I’d bet dollars to donuts that this announcement is related to the Riverside announcement earlier this year:

“Additional information was developed regarding a separate set of letters sent to Northern California police agencies. The author claimed to be the “Zodiac Killer,” but the author ultimately admitted to sending the letters to keep the investigation going.”

I’d also bet that the person identified in both Riverside and in Tom’s announcement is Detective David Toschi. 

One is always left so unsatisfied with the news regarding DNA.  It is such a specific technology, with such specific implications.  Yet, all we ever get is vagueness from these announcements.  I’m hopeful that there is something here, but I’m dubious until they announce specifics.  And, by “they,” I mean someone officially connected to law enforcement (as much as I appreciate Tom’s work on this case, I just don’t think he knows enough about the technology of DNA profiling to give us viable information).

I can’t quite wrap my head around the implication that Zodiac reused stamps. Lifting stamps is a potentially laborious process, and such an exercise would have little forensic value in 1969. If he was leery of saliva testing, he could have just used a sponge and a regular book of stamps. Even supposing that he was cheap, he’d require an improbably plentiful supply of “clean” stamps — including those unique configurations of multiple stamps that appear to still be attached to each other — or risked his letters being kicked to the reject bin before they reached the newspapers. Unless we’re supposed to think he only did it this one time, which is another head-scratcher.

The accomplice scenario only works, as far as my feeble brain can fathom, if we’re buying into the “writer and killer are 2 different people” angle. So it would be nice to know which letter they found the DNA on.

Posted by: @coffee-time

I can’t quite wrap my head around the implication that Zodiac reused stamps.

Nor I. It seems far-fetched – highly speculative. I have never heard of hippies re-using stamps as a counter-culture thing, either. That Zodiac liked to “over-post” the required amount also argues against re-using cancelled stamps.

Best case scenario is DNA that links back to Zodiac like an accomplice, family member etc.

To echo everyone’s thoughts, there is so much we DON’T know that every scenario seems far-fetched. Was it the stamps that were tested? From which letters? How were police able to eliminate the DNA donor as the Zodiac? Did the DNA donor have any relationship with the Zodiac? Was the DNA donor a detective? A lab tech? A mailman? A hoaxer? Is this a setback in the case or does this mean the noose is tightening? 

Like with many recent announcements in the case, this merely creates more questions rather than clear answers.

As best as I can guess, the Riverside announcement and this one are related and that there were multiple hoaxers in this case. That means perhaps that some letters we consider definite Zodiac were faked.

Posted by: @jacob

Best case scenario is DNA that links back to Zodiac like an accomplice, family member etc.

Agreed. However, I think that it led them to a hoaxer and that some of the Zodiac letters that we thought were legit were actually faked. 

@chaucer 

That would be my guess as well.

The main question is which ones ? Tom states it is a genuine Z correspondence, so none of the unknown is in the picture, yes ? Then he say not SFPD or VPD. So how letters many are left ? As Chaucer has alluded to there have been recent developments in another case. ? interesting coincidence?

@cragle Tom didn’t say it was VPD or SFPD. He said don’t bother calling them because they won’t answer any questions. 

My guess is that it was the later 71 letters and the Exorcist letter.

@chaucer that is my point “he didn’t say it was VPD or SFPD”. He stated that it was not who you would expect so take them of speed dial, thus insinuating that there would be no need to call them as it wasn’t either of the two. BUT it’s a genuine correspondence. So agin how many letters are being held by LE that are not in the procession of those two ?

I didn’t take Tom’s statement the way you did. 

Has there any “next day” announcement been made by TV ? Who thought to be able to say that person could not have been Z?

QT

@quicktrader I think that was from the day before and the 20th was the next day,if you catch my drift. So the news tomorrow he was referring to was the statement about DNA, not Zodiac, reusing stamps etc.

My head hurts now ?