A small cult based in the San Francisco Bay Area has been linked to several killings across multiple states.
The Zizians are “highly educated, computer savvy, at times geographically scattered, and a number of them if not all of them appear to identify as trans or nonbinary,” according to SFist.
Open Vallejo describes the group as “a radical offshoot of the Rationalist movement, an ideology centered on using scientific techniques to enhance human decision making.” Members adhere to veganism, transhumanism, and “timeless decision theory,” which treats human decisions and their effects as mathematical computations.
The group is headed by 34-year-old computer engineer Jack Amadeus LaSota, who is currently wanted by police in California and Pennsylvania.
LaSota was one of four protesters who were arrested at a demonstration in Sonoma County in 2019. In 2022, LaSota faked their death in a San Francisco boating accident, but was later found living in Pennsylvania.
Two people with connections to the Zizians — Maximillian Bentley Snyder and Teresa Youngblut — were arrested this month for the killings of a U.S. Border Patrol Agent in Vermont and an 82-year-old man in Vallejo. Another Zizian, Felix “Ophelia” Bauckholt, was killed during the Vermont shootout.
Both Snyder and LaSota were previously detained in connection with a double-homicide in Pennsylvania. The victims in that case were the parents of a Zizian member named Jacqueline Zakjo. The weapons used have been linked back to the group.
The 82-year-old homicide victim, Curtis Lind, was reportedly attacked with a samurai sword two years ago by several members of the group who were staying on his property. He survived that attack and was set to testify against them when he was killed on January 17.
LaSota was detained after Lind’s 2022 stabbing but was not charged. LaSota was also arrested in connection with the double-homicide in Pennsylvania, but was not charged with murder.
“Court records show Pennsylvania authorities charged LaSota with obstruction and disorderly conduct but released them on bail in 2023,” according to Open Vallejo. “LaSota apparently remains free from custody but has warrants out for their arrest for failing to appear in court in both states, according to court records.”
The San Francisco Bay Area has a long history of cult activity and deadly religious sects. Some of the most infamous cults in modern history — including the People’s Temple and its leader Jim Jones — called the Bay Area home at one time.
Read more about the Zizians and the ongoing manhunt for Jack LaSota here.