Albany, NY Letter from Zodiac August 1973

In the de-classified FBI files regarding the Zodiac case, mention was made of a Zodiac letter that started off " YOU WERE WRONG". That letter was not released to the public. The page also pointed to an unknown Medical Center.I will post the FBI file page here shortly.

In the meantime, Zodiac researcher Tom V did a great job of obtaining the actual letter mentioned in the FBI report. It pointed to a Medical Center in Albany, NY.

I originally wrote this letter off, but after looking at it closely, I think the "K" is right on with Zodiac, as well as the "d" (although it stands straight up and is neater than the lower case "d" we have seen from Zodiac).

So if we look at this as a probable Zodiac letter, it leads us down an interesting path.

*Zodiac Victim Darlene Ferrin had gone to Albany for a while and lived there
* Ferrin's Ex Husband James Crabtree has also gone to Albany for a while and lived there
* Zodiac suspect Richard Gaikowski had also gone to Albany

This is too much to be a coincidence in my opinion. 3 People in CA tied to Zodiac, also have Albany NY history. Then Zodiac picks Albany NY of all places to send a letter? Too much to be a coincidence in my opinion. Therefore, it may be likely that Zodiac had some connection to one of the above 3 people, or knew them in some way.

Roland and his team have already started doing code work on this letter and have come up with a possible partial last name for the victim mentioned in the letter. I think that Zodiac had to have known in someway, the Albany Victim mentioned in the letter. (Its a rather long name ending in the letter Y) I will let Roland disclose the name and what they found so far.

If anyone is interested, I think we may be able to look closer at the Albany area, and find a person with the last name. Maybe we can brainstorm and come up with the full last name?

I suggest using Classmates.com and other similar resources, to find people that were in Albany from 1966 (when Ferrin, Crabtree,and Gaikowski were there) until 1973 when Zodiac wrote the Albany letter. If the person was a local, they may have gone to High School in the Albany letter, therefore, they may have been in High School in the early 60's.

I also think that if the FBI cracked the cipher, they may know the name of the intended Victim, and may have warned them or questioned them. If we could find the name of the intended victim, perhaps we could reach out to them and see who they knew from the Bay area of CA....and that may lead us to Zodiac.

The cipher appears to have 50 symbols.
And appears to end with "ALBANYMEDICALCENTERTHISONLYTHEBEGINNIN"


If correct, this would leave a name before that with 12 letters in it. Roland thinks it starts with a C and ends in a Y. Is that a first & last name, or just a last name????
C---DE--ENLY ALBANYMEDICALCENTERTHISONLYTHEBEGINNIN


I will let Roland explain the rest.

morf13 wrote:

The cipher appears to have 50 symbols.
And appears to end with "ALBANYMEDICALCENTERTHISONLYTHEBEGINNIN"


If correct, this would leave a name before that with 12 letters in it. Roland thinks it starts with a C and ends in a Y. Is that a first & last name, or just a last name????
C---DE--ENLY ALBANYMEDICALCENTERTHISONLYTHEBEGINNIN


I will let Roland explain the rest.

I did find a woman named: MARY BRADBURY who was at Albany Medical Center - Nursing from 1972-1975. Her name is 12 letters long and ends in a Y, but the rest of the name doesnt line up.

Also found LINDA TINSLEY (12 letters ending in a Y) at same location from 1974-1977&

ELLEN TOOMEY (12 letters if her middle initial was included) at same location from 65-67

Helpful link- http://www.classmates.com/directory/college/Albany%20Medical%20Center%20-%20Nursing?org=17818141

WOAH...I almost forgot.....who else of Zodiac interest had a connection to Albany NY? How about DOREEN GAUL...she was the young scientologist killed in 1969 in Los Angeles along side James Sharp. A typed letter like the Bates confession letter was found in her room, signed ZODIAC.




Below is a post from SOLARPONS in the Doreen Gaul thread:


"With the Gyke news the other day I had posted that JP worked for the Albany Times Union, I found it strange that out of all the papers in the US they should receive a letter purporting to be from the Zodiac. There are several pages about it starting File 4, page 119 of the FBI files. There could be another possible link.

Gaul and Sharp were killed on November 21st 1969, the Albany Times Union staffers provided the LA police with details to assist in the identification of Gaul. In 73 the letter was sent. The interesting thing about the letter was that it included a cipher which read "(First part blanked out)Albany Medical Center, This only the beginning." We know that a letter was found amongst items belonging to Gaul supposedly coming from the Zodiac killer. Here is a map of the Albany Medical Centre and Stratton VA Medical Centre.

The interesting part is that the street that runs along the top Myrtle Avenue is where Doreen Gaul and her family lived, https://2img.net/r/ihimizer/i/snapshot20100526202737.png/ the red A marks their house. Could Doreen really have known her killer and did she meet him as he visited the Medical Centre. Why the Zodiac letter left in her room and four years later the note to the Albany Times mentioning the Medical Centre within spitting distance of her house."

File 4,page 122 states that the FBI could not eliminate the possibility that the person that had written the Times Union note was the same as the person who had written the Zodiac letters.

Does anyone have a cleaner version of the letter? I can't read some of the symbols in the cipher.

TIA,

Auth

It's good to see a copy of the letter. When you look at the map you can see how close Doreen's family's home is to the medical centre. I would love to know who persuaded her to go to LA or whether she had any family there, also I noticed reading about BRS in the Benicia Herald piece online that students at Hogan raised money and that the guy organizing the drive was a Jim Gaul from Hogan High, could she have a family connection to Vallejo? Did she have any relatives in California? Probably the Gaul family would need to be asked.

Solar Pons wrote:

It's good to see a copy of the letter. When you look at the map you can see how close Doreen's family's home is to the medical centre. I would love to know who persuaded her to go to LA or whether she had any family there, also I noticed reading about BRS in the Benicia Herald piece online that students at Hogan raised money and that the guy organizing the drive was a Jim Gaul from Hogan High, could she have a family connection to Vallejo? Did she have any relatives in California? Probably the Gaul family would need to be asked.

Yes, this is true. There was a fund organized by Jim Gaul to raise money. This fund was mainly for Betty Lou. Some of the Students at Hogan were and still are a tight grp of friends. I do have contact with a family member. This is actually on my to do list to contact them. So, PM or Post your questions.... I will make a phone call next week to see IF I can learn more.
Zam*

Zamantha wrote:

Solar Pons wrote:

It's good to see a copy of the letter. When you look at the map you can see how close Doreen's family's home is to the medical centre. I would love to know who persuaded her to go to LA or whether she had any family there, also I noticed reading about BRS in the Benicia Herald piece online that students at Hogan raised money and that the guy organizing the drive was a Jim Gaul from Hogan High, could she have a family connection to Vallejo? Did she have any relatives in California? Probably the Gaul family would need to be asked.

Yes, this is true. There was a fund organized by Jim Gaul to raise money. This fund was mainly for Betty Lou. Some of the Students at Hogan were and still are a tight grp of friends. I do have contact with a family member. This is actually on my to do list to contact them. So, PM or Post your questions.... I will make a phone call next week to see IF I can learn more.
Zam*

Interesting to see if anyone you know is related to Gaul from Albany NY

Over at CHARLIE MANSON.COM, http://www.charliemanson.com/news-archive/news-1969-11-23.htm
You can view articles about Doreen Gaul, and the articles were in the same newspaper that Zodiac (if it is really him) would write to 4 years later.
The letter IS postmarked in ALBANY. That means that Zodiac was IN Albany to mail the letter. Visiting Family, Friends,did he relocate? Hard to say. But if this Albany letter is really from Zodiac, and a legitimate suspect is ever developed, perhaps this Albany visit by him could be what does him in.

Yes Howard has had information on Doreen Gaul and Sharp for many yrs now. I went last yr to Hogan High looking for a picture of Darlene's brothers Frank and Leo. I wanted to see if they looked at all like the picture I saw of George Waters.
The description of George given by the VPD, didn't match the picture at all. I didn't find any pictures of Frank or Leo at Hogan High were they both went.

That was the same day I found the name Jim Gaul at Hogan .I emailed Howard asap, with that interesting bit of news! I am not sure if that was where this came from or not ? If not ,it would be interesting to hear how someone else came upon the same name ? If it came from Howards site, then he should be given the credit.

There was something that was found under her head, I believe ? Someone had put a much smaller version of it, in my back yard. It never made any sense to me at the time, but when Howard told me the story then the light came on in my head and then it fit the clue.
If the Zodiac didn't kill Doreen Gaul and Sharp, then the man who is my suspect could have done it, why else would he leave the same object in my yard ? Everything that he has left for me to find, is some sort of a clue to something else ?

I tried to find the Albany letter in the FBI files on Zodiac, but didn't find it. Anyone have a link to it ?
True Jim P. and Gyke ( I guess ) both worked there at different times. We need to get the missing pages from Darlene's address book, to see if she had any other friends in Albany NY ? Robert Graysmith has them, but told me they are too hard to read . I say lets try anyway ?

Sandy, here is the FBI file that mentions the Albany Zodiac letter:
http://foia.fbi.gov/zodiac/zodiac4.pdf

Scroll down pages 119-127 I think, all about the Albany stuff. WARNING: there are alot of fiels there, so give it time to load on your computer when you go to the link

Thanks Morf , I just spent the past 5 hrs reading "part" of the FBI file on Z and soooo many suspects ! I found that there are other letters I haven't seen before ,that they have at the FBI.
One starts out : EQUINOX 3:33 PM . Lt looks like it was sent to Sacramento on 7-9-75

Where is Bently, how did he miss this one ?

Oh before I forget, it looks like the Z wanted the FBI to think he was D.B. Cooper LOL. He sent a note 11-27-71. Sent it to a Reno NV News paper, it came from Oakdale Ca. ( Next to Modesto)
It was done in paper cut outs -----"Attention"
Thanks for the hospitality, was in a rut. signed BD Cooper

Reading what the FBI felt was the Z's B.D.under the sign of Pisces 2-20 to 3-20. My #1main suspect is Feb 18th missed it by 2 days.

sandy betts wrote:

Oh before I forget, it looks like the Z wanted the FBI to think he was D.B. Cooper LOL. He sent a note 11-27-71. Sent it to a Reno NV News paper, it came from Oakdale Ca. ( Next to Modesto)
It was done in paper cut outs -----"Attention"
Thanks for the hospitality, was in a rut. signed BD Cooper

Reading what the FBI felt was the Z's B.D.under the sign of Pisces 2-20 to 3-20. My #1main suspect is Feb 18th missed it by 2 days.

Sandy, what section & page # was the letter to Reno? My POI I think was living in Reno before moving to Vallejo 6 months before the murders started on Lake Herman Rd

That Albany connection with GAUL is certainly interesting, but I should point out the following as it was relayed to me from a LA Detective:

" I was able to review the Gaul/Sharp murders and based on the extensive investigation by the initial detectives, I do not think the murders are linked to the Zodiac. There was brief mention about a Zodiac style letter found in the female victim's room, but that's about it. Here is a brief synopsis of the Gaul/Sharp murders:

This is a brutal 1969 double murder of two teens (19-year-old female and 15-year-old male) who were kidnapped and murdered while walking to the Scientology Church. It appeared that the female victim was sexually assaulted. Both were stabbed multiple times and bludgeoned with a tire jack. A suspect, James G., was arrested in 1975 on an unrelated offense and confessed to being at the crime scene with another suspect,

Arthur D. James G.confessed because he “wanted to get it off his chest” and told detectives that he was forced at gunpoint to participate by Arthur D. Detectives suspected that James G. was not being truthful as to his actual participation in the murders (ie he was a willing participant rather than forced). Although James G. story was very detailed and accurate, Detectives were not able to corroborate his story with the case evidence. The original detectives worked this case vigorously until 1980 and even attempted to file the case with the DA. The DA’s office did not file the case due to lack of evidence. I contacted Property Division when I was reviewing this case and discovered that all evidence in this case was authorized for destruction on 1/27/97. I am still trying to determine if a latent print package exists on this case. Both suspects appear to be alive. Arthur D. is in his 80’s and James G. is in his 60’s."

No charges were ever brought against these men, and the case appears to be closed, and solved in the minds of the LA police.

sandy betts wrote:

Thanks Morf , I just spent the past 5 hrs reading "part" of the FBI file on Z and soooo many suspects ! I found that there are other letters I haven't seen before ,that they have at the FBI.
One starts out : EQUINOX 3:33 PM . Lt looks like it was sent to Sacramento on 7-9-75

Where is Bently, how did he miss this one ?

Been on vacation in the red rock canyons of Utah.

I have to wonder why, in this Albany letter, Z would have stated he was going to start killing again. He never announced he had stopped killing, and the claimed victim count continued to rise in the confirmed letters long after PH, from 17 in 1971 to 37 in January 1974.

That, and it looks nothing like a Z letter to me.

Bentley, I originally was thinking the same as you. Upon looking closer, I think the letter K is a match, as well as a couple other things. The FBI stated that the document in question COULD NOT be ruled out as coming from Zodiac.

I am shocked that supporters of GAIKOWSKI are not coming out of the woodwork regarding this letter.

In the Zodiac case, there seem to be clues connecting to Albany...from Ferrin & Crabtree going there, to GYKE going there, to Gaul living right near the medical center in question (even though it doesnt look like she was a Zodiac victim)

One thing i find odd is that the "k" that is always the 3 stroke standout in Z's letters is quite different in the RED PHANTOM letter or Count Marco letter....it is a normal k in that one..

The Albany letter looks similar w/the 3 stroke k and the "t" without having a side by side....like you stated, it is one that can not be ruled not a Z letter.

I still think more than 1 person...just my gut feeling is all

Just saw this thread. Good stuff!
I worked on the cipher some when it first came out.
Thought I would share what I came up with. Looks
like it is pretty much what Roland has only mine is
not as far along.
Welcome any input or ideas on this. No idea if it is correct
but do think we need to solve it.

caresut wrote:

Just saw this thread. Good stuff!
I worked on the cipher some when it first came out.
Thought I would share what I came up with. Looks
like it is pretty much what Roland has only mine is
not as far along.
Welcome any input or ideas on this. No idea if it is correct
but do think we need to solve it.

For some reason, Roland didnt finish it. You can cearly see where it says "this is only the beginning" to the right of where he left off.

morf13 wrote:

For some reason, Roland didnt finish it. You can cearly see where it says "this is only the beginning" to the right of where he left off.

I have not seen Roland's solution but it sounds similar. "this is only the beginning" has the right number
of letters to fit. The symbols just don't seem to match up like they do in the "Albany Medical Center" portion
of the code. The darn circle and square symbols are just hard to tell apart.

Right at this time, in nearby Rochester New York and surrounding areas, the "Alphabet Killer" was at work.

He killed young girls and teens with initials CC in city starting with C, MM in city starting with M, and WW in city starting with W.

C is the 3rd letter, M the 13th, W the 23rd.

Killer probably inspired by Agatha Christie story.

AK Wilks wrote:

Right at this time, in nearby Rochester New York and surrounding areas, the "Alphabet Killer" was at work.

He killed young girls and teens with initials CC in city starting with C, MM in city starting with M, and WW in city starting with W.

C is the 3rd letter, M the 13th, W the 23rd.

Killer probably inspired by Agatha Christie story.

Thst's true, but then again, the alphabet killer sexually assaulted the young adolescent females before he killed them, and that absolutely does not fit with any confirmed Zodiac activity.

By the way, here is my stab at the ciper, or at least the end of it. As you can see, I am not as sophisticated as some of you guys who know how to make nice professional looking blocks


The cipher appears to have 50 symbols.
And appears to end with "ALBANYMEDICALCENTERTHISONLYTHEBEGINNIN" or maybe even "ITISONLYTHEBEGINNING"

If correct, this would leave a name before that with 12 letters in it. Roland thinks it starts with a C and ends in a Y. Is that a first & last name, or just a last name????
C---DE--ENLY ALBANYMEDICALCENTERTHISONLYTHEBEGINNIN

If this letter is "real", my hunch is it may have something to do with the Alphabet Murders which were taking place at this time in and around nearby Rochester New York. Perhaps the first part is a victim name, like Carmen Colon?

From wiki:

The so-called "Alphabet murders" (also known as the "double initial murders") took place in the early 1970s in the Rochester, New York area; three young girls were raped and strangled. The case got its name from the fact that each of the three girls' first and last names started with the same letters (Carmen Colon, Wanda Walkowicz, and Michelle Maenza) and that the bodies were found in a town that started with the same letter as the girls' names (Colon in Churchville, Walkowicz in Webster and Maenza in Macedon).

Carmen Colon, 11, disappeared November 16, 1971. She was found two days later 12 miles from where she was last seen. Although found in the town of Riga[1], the village of Churchville is the town's center of population, and the town of Chili is nearby.
Wanda Walkowicz, 11, disappeared April 2, 1973. She was found the next day at a rest area off State Route 104 in Webster, seven miles from Rochester.
Michelle Maenza, 10, disappeared November 26, 1973. She was found two days later in Macedon, 15 miles from Rochester.