April 12, 2026
Birch Bay, Washington
In recent weeks there has been renewed public discussion, including work associated with the Connelly team, suggesting that the Black Dahlia murder and the Zodiac killings may have been committed by the same offender.
That idea is not new—and it is not recent.
It is one I first placed into the published record more than fifteen years ago—at a time when it was widely rejected, particularly within the Zodiac research community.
In 2009, in Most Evil: Avenger, Zodiac, and the Further Serial Murders of Dr. George Hill Hodel (Dutton), I introduced the possibility that the same individual responsible for the Black Dahlia murder may also have been responsible for the later Zodiac crimes.
At that time, I did not claim a definitive identification. Based on the evidence then available, I raised the question and called for DNA testing as the appropriate means to confirm or refute the hypothesis.
In 2015, following additional years of investigation—including further cipher work and the identification of more than thirty consistent crime signatures and M.O. patterns—I published Most Evil II (Rare Bird Books), in which I concluded that the same individual, Dr. George Hill Hodel, was responsible for both crime series.
This was not a conclusion reached at the outset, but one developed over time through the accumulation and analysis of evidence.
In 2003, my investigation into Dr. George Hill Hodel as the individual responsible for the 1947 Black Dahlia murder was formally reviewed by then–Los Angeles County Head Deputy District Attorney Stephen Kay.
Following his review of the case materials, Mr. Kay publicly stated that, based on the evidence presented, and assuming the availability of the witnesses, he would have filed two counts of murder—those of Elizabeth Short and Jeanne French—and was confident he would obtain convictions before a jury.
That assessment was made prior to the additional evidence and analysis developed in the years that followed.
The linkage between these crimes did not begin with theory, but with a shift in the suspect profile.
Eyewitness descriptions and composite sketches in the Zodiac case—most notably the observations of responding officer Donald Fouke—identified a suspect in his mid-forties or older. That description aligned with an individual who had the age, background, and behavioral characteristics consistent with the earlier Los Angeles crimes.
From that point forward, the investigation focused on whether the same offender could be identified through shared patterns—crime signatures, victimology, staging, and communication behavior—across jurisdictions and over time.
The result was the identification of a consistent pattern linking the Black Dahlia murder, the Los Angeles Lone Woman murders, and the Zodiac killings.
In 2022, I was contacted by Alex Baber, identifying himself as President of Cold Case Consultants of America, who expressed interest in my investigation and the potential linkage between the Black Dahlia Avenger and the Zodiac Killer.
In that initial contact and subsequent correspondence, Mr. Baber spoke favorably of my work and indicated that he wished to review the underlying material in detail. He also referenced the use of advanced computer analysis as part of his efforts to further examine the case.
Between 2022 and 2023, this developed into an extended exchange totaling more than one hundred emails. During that time, I provided access to my published works, case files, and supporting documentation, including investigative materials obtained through the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office. These materials were reviewed and discussed in detail over the course of that exchange.
That correspondence forms part of the documented record and reflects the scope of information available prior to the development of subsequent public claims.
I appreciate that members of the Connelly team, including former LAPD cold case detectives Mitzi Roberts and Rick Jackson, have recognized that the Black Dahlia and Zodiac crimes may have been committed by the same individual.
Prior to my 2009 publication, the possibility that these crimes were connected had not been presented in the public record.
That linkage originated with my investigation.
The question now is not simply whether these crimes are connected, but the identity of the individual responsible.
Any proposed solution must account for the full body of evidence across all related cases—eyewitness descriptions, timelines, forensic indicators, and the consistent behavioral patterns reflected in the crimes themselves.
These findings have been part of the published record for more than fifteen years.
They remain subject to the same standard that applies to any criminal investigation: the evidence must lead to the suspect, not the other way around.
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Steve:
I remember reading about your well-researched & published linkage between the Black Dahlia murder and Lone Woman Murders plus the Zodiac killings!! This linkage gave proof & relief to me & my family still living in San Francisco & Bay Area👍. Unfortunately it was not confirmed by LE in those CA areas! Why? Well as child of a police family I recall the deaths, heart rending divorces, alcoholism/drug addictions within the LE. ranks that accompanied the associated devastations. Amidst the fun & frolic times in the LAPD, SFPD and associated LE agencies, there was a fair amount of family devastation. Can all of that crime be pushed aside, smothered in excuses and “forge ahead” as we bury& hide the past?! Unfortunately not, as history so easily repeats itself when smothered by lies & silence!! 😪
Steve, I haven’t read your books (yet), but have been tuning into the Root of Evil podcast. God Almighty, what your family has had to endure. I sat and bawled as I listened to Dorothy Elizabeth’s (Fauna #2) story.
I don’t even know if you’ll see this comment, but I am absolutely outraged at the lack of traction you’ve gotten after all the trouble and expense of obtaining a DNA profile on your dad. I’ve watched many documentaries about cold cases. I know of at least one case where the victim’s daughter knew a reporter. The reporter wrote a story that got the public all fired up, and the police “handling” the case actually had to do their damn jobs as they had been very publicly embarrassed.
You’ve published the story. Again and again and again. But the story is still just simmering, and you are being ignored, and no one has been properly shamed. What if you went a step further? What if you started a letter/email-writing campaign and contacted media people with large audiences? Like Megyn Kelly, for example, who covers true-crime stories? What if you wrote your governor, your senators, the frickin’ POTUS? What if you wrote these people, and then a couple of weeks later, wrote them again, and then again, and then again? What if you made yourself into the BIGGEST PAIN IN THE ASS there is regarding this matter? Get. Loud. And annoying.
Get on YouTube and look for the people who have the biggest audience. Reach out to them. I already mentioned Megyn Kelly, who is now covering true crime stories. The Nerve with Maureen Callahan would LOVE to interview you. Her audience is getting bigger by the day. And she covers the entertainment industry (“real stories about fake people”). She’d be all over this. And she’s fierce.
I don’t know, I just keep thinking the DNA is the key. That and get the people who are ignoring you to stop ignoring you. Make them feel shame. Get loud. And be everywhere. All the time. Eventually, someone will take notice and do the right thing.
Hi Lynda: Thanks for the kind words and encoragement. Much appreciated.
One of the problems is I had my recognition way back when BDA first came out in 2003 and for several years following. I was on all the shows: Dateline, 48 Hours, Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, CNN etc. Lot of huge publcity. But, a whole new generation of readers has grown up since then not realizing my background and investigations. By example this latest kurfuffle, where the “amateur sleuth” backed by Team Connelly, comes forward claiming he solved BDA and Zodiac as “breaking news”. No mention that I presented the linkage to George Hodel back in 2009 and more definitively in 2915 in both my books, Most Evil I and II. But, hang in there. It ain’t over yet. More to come. Best, Steve
Hi Steve,
Though I was familiar with The Black Dahlia case, I’ve only recently listened to your podcast and read much about your investigation. Its riveting. I can only imagine how different this might have all been had the crime scene detectives had the technology we have now.
I appreciate your determination and hope you get even more attention now than you did in the past.
Hi Elizabeth B: Thanks for the kind words. Confident that the Truth Will Out. Best to you and yours. Steve
Thanks for responding so quickly! I didn’t think you’d respond at all, truth be told.
You have done interviews, and documentaries have been made, and you’ve written several books, but Steve, I think all that has done is entertain the public.
I think it is time for a deliberate, targeted public-awareness campaign. There is a deep and simmering anger against authority. And it’s been building for years. The Jeffrey Epstein scandal and all those currently being protected, Pizzagate (yeah, that’s real, just look at the evidence), the non-stop media lies, the incessant promotion of elite-messaging by the media and the entertainment industry. The COVID tyranny. The protection of criminal illegal aliens (e.g., the Laken Riley murder). We no longer protect women and girls, and we are pissed about it. Our men are shamed for being men, and we are pissed about it. Our justice system is two-tiered, and we are pissed about it.
We’re mad, and you can use that anger. You will have to convince Americans that the horrific murder of Elizabeth Short still matters. It’s more of the same: the well-connected win. We lose. No one cares about us. We are cattle. Elizabeth Short was just a body. Something to be consumed and tossed aside.
But Americans will want to know why law enforcement should set aside current, more pressing cases to attend to the Elizabeth Short case. Because you have a DNA profile on George Hodel, and all you need is for LE to enter that data into their database (CODIS). That’s why. That should be your messaging. Elizabeth Short was tortured and murdered, and this murder has hung over her family and your family and our families for decades, but LE can’t be bothered to enter that DNA into their system! ONE LITTLE F-CKING THING. That’s all you’re asking. You’ve done 99.999% of the work. You are asking for ONE LITTLE THING. And there is so much to be gained, as there are other possibly-connected murders that have gone unsolved for just as long. Don’t they matter?
I think if you framed it this way, you could get results. Don’t appeal to the public’s intellect by presenting the evidence you’ve gathered. Appeal to the emotions. The anger and sense of injustice. Make it clear you are not asking for much. Turn up the heat. Embarrass those who should be embarrassed.
And contact the justice system bureaucrats standing in your way, as well. This is where you would present the evidence you collected, as they are trained to set aside emotions and look only at facts. Even with them, though, you should bring the human element into the case. And again, make it known that you are not asking for much.
Contact lawmakers. Your governor, your Congressional representatives. With them, you may need to present your gathered evidence, but be concise, or they’ll be overwhelmed. Maybe in bullet points. If you can appeal to their sense of vanity, their future electability, that would help.
If all that letter-writing to officials and lawmakers doesn’t work, do it again, then do it again, and again. Bug the hell out of them until they have to notice you.
I would also tell you to utilize AI to help you come up with ideas to market your message. It can help you make videos for TikTok or YouTube if that’s what generates attention. It will help you draft letters to get through to stonewalling bureaucrats. You have several options here. Personally, I like Grok at X.com. It’s free to use. Google’s AI isn’t bad, either.
Okay. This has been long enough. Latch onto the anger the public has, market your message, letter-bomb bureaucrats, and use AI to help you with it all.
I, for one, will pray for your success. You and yours deserve answers.
Lynda: Am pushing forward in severa; areas and am confident with the help of others I will be able to break through all the noise and the Truth Will Out. Thanks again. Steve
I spent some time querying Grok on X.com and Google’s AI on ways to get some answers on the Elizabeth Short murder. It’s quite long. If you have an email address, I can put it all together in a .doc file or a PDF file and email it to you, complete with the URLs that AI used as references.
Or you could do as I did and start asking AI some questions.
My questions were about ways to generate public interest/sympathy in the case. As I stated in an earlier message, there is anger towards those in positions of power, and you can use that anger, depending on how you frame the message. How much could be done if you could just rally enough support? If the public only knew just how little needs to be done to solve the mystery. A DNA test? That’s it??? How many content creators are there out there who could help raise awareness of this? It would give them some content for their own shows. Win/win.
I asked about ways to overcome any financial hurdles. Turns out there are 3rd-party groups and government grants for this. Or crowdfunding via GoFundMe or something similar.
I asked about a letter-writing campaign and how that could best be done. Write to the person in charge. If you get nowhere, write to his or her superior; if that gets you nowhere, write to that person’s superior, and so on. AI can help you draft a letter, and it can provide you with the contact information. You can enlist the public and/or content creators with this, too. Encourage them to…I don’t know exactly. Perhaps contact California representatives. Whoever makes the money decisions.
If you generated public interest and awareness, did your best to apply pressure to those who need their pants lit on fire, and overcame financial hurdles, and STILL couldn’t get things going, then you’d need to bring in some legal assistance. AI can help with finding legal arguments you can use to your advantage. For example, there was some recent legislation that was almost passed: The California Homicide Victims’ Families’ Rights Act. If it had passed, families could formally request a review of cases that had gone cold. It didn’t pass because there were practical concerns about how it would be implemented, but it had a lot of support, if I understand correctly.
Launch a formal petition on Change.org. If you get 50,000+ signatures, it becomes a “news event.” When a news event happens, the Mayor’s office usually feels compelled to issue a statement. There’s your public attention, Steve. There’s your public pressure.
Request that evidence be looked at using new DNA tech. DNA tech is ALWAYS improving. The M-Vac System. Non-Destructive. SNP Sequencing. Requires a very small sample. I’m sure there is more. Or will be.
These are some of the things that were discussed in that conversation with AI, and again, I am happy to forward to you what I discovered, but I see no reason why you could not do the same. AI is the biggest game-changer, I think. It can help you figure out ways to generate interest, which is how you overcome the other hurdles, such as money and man-power. AI is the seedbed of ideas.
I pray with all my heart that this mystery can be solved. The benefits are tremendous. Spiritually, and emotionally, by bringing closure not only to those directly involved but to people like me who are horrified by the case. We benefit intellectually, too, as George Hodel is a perfect example of why play is so important to a child. George was forced to play grown-up with “learned” and sophisticated adults when he was still a boy (when he was sent to college). The result was an insecure and angry man, inhuman treatment of a precious daughter, and a deeply fractured and traumatized family. And a dead woman. Or two. Or several.
God bless you, Steve.