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Real case, California, 1969 to 2021, Investigated: 1 October 2026

Zodiac: 340 symbols and a message with no name

Every step says how it was done: open source, investigation or lab work. No crime-scene or victim images.

CSINT-CASE-2026-017Open in archive

The video is for watching only; no download is offered.Open the main source
Question
How did 3 private citizens read Z340 after 51 years, and what did the message leave unknown?
Result
The solution recovered a readable message. It did not identify the writer. The video follows archived FBI records and the solvers' paper.

Step by step

  1. 01

    Open the archived fileOpen source

    File 9-HQ-49911 has 7 parts and 749 pages in the local archived copy. The FBI website could not be reached from my network. Internet Archive copies matched the archived listing byte sizes.

  2. 02

    Read the worksheet labelsOpen source

    These are FBI handwriting worksheets. The Q label marks questioned material; it does not prove who wrote it.

  3. 03

    Read the first cipher recordOpen source

    A cipher is a message written in symbols. Z408 was mailed in 3 parts on 31 July 1969. A teacher and his wife sent a solution on 8 August 1969; the FBI laboratory report is dated 19 August. Its last 18 characters remain unresolved.

  4. 04

    Check the Z340 postmarkOpen source

    The card was postmarked 8 November 1969. The cipher picture is a newspaper print kept in the FBI file. The 1978 record is shown with a typed transcription of the damaged line.

  5. 05

    Follow the solvers' paperOpen source

    Oranchak, Blake and Van Eycke tested 655,088 reading orders with AZdecrypt. One result gave TRYING TO CATCH ME. The paper explains 2 layers and 4 sections.

  6. 06

    Try the reading ruleOpen source

    A small demo grid shows 1 row down and 2 columns right. The paper also describes the line 15 repair and backwards words.

  7. 07

    Read the dated statementsOpen source

    The FBI statement of 11 December 2020 says the cipher attributed to Zodiac was solved by private citizens and that the FBI was aware of the solution. Its 7 October 2021 statement says the case remains open and unsolved. A newer case status was not verified.

Calculations

  • 340 symbols in 20 rows. Sections: rows 1 to 9, 10 to 18, 19 and 20.
  • The real console applies the (1, 2) reading rule to a small demo grid.

Limits

  • The message gives no name. Z13 and Z32 do not have a unique supported answer from their short text alone.
  • In 2021, a private group named a man who died in 2018. The FBI said the case remains open and unsolved. Riverside police rejected the link to their 1966 case.
  • Part 06 is the archived 2025 Final copy. The current 2026 copy and a newer case status were not verified.

Sources

Real cases are retraced from public sources. Analysis and walkthrough: Ahmet Göker. Documents, screenshots and photos remain the property of their owners.