…Quicktrader. If you like anagramming, shuffling symbols etc. – go ahead to the next topic. Here, I’d actually like to discuss real names matching the 13 cipher (so far, tens of thousands real names did not match):
Nowadays we have access to digital name lists covering thousands of last names. PETERSON, for example, does NOT fit as the first and last letter had to be the same. Some others, however, might fit into the cipher structure:
“Flanagan”:
_ _ F L A N A G A N F _ G
“Levesque”:
U _ Q _ E L E V E S Q U E
“Camarena”:
N _ E _ A C A M A R E N A
“McClanahan”:
M C C L A N A H A N C M A
(CMA could stand for e.g. “certified medical assistant” or “certified management accountant”)
Was the real name of Zodiac “Paul McClanahan”? A (female) McClanahan is living very close to Blue Rock Springs – a relative? Was there any medical assistant by that name at Letterman Hospital?
Thoughts?
QT
https://namecensus.com/last-names/
*ZODIACHRONOLOGY*
It would be interesting to cross-reference the names generated from the code with the names of people from that time and region, then check the files (police infractions, physical characteristics, places where they lived, schooling, etc), it would be very laborious (nowadays).
https://zodiacode1933.blogspot.com/
@marcelo-leandro Interestingly I figured out that ~100k names did not match the cipher structure. So far, none found. No anagramming.
QT
*ZODIACHRONOLOGY*
Testing all combinations of the 1200 first and 4999 last names of the census you reference above for a perfect match for 13 letters leaves me without even one single match.
I tend to believe that the 0 in AENz0K0M0[NAM are seperators like spaces or dots, and separate the initials of two middle names. In which case, the first and last name would have exactly four letters, two of which overlap. Then there is 413 matching combinations, and I attached these.
I do not have access to a list of names living in the area at the time, to filter for the first letter of the speculated third name which would need to match the last letter of the last name. And a second name would need to at least exist.
If that held true, then Zodiac would have very much desired to be identified. With today’s computing power to scan data, it would be little different from a surrender to the authorities. I estimate it would have been easy as well with late 60’s electronic equipment.
@f-reichmann The term could represent a term such as “the red phantom” or similar instead, matching the cipher, instead of a real name.
QT
*ZODIACHRONOLOGY*
@quicktrader Even when assuming the simplest case of a correctly spelled substitution cipher of really a name, then there are many matches with a first, second and a last name. I did the code with the frequent names you linked above, and then discovered that STEVE PETE WEST, EDDIE GENE ODEN & Co are all listed already at http://zodiackillerciphers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Z13_Solutions. Permitting nick names will even further increase the potential solutions.
13 symbols is far too short. Unicity distance of a substituion cipher in English is 28 letters. We lack 15*3,2=48 bits of information. That is a huge amount, if every was really a name then the number would be in the hundreds of trillions.
Our bets are better because there is only 8 or so billion people on earth, and we expect a name with 13 letters, and that specific symbol pattern may have a lower entropy than the random language distribution that is assumed in unicity distance. However, it would then not be allowed to be so easy to find many meaningful matches. And we are only assuming the very simplest case.
Without additional information, there is no way to distinguish the true solution from a spurious match.
Agree only if he had used a homophone substitution cipher. The cipher is really short (thus no need to use a polyalphabetic one, imo).
Consider, however, that we are searching for a REAL name. If you wouldn’t use multiple symbols for e.g. the letter D (‘EDDIE’), out of approx. 100,000 real names none (!) is a match (at least not the ones I had tried). “STEVE PETE WEST” not necessarily is a real person’s name either. But if you find one, even with using homophones, it might be worth looking at.
If you find one “only” substitution, I’d bet a pint of lager that this person is related to the case. So far, I couldn’t find one.
Second name PETER, STEVEN or ALAN could be a nice match to the 8..
QT
*ZODIACHRONOLOGY*
@quicktrader I unfortunately do not have access to a list of real person names. If there is a source accessible, then it is easy to scan.
In the meanwhile, from the most frequent names, let’s get
ARLIE DEWEY LAW
LOUIE PETE AULT
ELIJAH ASA RIES
DELMAR ASA OLDS
ROB DEWEY EMBRY
ART SOLOMON TAM
GINO LYLE LANGE
SHANE PETE MAST
arrested, if existing. In the meanwhile, I go and check the local brewery for their Saccharomyces Pastorianus creations. Well, I get your point: It needs a list of real persons that live(d) in the area. An electronic copy of the phone book at the time.
I hope they have some DNA or pollen from letter stamps or the textiles of the taxi driver shirt, and one day will succeed to match it.
