"ZODE" from Pacific High School in San Bernardino

I no longer have access to the Eyearbooks account, the free thumbnail is the best I can do. Even in this pic you can see he's not a ringer for the composites. From '64 to '69 he probably changed quite a bit though as most boys that age do.

Zam, this fellow most likely was given a look by LE, the fellow that started the thread on zk.com (Katana??) mentioned reporting him. Maybe he's clean, maybe they just couldn't pin anything on him, don't know.

bentley wrote:

I no longer have access to the Eyearbooks account, the free thumbnail is the best I can do. Even in this pic you can see he's not a ringer for the composites. From '64 to '69 he probably changed quite a bit though as most boys that age do.

Zam, this fellow most likely was given a look by LE, the fellow that started the thread on zk.com (Katana??) mentioned reporting him. Maybe he's clean, maybe they just couldn't pin anything on him, don't know.

The guy is interesting at least. And having people in Vallejo with his unusual last name may be an important clue, as there only seem to be a couple people in the entire state of CA with that last name. Afterall, GYKE had someone with his last name living within 2 miles of the STine murder, so anything is possible!

bentley wrote:

morf13 wrote:

bentley wrote:

As TF noted, his initials are MZ. Here is one of the signatures from the Bates Had To Die letters

His initials are MLZ, and this looks like ML, pretty interesting

And the L is for Lee...

No need for shock. It's not an MLZ. There were three letters. This one was #3 (what you see as an "m" is a 3).

Here is #2:



And note there is no number system on this one (so it's number 1).



This was just the letter writer's cute way of identifying the three separate letters (keeping them straight in his own head, I suppose).

You may be right, but they do look like a Z

They may be Z's. All I'm saying is that it's not MLZ. It's 3 Z. That said, it's most likely not 3Z or 2Z but rather 3L and 2L for 3rd Letter, 2nd Letter.

rand wrote:

They may be Z's. All I'm saying is that it's not MLZ. It's 3 Z. That said, it's most likely not 3Z or 2Z but rather 3L and 2L for 3rd Letter, 2nd Letter.

You may be right, but you may be wrong. The 2 and the 3 (i do see what you are talking about)look similar. Close enough that they could be the same symbol, just slightly different writing, thus one looks like a 2 and the other a 3. But they might just be initials or a symbol.

Remember, 2 letters said "Bates had to die" (the ones to the police and the paper), and one said "she had to die"(the one to her Dad). For all we know, the writer sent the two out to the paper and the police, and signed it with the little symbol, initials, or whatever they are, and then decided to send one other to her Father, and forgot to put the little symbol on his letter.

But I do concede you may also be correct.

Nachtsider wrote:

It's the same guy from the thread on Tom's board, all right. The thread's pretty long, but I'll see what I can do to repost the relevant information if you guys wish. Bottom line is this isn't just a game of Chinese whispers. MZ and his bizarre behavior have been independently verified by some of the finer minds at Zodiackiller.com. A lot about him lines up with what Zodiac may have been like. There is no indication that he's been looked into by LE, and he is still alive and kicking.

Too young? I still think Zodiac was at the younger end of the age range, here. Broadcasting his plans to kill years before? Look at Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. They practically told the whole world they were going to shoot up Columbine, but nothing was done to nip them in the bud. People who knew about him surely must have said something? It's called the bystander effect. Incredible, I know, but sometimes nobody gives a damn.

He's up there with the most compelling of them. Best suspect yet.

Nach, would love to know some more details on this guy

entropy wrote:

Good thread, IMHO. There are too many unanswered questions about the "PHS Zodiac" including whether or not the Patricia Hautz letter has anything to do with Zodiac and whether the correct Patricia Hautz was located in San Bernardino. I honestly take any anecdotal reports about his behavior with a grain of salt but, that said, ANYONE who assumed a persona of "Zodiac" in 1964 to the point that someone felt the need to write in his nickname in the high school yearbook is clearly of interest.

I agree, whether or not the PATRICIA HAUTZ letter is officially dead as potential Z clues, the fact is, this guy attended high school with her. There is no denying that. If he was really calling himself Z, years before, thats too much to shrug off. Who originally brought this guy up? Just the anonymous emailer?

By the way, this man has a VERY unusual last name. As mentioned before, I found a guy with the same first & last name, born in 1966, that lived in PLEASANTON, VALLEJO, & SAN FRAN over the years. More Zyncronicity??? Not sure, need some help trying to see if this guy could be his son.

Whoops, sorry for being so tardy. I'll post whatever I know. Give me a bit; I'm hunting down all the scraps of information.

Our boy was born in 1946. He was (parents died in '96 and '07) an only child, born to a strongly Catholic family.

He is still alive and well. As of early 2008, he stands 71 inches tall, weighs about 180 pounds, has a full head of wiry, close-cut hair and an olive complexion (possible Lebanese descent), wears plastic-rimmed glasses (worn specs all his life, including a dark-rimmed pair in high school) and has a shoe size of about a 10. He is very physically fit.

His initials (MLZ), when amalgamated, look a lot like the 'Z'-like symbol the 'Bates had to die' letters were signed with.

Our boy attended PHS in the early 60's (class of '64).

One of his schoolmates was a Mary Patricia Hautz.

He was a strange loner, absorbed in a persona he named 'Zodiac'. He would greet his few friends with 'This is the Zodiac speaking'.

He was mercilessly bullied and ostracized by both male and female students on campus. In response to this harassment, he would allegedly issue threats to kill, also stating that he would become famous and all who had been mean to him would become his slaves.

His first job after leaving high school was at a gas station.

At some point afterward, he became a security guard. He has been listed as such in the state of California for many years and is licensed to carry a firearm.

Military records are unknown at this point.

During the Zodiac crimes, he was linked to an SF address on Filbert Street and another place on Alexander Way in Pleasanton. There is currently nothing on a Vallejo connection.

He has a very deep and unusual-sounding voice.

Here are some samples of his handwriting:





He went back to live with his parents during the mid-90's, and now resides not very far from where Cecelia Shepard and Kathy Johns used to live.

He is currently a member of Toastmasters.

LE has not investigated him in any shape or form.

Yeah, that's all I've got.

Nachtsider wrote:

Our boy was born in 1946. He was (parents died in '96 and '07) an only child, born to a strongly Catholic family.

He is still alive and well. As of early 2008, he stands 71 inches tall, weighs about 180 pounds, has a full head of wiry, close-cut hair and an olive complexion (possible Lebanese descent), wears plastic-rimmed glasses (worn specs all his life, including a dark-rimmed pair in high school) and has a shoe size of about a 10. He is very physically fit.

His initials (MLZ), when amalgamated, look a lot like the 'Z'-like symbol the 'Bates had to die' letters were signed with.

Our boy attended PHS in the early 60's (class of '64).

One of his schoolmates was a Mary Patricia Hautz.

He was a strange loner, absorbed in a persona he named 'Zodiac'. He would greet his few friends with 'This is the Zodiac speaking'.

He was mercilessly bullied and ostracized by both male and female students on campus. In response to this harassment, he would allegedly issue threats to kill, also stating that he would become famous and all who had been mean to him would become his slaves.

His first job after leaving high school was at a gas station.

At some point afterward, he became a security guard. He has been listed as such in the state of California for many years and is licensed to carry a firearm.

Military records are unknown at this point.

During the Zodiac crimes, he was linked to an SF address on Filbert Street and another place on Alexander Way in Pleasanton. There is currently nothing on a Vallejo connection.

He has a very deep and unusual-sounding voice.

Here are some samples of his handwriting:





He went back to live with his parents during the mid-90's, and now resides not very far from where Cecelia Shepard and Kathy Johns used to live.

He is currently a member of Toastmasters.

LE has not investigated him in any shape or form.

Yeah, that's all I've got.

"that's all i got"... Thats alot Nach. Thanks. I am working on getting his writing as we speak. Could his olive complexion pass for welsh??? Also, there is the guy that lived in Vallejo with the same exact first & last name, born in 1966. I couldnt find a birth record for him. Any chance he could be a son of MLZ?

If he really said "'This is the Zodiac speaking" back in the mid 60's, thats too much to ignore. This guy needs a closer look. If I get back some better quality samples of his writing, I will post it.

No prob, Morf. I don't know about the Welsh thing, nor about whether 'Morton' (yes, let's call him Morton) ever had a kid or kids.

Nachtsider wrote:

No prob, Morf. I don't know about the Welsh thing, nor about whether 'Morton' (yes, let's call him Morton) ever had a kid or kids.

I will PM the guy I am talking about to you

The San Francisco Filbert St address, as well as the Pleasanton, Alexander WY address, belongs to the MZ (with middlename start with F) who was born Aug 1966, so IMO it is NOT "our" MLZ (middlename start with L) who has been listed at the Filbert ST and Alexander WY addresses.

Theforeigner wrote:

The San Francisco Filbert St address, as well as the Pleasanton, Alexander WY address, belongs to the MZ (with middlename start with F) who was born Aug 1966, so IMO it is NOT "our" MLZ (middlename start with L) who has been listed at the Filbert ST and Alexander WY addresses.

Yes Foreigner, you are right about that. My question is, could this guy be the son of MLZ? He was born in 1966. I cant find a record for the MFZ

I am not sure what Fouke meant when he said "Welsh". Anthony Hopkins is Welsh, and to my knowledge most Welsh people are fair complected white. Someone with a "ruddy" complection, and maybe "Welsh", I think means blood in the face, a redness or flushness in the face. All the Z descriptions I can think of, none mention someone with a dark complection, Latin look, "ethnic" or Mediteranean look - which this MZ clearly has, being Arabic. And with the exception of the LB college girls (who may or may not have seen Zodiac), I don't recall anyone saying Zodiac had thick jet black or black hair. Most of the hair descriptions were light brown, brown to sandy - dirty blonde. So based on looks I don't see this guy as being a strong candidate.



Of course the accuracy of the sketches can be debated. I admit the description is interesting, if hard to believe. If this guy went around calling himself "Zodiac", then he must be checked out, and I encourage all those interested to do so. What bothers me is that this report comes from an anonymous internet source, and if these story was true, why weren't there a dozen kids - young adults contacting police and media when Zodiac was all over the news?

AK Wilks wrote:

I am not sure what Fouke meant when he said "Welsh". Anthony Hopkins is Welsh, and to my knowledge most Welsh people are fair complected white. Someone with a "ruddy" complection, and maybe "Welsh", I think means blood in the face, a redness or flushness in the face. All the Z descriptions I can think of, none mention someone with a dark complection, Latin look, "ethnic" or Mediteranean look - which this MZ clearly has, being Arabic. And with the exception of the LB college girls (who may or may not have seen Zodiac), I don't recall anyone saying Zodiac had thick jet black or black hair. Most of the hair descriptions were light brown, brown to sandy - dirty blonde. So based on looks I don't see this guy as being a strong candidate.



Of course the accuracy of the sketches can be debated. I admit the description is interesting, if hard to believe. If this guy went around calling himself "Zodiac", then he must be checked out, and I encourage all those interested to do so. What bothers me is that this report comes from an anonymous internet source, and if these story was true, why weren't there a dozen kids - young adults contacting police and media when Zodiac was all over the news?

Mageau seemed to think he had dark hair, but then again, he had a flashlight pointed in his eyes.

I am skeptical about this guy....but, if he really did say "This is the Zodiac speaking", years before the Z murders, that is very interesting. And if he somehow WAS related to a guy that lived in the bay area, that is incredible. It could be a case of Zyncronicity, but then again, his last name is even more uncommon than HAUTZ.

If someone just made up the stories about him calling himself Zodiac, and him drawing on the board the crosshair symbol, then the question is why? How did they choose him? And also, the fact he was in the same school as Patricia Hautz, just adds more intrigue.

I just found out that:

MFZ, born Aug 1966 with the SF and Pleasanton addresses, is the son of ATZ (born 1941), and ATZ was (he is dead) MLZ´s cousin !!!

And the cousin, ATZ, was a BIG SHOT, the former chief justice of the xxxxxxx Supreme Court (another state than CA)

SO, could that bee the reason why MLZ was not investigated? did his cousin protect him, or maybe more possible; his own good family name and career etc?

Theforeigner wrote:

I just found out that:

MFZ, born Aug 1966 with the SF and Pleasanton addresses, is the son of ATZ (born 1941), and ATZ was (he is dead) MLZ´s cousin !!!

And the cousin, ATZ, was a BIG SHOT, the former chief justice of the xxxxxxx Supreme Court (another state than CA)

SO, could that bee the reason why MLZ was not investigated? did his cousin protect him, or maybe more possible; his own good family name and career etc?

Foreigner, that is absolutely brilliant research. MY JAW IN ON THE FLOOR!

We must look at this guy further!!!!!!!!

However the MFZ was born in 1966 so his addresses in the bay area has not that much merrit, UNLESS his father TAZ, MLZ´s cousin, lived in the bay area in Zodiac crime years.

Theforeigner wrote:

However the MFZ was born in 1966 so his addresses in the bay area has not that much merrit, UNLESS his father TAZ, MLZ´s cousin, lived in the bay area in Zodiac crime years.

Can you PM me his Dad's name. I couldnt find many people at all with that last name.

Theforeigner wrote:

I just found out that:

MFZ, born Aug 1966 with the SF and Pleasanton addresses, is the son of ATZ (born 1941), and ATZ was (he is dead) MLZ´s cousin !!!

And the cousin, ATZ, was a BIG SHOT, the former chief justice of the xxxxxxx Supreme Court (another state than CA)

SO, could that bee the reason why MLZ was not investigated? did his cousin protect him, or maybe more possible; his own good family name and career etc?

CORRECTION; ATZ is NOT dead, it is ATZ´s father AKZ who is dead. SORRY

But the info that ATZ, was a BIG SHOT, the former chief justice of the xxxxxxx Supreme Court (another state than CA) is correct.

The little symbol that looks like his initials, MLZ on those Bates letters is really starting to creep me out now.

Remember, Z said he only "looked a certain way" when he "did his thing"....hypothetically, this guy could have kept his darker longer hair when he wore the hood, and could have gotten a buzzcut and dyed it before he "did his thing."

As far as Welsh people go, that is NOT correct. Just like the Irish who can be very fair with blue eyes, or black haired and darker, so can welshmen...Tom Jones, for example is Welsh, and when he was younger looked like this: (God help me, DO NOT SAY ANNNYTHING ABOUT HIS CLOTHES!!ROFL!)