When three strangers dressed in black arrived at the edge of a private property in Frostburg, Maryland, the landowner grew uneasy. Their request to camp on the property for a month, coupled with their tactical gear and ammunition belts, prompted the owner to call the police. Authorities soon discovered that the individuals were allegedly linked to a dangerous cult-like group known as the “Zizians,” which prosecutors say has been connected to at least six deaths across three states.
According to The Times UK, the group’s leader is 34-year-old Jack “Ziz” LaSota, a transgender computer engineer originally from Alaska. LaSota, who also uses female pronouns, was arrested along with 32-year-old Michelle Zajko and 26-year-old Daniel Blank. The trio remains in custody in Maryland as investigators expand a multi-state probe into the Zizians’ activities and their possible involvement in a series of violent crimes.
A Leader’s Radical Ideology
Authorities allege that LaSota built a following after becoming involved in the rationalist movement in California. However, a controversial theory about the left and right sides of the brain possessing different genders—and an apparent schism with other rationalists—led to LaSota breaking away and forming the Zizians.
The group first gained attention in 2019 when members staged a masked protest at an event hosted by the Center for Applied Rationality. A SWAT team was called in, and LaSota was arrested. Since then, the group has been tied to increasingly disturbing incidents, including violent confrontations and suspected murders.
A Troubled Floating Community
Before moving onto land, the Zizians attempted to create a floating community aboard a decommissioned tugboat, The Caleb. The vessel, which LaSota purchased in 2017, was meant to serve as a hub for fellow rationalists struggling with the Bay Area’s housing crisis. However, local authorities labeled the ship an environmental hazard, and the project was abandoned in 2022. Not long after, LaSota was declared dead following a reported fall into the San Francisco Bay—though the obituary later proved to be false.
Links to Multiple Killings
Authorities say the Zizians’ presence on land quickly turned deadly. In November 2022, three members allegedly attacked their landlord, 82-year-old Curtis Lind, in Vallejo, California. Lind, who was attempting to evict them, was fatally impaled with a sword but managed to shoot two of his attackers, killing one. Two surviving members were later charged with murder.
Just months before Lind was set to testify against his attackers, he was killed in January 2024. Vallejo police say his throat was slit by a masked assailant near the scene of the earlier attack. Maximilian Snyder, a 22-year-old Zizian, has since been charged with Lind’s murder.
Another shocking case tied to the Zizians occurred on New Year’s Eve 2022, when Richard and Rita Zajko were shot execution-style in their Pennsylvania home. Prosecutors believe their daughter, Michelle Zajko, was involved, though she denied any role when initially questioned.
Deadly Border Shootout
More violence followed in early 2025 when two suspected Zizians, Teresa Youngblut and Felix Bauckholt, were stopped by Border Patrol in Vermont while attempting to enter Canada. Authorities had been tracking the pair after they were seen wearing tactical gear at a hotel. When confronted, Youngblut allegedly opened fire, killing agent David Maland before officers returned fire, killing Bauckholt. Investigators later discovered that the firearm used in the attack had been purchased by a person of interest in the Zajko murders.
Arrest in Maryland
As the body count associated with the Zizians continued to rise, law enforcement had been searching for LaSota and Zajko. Their whereabouts remained unknown until last Sunday, when the Frostburg landowner reported their presence. A subsequent search uncovered firearms in their vehicles, and Zajko was allegedly carrying a weapon at the time of her arrest.
Prosecutors have since labeled LaSota the leader of an “extremist group” and argued that their release would pose a significant threat to public safety. A judge has denied bail, and investigations into the Zizians’ activities remain ongoing.
