Zodiac Killer's '340 Cypher' Finally Cracked by Expert After Over 50 Years

While the Zodiac Killer remains a mystery, a few people who have worked diligently over the years [...]

By Victoria Moghaddami

While the Zodiac Killer remains a mystery, a few people who have worked diligently over the years to bring justice to the victims and their families have cracked the famous code. The cryptogram, known as the "340 Cipher," containing 340 letters and symbols created by the suspect behind the murders, was solved by a three-person team. David Oranchak, Sam Blake and Jarl Van Eykcke are behind solving the long-lasting mystery.

"This is exciting," Oranchak, a web designer based in Virginia, told the San Francisco Chronicle. "We've been sitting on the solution since last Saturday. When I first started looking at the Zodiac ciphers all those years ago, I thought, 'Oh, I can just write a computer program and solve it,' but it's been kicking my ass all this time. Until now." Blake is a mathematician based in Australia and Eykcke is a warehouse operator living in Belgium. Blake added, "We now understand why it resisted attacks for so long."

As a result, the FBI made a statement via social media in acknowledgment that the codes had been cracked but assured the public that the investigation is still ongoing. "The FBI is aware that a cipher attributed to the Zodiac Killer was recently solved by private citizens," the bureau announced. "The Zodiac Killer case remains an ongoing investigation for the FBI San Francisco Division and our local law enforcement partners."

Their statement continued: "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. Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, and out of respect for the victims and their families, we will not be providing further comment at this time."

Local law enforcement stated their agreement with the FBI to the outlet, with Sgt. Michael Andraychak saying, "Our statement is very much in line with what the FBI said. We're aware of the cipher solution and continuing to try to solve this case. That's about all we have to say for now."

The Zodiac Killer became famous worldwide for haunting multiple communities in the northern California area of San Francisco. The person responsible would send letters to the media claiming their lack of fear of being caught but would always sign it in code. In November 1969, a few of the codes had been cracked, but it wasn't enough to lead law enforcement in the right direction.

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