Has the Zodiac Killer Case Been Cracked? Book Author Claims To Be Biological Son

Has the Zodiac Killer case finally been cracked? According to a new book by Gary L. Stewart, the serial killer who terrorized Northern California with a slew of murders in the late 1960’s was a man by the name of Earl Van Best Jr., who happens to also be his biological father. Stewart’s The Most Dangerous Animal of All, is on sale now from HarperCollins after a super-secret release.

“I’m really hoping this will bring some closure to the families of my father’s victims,” Stewart tells People.

San Francisco Police Department sketch of the Zodiac Killer.

While Stewart isn’t the first to claim to know the identity of the infamous Zodiac killer over the years, Stewart’s publisher claims his book’s case to be “legally sound” and have provided evidence within the novel.

“If you look at Gary’s photo next to the sketch of the Zodiac next to his father’s mug shot, you can see that there is very clearly more than just a passing resemblance,” a HarperCollins spokesperson told Elon Green. “They look alike.”

According to a Daily Mail report on the book’s contents, Stewart found the words EV, Best, and JR in one of the cryptograms that the killer sent to the San Francisco Examiner, claiming it contained his identity. The name also popped up backwards in a different code, and the chances of that being a coincidence are “astronomical,” Stewart says.

Best Jr. was an antique book seller before his death. He had been arrested for fraud and the rape of a minor after he tried to elope with Stewart’s mother, who was just 13 at the time. After Best left her, she gave Stewart up for adoption, and it was Stewart’s search for his biological father that eventually led him to solve one of the greatest mysteries of all time, cracking the Zodiac Killer case.

Another reason Stewart isn’t fibbing? A handwriting expert also tied Best’s signature on his marriage certificate to letters the serial killer sent the media.

And in perhaps the craziest twist of all, Stewart says his mother, Judy, went on to marry one of the lead homicide investigators on the Zodiac case, Rotea Gilford. Stewart suggests this connection could have embarrassed the San Francisco Police Department and caused them to “shut down” the investigation. The police “knew more than they’re willing to admit,” a HarperCollins spokesperson says.