The Zodiac Killer or simply Zodiac is the pseudonym of an unidentified American serial killer[1] who operated

in Northern California from at least the late 1960s to the early 1970s. The killer originated the name in a series of
taunting letters and cards sent to the local Bay Area press. The letters included four cryptograms (or ciphers). Of
the four cryptograms sent, only one has been definitively solved.[2]
He murdered five known victims in Benicia, Vallejo, Napa County, and San Francisco respectively between
December 1968 and October 1969. He targeted young couples, with two of the men surviving attempted murder.
He also murdered a male cab driver. The Zodiac himself once claimed to have murdered 37 victims.
Suspects have been named by law enforcement and amateur investigators, but no conclusive evidence has
surfaced. The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) marked the case "inactive" in April 2004, but re-opened
it at some point prior to March 2007.[3][4] The case also remains open in the city of Vallejo, as well as in Napa
County and Solano County.[5] The California Department of Justice has maintained an open case file on the
Zodiac murders since 1969.[6]