Hey all! Hope you are having a happy holidays. I have a pretty obvious question and I’m sure the answer has been in front of my eyes the whole time but I still cant’ find it. I often read that ALA was cleared on DNA. I am curious what DNA LE has from Z? Is this related to the bloody fingerprint at PH? And if so isn’t there a good chance that fingerprint isn’t Z’s? I guess I am wondering where this DNA came from, as in what crime, and what kind of DNA it is? Thank you!
The DNA came from the saliva underneath one of the Zodiac letters’ stamps.
The prints that law enforcement have are not limited to the prints from the cab; they include a number from the letters.
The DNA came from the saliva underneath one of the Zodiac letters’ stamps.
The prints that law enforcement have are not limited to the prints from the cab; they include a number from the letters.
Oh okay, well that certainly is some good evidence. Thank you for the response.
Just wondering,was it just the one stamp they got the dna from?how confident are they that it’s zodiacs dna and is it a good enough sample to conclusively rule someone in or out?I’m not trying to make a case for allen as zodiac,just wondering if we can rule any poi out based on it
Just wondering,was it just the one stamp they got the dna from?how confident are they that it’s zodiacs dna and is it a good enough sample to conclusively rule someone in or out?I’m not trying to make a case for allen as zodiac,just wondering if we can rule any poi out based on it
If it was under the stamp, I don’t see who else it could have come from.
I have another question regarding DNA. Since Z apparently tied up some of his victims, have the ropes been tested for DNA? I know he claimed in one of the letters that he wore gloves, but unless they were relatively thin, like latex perhaps, tying "complex nautical knots" while wearing gloves could be challenging. Also, in the ’60s I don’t think many criminals would have been concerned with epithelial DNA.
Napa did a whole lot of DNA testing not too long ago and apparently came up with nothing.
There is a photograph floating around of the clothesline (and there was a lot of it) being held up by law enforcement–using their bare hands. Not the best practices back then. I will try and find it, unless someone beats me to it.
Edit: Here it is. Thx to a previous post from Seagull
“…they may be dealing with one or more ersatz Zodiacs–other psychotics eager to get into the act, or perhaps even other murderers eager to lay their crimes at the real Zodiac’s doorstep.“ L.A. Times, 1969
Napa did a whole lot of DNA testing not too long ago and apparently came up with nothing.
There is a photograph floating around of the clothesline (and there was a lot of it) being held up by law enforcement–using their bare hands. Not the best practices back then. I will try and find it, unless someone beats me to it.
Edit: Here it is. Thx to a previous post from Seagull
Yes, that was kind of standard procedure back then. If you couldn’t get fingerprints or tool marks off of it, it was of little evidentiary value. While most of us knew what DNA was from high school science classes, no one could have imagined how valuable it would become as evidence. I got my start in law enforcement as a police dispatcher in 1970 while still in high school, so I vividly remember those days and how different things were done back then. It wasn’t a case of shoddy police work; it was just the way things were done because there seemed to be no reason not to. Even fingerprint technology was a far cry from what it is today.
Thanks for the info.
I agree, but of course that’s not to say they would still be successful with some DNA testing today, so it’s still worth every effort, imo.
“…they may be dealing with one or more ersatz Zodiacs–other psychotics eager to get into the act, or perhaps even other murderers eager to lay their crimes at the real Zodiac’s doorstep.“ L.A. Times, 1969
I agree, but of course that’s not to say they would still be successful with some DNA testing today, so it’s still worth every effort, imo.
Absolutely! There may well have been technological advances since Napa did their testing. I amazed by the improvements in LE technology since 1990, when I left the field.
However, there is still that hurdle of finding a suspect who matches, even if new evidence were to surface. This is one of the coldest of cold cases, so it is more of a pole vault than a hurdle at this point I’m afraid.
I’d be happy if they were able to find matching DNA at the various Zodiac crime scenes, phone booths, stamps….something.
“…they may be dealing with one or more ersatz Zodiacs–other psychotics eager to get into the act, or perhaps even other murderers eager to lay their crimes at the real Zodiac’s doorstep.“ L.A. Times, 1969
I’d be happy if they were able to find matching DNA at the various Zodiac crime scenes, phone booths, stamps….something.
You are one of many to be sure!
So I hear Tom V is now claiming that a retired LE source told him the DNA was not from under the stamp, and therefore may not have come from Zodiac. What do you guys think?
So I hear Tom V is now claiming that a retired LE source told him the DNA was not from under the stamp, and therefore may not have come from Zodiac. What do you guys think?
Yeah, saw that too. I’ve always had my doubts about that DNA.
Sharing this DNA article: http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=131951&page=1
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If Zodiac ever joined a Z forum, I’m sure he would have been banned for not following forum rules. Zam’s/Quote
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