A coded message from the notorious Zodiac Killer appears finally to have been cracked, more than 50 years after the string of murders began in Northern California.
The message that was sent to the San Francisco Chronicle in 1969 had been referred to as the “340 cipher.” According to the publication, it was recently solved by a trio of amateur codebreakers: Virginia-based software developer David Oranchak, Belgian computer programmer Jarl Van Eycke and Australian mathematician Sam Blake.
Last week, the individuals brought their findings to the FBI, which released a statement to social media on Friday, Dec. 11 to acknowledge the breakthrough.
“The FBI is aware that a cipher attributed to the Zodiac Killer was recently solved by private citizens,” the organization stated. “The Zodiac Killer case remains an ongoing investigation for the FBI San Francisco division and our local law enforcement partners. The Zodiac Killer terrorized multiple communities across Northern California and even though decades have gone by, we continue to seek justice for the victims of these brutal crimes.”
