Why has it been so difficult to get the FBI to aggressively investigate Ted Kaczynski for the Zodiac Killer and Tylenol Murders cases?
Is the truth simply that the FBI does not want to have it come out that an amateur, or small group of amateurs, was able to solve a crime that they were not able to solve? That it would be an embarrassing revelation that a man they've had in their custody for 20 years was In fact responsible for two major crime sprees, and that they were unable to put together the facts to prove that?
Very soon I'm going to post on the Tylenol case, what my experiences were on it, and the overwhelming amount of evidence that points to Kaczynski as being a very good suspect for that case. His family home was within 20 minutes of all the stores that sold tainted Tylenol, and that's just one of many facts pointing to him as the likely perpetrator.
When I first contacted the FBI in 2009, there was skepticism at first, but when I provided all the evidence to the FBI, I felt like the two agents I was speaking to understood it, were seriously interested, treated me with respect and asked good questions.
And the initial follow through by the FBI was good. They did what they told me they were going to do. They told me that on the basis of the evidence I presented to them, they considered Ted a valid suspect for the Tylenol murders. The FBI said they recovered a partial DNA sample from the Tylenol pills tainted with cyanide. In other words there was DNA material inside a fingerprint smudge , not sure if it was sweat, skin or something else.
They did approach him and ask him to volunteer a DNA sample. Ted flat out refused to volunteer a sample, saying that 3 to 5% of the population can match a partial DNA sample. Which is not true, and sure as hell sounds like something a guilty person would say to avoid giving a DNA sample! The FBI then told the media that they would seek a court order to get the DNA sample.
https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/fbi-prob ... d=13638602I was interviewed for a few of the articles. At the time I was hopeful. The FBI seemed to be taking it seriously and moving forward on my information.
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/2011 ... 705199967/From the article: True crime author Douglas Oswell and researcher A.K. Wilks are among those who always suspected the Unabomber was connected to the case. They shared their research with the FBI and published it online.
Wilks said he emailed the FBI after the 2009 raid of Lewis' home, when he "thought they might be going down the wrong road," and ended up speaking at length with two different FBI agents. He also contacted authorities suggesting they stop the auction of Kaczynski's items, because he thought they might contain valuable evidence.
"The fact that (the FBI) called me twice made me somewhat hopeful," said Wilks. "If the authorities give it a serious look, that's all you can ask for."
From another article: "I have never even possessed any potassium cyanide," Kaczynski said. "But even on the assumption that the FBI is entirely honest (an assumption I'm unwilling to make), partial DNA profiles can throw suspicion on persons who are entirely innocent. For example, such profiles can show that 5%, or 3%, or 1% of Americans have the same partial profile as the person who committed a certain crime.
And from there the trail goes cold. Once it got up to the higher level the FBI, as far as I know, they just totally backed down. They absolutely caved in, and did not seek a court-ordered warrant to get the DNA. Why did they do that? I don't know, but I can only speculate that they must have felt that if the DNA matched, and the case was solved, they would not look good for being unable to solve one of the most notorious mass murderers and product tampering poisonings in history.
And it's confusing because they would get some credit for solving the case now, but I guess that was not enough to outweigh the feeling that they'd be portrayed as stupid or incompetent for being unable to solve a case that an amateur solved. I honestly don't know the answer.
But the FBI is now out of the picture, and the case has been turned over to local authorities, and I have some reason to believe that I may actually be able to get something done now. A local department is in charge of the case and the FBI is not involved. They can't put up roadblocks anymore. The priority for the local department is solving the case.
And I think solving the Tylenol Murders case through a DNA match to Kaczynski, if current efforts to obtain Zodiac DNA succeed, will absolutely lead to solving the Zodiac case through a DNA match to Kaczynski. Why do I say that with a high degree of confidence? Because an indictment of Kaczynski for the Tylenol Murders would bring several huge changes. Until now, it has been very difficult to break through the myth of Kaczynski with most police, FBI, prosecutors, media (Paul Holes was one of the few exceptions). The myth being that he was motivated only by his views and concern for the environment, that he killed reluctantly and only killed by bomb and that he mainly killed by targeting prominent people in technology fields. Indictment for the Tylenol Murders would show he could kill by means other than a bomb, kill ordinary citizens and that he enjoyed killing for personal satisfaction.
It would also change my standing. I have a good relationship with a few in law enforcement, but have had many doors closed in my face. I would go from an just another amateur with an eccentric theory that Kaczynski is the Zodiac to "the guy who helped prove that Kaczynski was the Tylenol Murderer". It would enhance my credibility, the credibility of the case for TK as Z and open doors and avenues previously closed. And finally it would bring TK's DNA into the system.
