FBI Orders New York TV Stations Not To Open Letters From ‘Chinese Zodiac Killer’ Amid Investigation
Here we go again.
Kristi Blokhin / Shutterstock.com According to an original report from the Times Union in Albany, New York, several local television stations have received a mysterious letter from someone claiming to be the “Chinese Zodiac Killer.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s field office in Albany warned local media outlets on Wednesday night to be on the lookout for more letters. They also asked outlet not to open any letters in case there’s any DNA to be preserved.
Who is the 'Chinese Zodiac Killer'?
The letters appear to be the first evidence that this self-proclaimed "Chinese Zodiac Killer" exists. It is unclear if the FBI has been investigating this figure previously.
The FBI is known for keeping their investigations under a tight lip, and as such they haven’t shared any information about the ongoing investigation, although they have released a statement saying that there is no threat to the community.
RELATED: Who Was The Zodiac Killer?
The Times Union reported that while they didn’t receive one of the mysterious letters from the supposed “Chinese Zodiac Killer,” they had received a letter from someone using a "Zodiac Killer" moniker before.
The Zodiac Killer was known to send letters to the media.
In August 1973, the Times Union received a letter from someone claiming to be the infamous Zodiac Killer, who haunted the San Francisco area in California and was responsible for the deaths of at least five people.
The Zodiac Killer would send letters to media outlets and threatening further violence if the letters weren’t publicized.
Shortly after the Times Union ran a short story on the notorious serial killer, they received a letter promising violence in Albany after no one had heard from the Zodiac Killer for a while.
The 1973 letter read in part, "YOU Were WRONG I AM NOT DEAD OR IN THE HOSPITAL I AM ALIVE AND WELL AND IM GOING TO START KILLING AGAIN Below is the NAME AND LOCATION OF MY NEXT VICTIM But you had Better hurry because I'm going to kill her August 10th at 5 P.M. when the shifts change. ALBANY is A nice Town."
Although only five deaths were directly attributed to the Zodiac Killer, they claimed to have killed dozens, and several other cold cases have been considered to be Zodiac victims.
Two people were attacked by the alleged killer but survived the attacks.
Perhaps the most famous Zodiac communication was an infamous Halloween card sent to 'San Francisco Chronicle' writer Paul Avery which became the plot of the 2007 film 'Zodiac.'
The Zodiac Killer has been linked to Albany.
The choice of location for the "Chinese Zodiac Killer" to send his letters is no coincidence.
One of the victims of the Zodiac murders, Elizabeth Ferrin, previously lived in Albany with her husband who was a Times Union employee.
Another man, who was actually suspected of being the Zodiac Killer for a period of time, Richard Gaikowski, previously worked at the Knickerbocker News as a newspaper editor before his death in 2004.
"The unsolved nature of the murders and the Zodiac Killer's elaborate methods of communicating with the public and his pursuers still captures the imaginations of screenwriters, authors, true-crime buffs, forensic scientists, and, of course, law enforcement," the FBI wrote in 2007.
Gary Francis Poste was accused of being the Zodiac Killer earlier this year.
An investigative group called The Case Breakers alleged to have identified who the culprit in October. They named a man who passed away several years ago.
However, law enforcement officials from the San Francisco Police Department and the FBI claim that the case of the Zodiac Killer and his murders is still open.
"If you read what they (the Case Breakers) put out, it's all circumstantial evidence. It's not a whole lot," a police officer told the San Francisco Chronicle in October.
Police continue to insist that the case is open and unsolved.
Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Follow him on Twitter here.