result of this would be removing the final 2 or 6 characters from the 408 cipher.

This strikes to the heart of whether the Zodiac Killer originally intended to leave a predetermined identity at the foot of the cipher. He ended up with 18 characters, which to this day remain unsolved. If he had intended to place "those" or "people" in the cipher, but transferred his message incorrectly, then the idea that 18 characters were purposely left to reveal his identity fails to materialize. His new identity would drop to 12 or 16 characters. The 4 consecutive character drop down, from the 8th to 24th line, would also not occur.

In the last article I suggested that the final 18 characters could read "I am the Zodiac Killer", based on his wording in the trinity of July 31st 1969 communications. With the addition of "people" his intended message could have been relegated to the signature "Zodiac Killer" or "I am the Zodiac" With the addition of "those", an altogether different message would likely have been created. His original intention may have been to create a 12 or 16 character message, but was forced to improvise into a longer version, created by the error on line 17. However, this would negate the premise of the previous article to some extent.

To presuppose an original 18 characters being left over for the designated purpose of his identity, would make the assumption that his original message read "The best part of it is that when I die I will be reborn in paradice and all the I have killed will become my slaves," and he transferred it to the cipher correctly.

The idea of a random filler to flesh out a cipher doesn't sit well, when we consider how easy it is to just slightly redesign the message to use all the 408 available spaces. This suggests the 18 unsolved characters do have meaning, and do contain the identity or pseudonym of the Zodiac Killer. This makes more sense than a real name, bearing in mind the author has already decided against this option on lines 18 and 19.

If the Zodiac Killer's original message was 392 or 396 letters in length, he could have created a completely different grid formation with reduced leftovers or none at all, such as 6 rows of 22 characters = 132, mailed to each of three newspapers. This would give us a total of 396. However, he chose to opt for 17 characters in each row, thereby leaving more unused characters. For this reason, there appears a purpose behind the notion of a killer leaving us his identity.

Since he hadn't revealed his pseudonym at this juncture, can we assume that part of the 18 unsolved characters held the words "Zodiac Killer." The precursor of "I am the"- the beginning of the 18 characters, just like the introduction written on the San Francisco Examiner and Vallejo Times-Herald newspapers.

THE 18 UNSOLVED CHARACTERS [PT1]
THE 18 UNSOLVED CHARACTERS [PT3]

15 Comments

Rubislaw 32 link

10/4/2018 10:36:03 am

Wow ! You have opened my eyes again,Richard,though I must give way to your other readers,after this comment :

You have mentioned a ''magic'' ''390'' number,which constituted the main message,and puzzle No1,of the ''408''.

''Zodiac's'' 1990 Celebrity Cipher ended up,as ''5 rows and 13 columns''

''Zodiac's'' Z263 was actually ''20 rows and 13 columns,plus 3'',which became ''21 rows and 13 columns'',when solving the cipher riddle,accompanying it.

13 Columns ???

Could Zodiac have initially decided on a single cipher message,that was ''30 rows and 13 columns''....which equals the ''390'' for exclusively his main message [?].

With plans for an anagram,and effectively puzzle No.2,then coming into play [?].

Then,the final decision to change,what became the ''408'',into a 17 row cipher....then influencing him on the ''340'',as another 17 row ''cryptographic vehicle'' [?].

Will have to go back,briefly,to analysis part of the ''408'',as a 13 row cipher.

Thanks for the inspiration....perhaps the 18 character anagram,meant ''nothing'' at all [?] [!].

[...only half joking,really....]

Floyd Stephens

11/25/2018 01:49:17 pm

Is there any chance the last 18 is " The more the better"? Or something like that.

Rubislaw 32 link

10/4/2018 12:13:24 pm

If there are any budding ''cipher solvers'' out there,if I could just make this point.

Not to dismiss any of the ciphers,from both confirmed or unconfirmed correspondences.

A case in point : Z148

I have checked Z148 out,and I am in agreement,with the Heck brothers,that they have solved it.

The composition appears ''innocuous'',and certainly no more ''scary'' than that contained,within the ''408''.

''However'',if you add the text that accompanies the ''148'',to it,one finds that,in all,one is left with a ''Z361'',with naturally,part of it already solved.

Now, 361 infers 19 rows by 19 columns.....and if one then constructs a new grid,as 19X19,new ''inferences'' come into play.

So,Z148 is my ''back burner'' project...even though the Heck brothers,have solved the bones of it.

The significance of there being 390 characters constituting the main composition of the ''408'' solution,might well be ''something'',as Richard has presented.

Nobody

10/4/2018 09:34:56 pm

Oh the myths and follies of Zodiac ciphers.

At 148 characters this cipher is large enough to function as a crackable cipher, and it will of course be relatively easy to solve, providing it has been encrypted correctly and with few errors.

I can run this cipher in my decryption software and yes indeed, it solves the cipher almost exactly as the Heck Brothers decrypted it, in less than 2 seconds.

I very much doubt that this little known cipher was written by the Zodiac killer. A copycat no less!

Richard

10/5/2018 01:19:20 am

Here is the new Zodiac documentary 'Mysteries at the Museum.'
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ut2yb

Unfortunately nothing original, other than odd claims at the end of the documentary claiming the Zodiac DNA has been submitted to the genealogy sites for familial DNA searches. This statement in the documentary presupposes that a full or near full DNA profile has been harnessed, despite the fact no announcement that any viable DNA has been sourced from two of the three July 31st letters.

Familial DNA searching (sometimes referred to as "familial DNA" or "familial DNA database searching") is the practice of creating new investigative leads in cases where DNA evidence found at the scene of a crime (forensic profile) strongly resembles that of an existing DNA profile (offender profile) in a state DNA database but there is not an exact match. After all other leads have been exhausted, investigators may use specially developed software to compare the forensic profile to all profiles taken from a state's DNA database to generate a list of those offenders already in the database who are most likely to be a very close relative of the individual whose DNA is in the forensic profile.

There are regions on DNA that are made up of multiple copies of short repeating sequences of bases (for example TATT) which repeat a variable number of times depending on the individual. These regions, called “variable number short tandem repeats” are what is looked at when performing STR analysis. The likelihood of two people having the same number of repeated sequences is extremely small, and becomes even smaller the more regions that are analyzed. This makes up the basis of short tandem repeat analysis. The cornerstone for this process, however, is polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This allows forensic scientists to make millions of copies of the STR regions. Gel electrophoresis then “yields the number of times each repeat unit appears in the fragment.” This allows for easy comparison of DNA.

"Familial searching is a technique whereby a crime scene profile is deliberately run through the offender databank in the hopes of getting a list of profiles that are genetically similar to the DNA evidence and using this information as an investigative lead to interview family members of the near matches."

When forensic scientists can't get an exact DNA match to a sample found at a crime scene, they can search for a familial or a partial match, where 15 or more genes from the sample can be connected to someone on state and federal DNA databases.

Therefore a viable amount of DNA needs to be recovered from a stamp or envelope seal to enable a reasonable chance of success.
The documentary gives the impression this has already occurred, but Detective Poyser stated in May 2018 that the letters had been submitted months before. That is February or March at the latest, leaving us now 7 months in the waiting. I highly doubt that the GSK identification using genealogy sites will be replicated in the Zodiac case.

Richard

10/5/2018 01:31:50 am

https://vimeo.com/277027117

Parabon Nanolabs, Virginia.

In 2018 Parabon NanoLabs appointed genealogist CeCe Moore as head of their genetic genealogy unit and in cooperation with American law enforcement uploaded DNA evidence from crime scenes to GEDmatch in an attempt to identify perpetrators. Parabon said they found matches in 20 cases out of 100.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parabon_NanoLabs

Richard

10/5/2018 01:42:11 am

GEDmatch is an open data personal genomics database and genealogy website based in Lake Worth, Florida.[1] The website gained significant coverage in April 2018 after it was used by law enforcement to identify a suspect in the Golden State Killer case. Other law enforcement agencies started using GEDmatch, making it "the de facto DNA and genealogy database for all of law enforcement," according to The Atlantic's Sarah Zhang

Richard

10/5/2018 01:59:16 am

Quote: Mysteries at the Museum "The actual Zodiac evidence was collected in a state laboratory in May 2018, who then sent it to a genealogical laboratory in Florida (GEDmatch). Analysts then looked for similarities between the Zodiac profile and family members who have already submitted DNA to a public database. If they find a match, genealogists will then create a family tree that could eventually lead them to the Zodiac Killer."

This statement gives the impression a viable DNA profile of Zodiac has been achieved for submission to GEDmatch. If this were true (which cannot be corroborated by a second source), then this would indicate that somebody did lick the envelope flaps or/and stamps, and the DNA had not deteriorated enough as to become unviable after 49 years. It may also indicate that only one male DNA fingerprint was recovered from the stamps or seals, rather than a mixed sample.

Nobody

10/5/2018 03:59:29 am

Hi Richard,

Thank you for compiling this information on the state of play regarding DNA.

There is a lot of fact versus fiction relating to almost all aspects of the Zodiac case. The sources of the information relating to DNA work can be difficult or impossible to verify, but there must be some grains of truth to most of these statements.

One day we may know the truth.

There is perhaps a greater chance of good DNA samples being obtained from the Cheri Jo Bates case. We at least know they still had those 4 stray hair samples from a brown-haired Caucasian male on a slide plate. There was also a news article emerged early this year or last regarding a private individual who claims he had been granted access to sample blood stains on Cheri Jo's pants. The tests were apparently successful in isolating DNA from a male person which is currently at the Virginia labs for further testing and matching. But I have not heard any more about this. As I said already, the lines between fact and fiction are frequently blurred.

Nobody

10/5/2018 04:05:56 am

Oh I remember now. Of course, it was Discovery Channel.

https://mvacblog.com/2018/08/08/dna-and-the-m-vac-highlight-of-history-channels-hunt-for-the-zodiac-killer/

Nobody

10/5/2018 06:27:14 pm

Also interesting I should add, that LE have always treated the DNA work on Cheri Jo Bates independently of the "other" Zodiac material.

Do they know something they are not telling us? As we all know, Riverside PD have long maintained a view that there is no connection between the Zodiac killer and Cheri Jo Bates. DNA may prove them to be correct, if it has not already done so.

10/6/2018 10:43:19 am

I wish LE would just flat out tell us definitively that The Riverside Zodiac DNA under CJB's fingernails does not match The San Fransisco Zodiac DNA under the stamps (or where ever). What would be great - is - if LE had a case update website.

Nobody

10/6/2018 03:54:20 pm

Yes BB, they are holding their cards very close to their chest on this one.

Richard, I found the following press release which at least names the sources of the information.

May 5, 2018

Northern California detectives still trying to identify the Zodiac Killer, who targeted victims in the late 1960s and taunted investigators with letters, say they hope to try the same DNA tracing technology used to arrest the suspected Golden State Killer. But first they have to get a better DNA profile.

Several months ago, the Vallejo Police Department sent two letters written by the Zodiac Killer to a private lab in hopes of finding his DNA on the back of the stamps or envelope flaps that may have been licked. They are expecting results soon.

“They were confident they would be able to get something off it,” Vallejo police detective Terry Poyser told the Sacramento Bee.

Mr Poyser said he hoped a full DNA profile would be found that would enable detectives to try the same DNA sleuthing techniques that were used to arrest Joseph DeAngelo last month. Authorities suspect he committed at least 12 murders and 50 rapes in California between 1976 and 1986.

In that case, investigators uploaded DNA collected at one of the crime scenes to an open-source genealogical website and found a partial match to a distant relative of DeAngelo’s. From there, they painstakingly constructed a family tree dating back several generations before they zeroed in on the former policeman.

Detectives investigating the Zodiac Killer say they hope the technique will help solve one of the most vexing cold cases in the country. “That’s a great idea,” said Gary Harmor, founder and director of the Serological Research Institute, a private DNA lab.

“I think we’ll see more investigations use this technique.”

The Zodiac Killer fatally stabbed or shot dead five people in northern California in 1968 and 1969, then sent taunting letters and cryptograms to the police and newspapers.

Evidence, including a rope used to tie a victim as well as the letters, have already been tested unsuccessfully for the killer’s DNA profile.

Mr Poyser said advances in DNA testing prompted investigators to seek a match on two of the killer’s letters.

Vallejo Mayor Bob Sampayan said the samples were sent to the lab as a matter of routine. Mr Sampayan, a former homicide detective, said police submit samples every couple of years in hopes that advances in DNA testing will finally yield a profile detectives can use. “It was coincidental,” he said of the new DNA test occurring at the same time as the breakthrough in the Golden State Killer case. “There will come a time when we get a match,” he said.

Tom Voigt, said the key to solving the Zodiac Killings was mimicking the Golden State Killer investigation, which included forming a full-time taskforce dedicated to the case and exploiting publicly accessible DNA databases.

Mr Voigt said the Zodiac case was being investigated part time by a police department in a city that filed for bankruptcy. “There’s a formula to follow,” he said. “And it’s to simply copy what happened to the Golden State Killer.”

10/18/2018 02:03:12 pm

Mayan Calendar
1 uinal = 20 days
18 uinal = 1 tun or 360 days
13 moons = 1year
13 symbol cypher
18 unsolved characters

Johnny Bravo

11/25/2018 02:18:43 pm

It seems to me the Zodiac frequently tacked different ciphers together. At other times he sent bits and pieces that actually belonged to larger ciphers, as they are far too small in their own right to ever be solved conclusively. My best guess with regards to that last line in the 408 is it's just superfluous symbols that actually belong to part of another cipher. As a person who had an interest in cryptography it seems unlikely that the Zodiac only wrote the ciphers he posted. I think the Zodiac wrote many ciphers. He did not send them all.

THE 18 UNSOLVED CHARACTERS [PT2]

Leave a Reply.