Chapel Hill, NC — In the quiet wooded areas of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, unusual activities at two duplexes rented by an enigmatic group sparked curiosity and concern. The tenants, seen wearing long black coats and engaging in secretive midnight gatherings, have been linked to a sequence of alarming incidents stretching across multiple states, culminating in violence and homicide investigations.
Neighbors recalled the strange behaviors which included parking box trucks outside and running electrical cords into the buildings. One truck reportedly held a stretcher. This peculiar setup drew the attention of local authorities and eventually led to FBI intervention following violent confrontations involving the group members in other states.
The escalation of these events did not become apparent until a shootout in Vermont between U.S. Border Patrol agents and the tenants resulted in a fatality and an arrest. Another person, known only as “Ziz,” described as the group’s leader, remains unaccounted for. Authorities believe that this group, termed the “Zizians,” is connected to at least six deaths across three states.
Digging deeper, the group appears to be composed of young, highly skilled computer scientists who first connected over the internet. Their shared ideals, rooted in anarchist beliefs and radical interpretations of veganism and gender identity, grew increasingly extreme. At the forefront is the mysterious Ziz, aka Jack LaSota, a University of Alaska Fairbanks graduate who vanished into a covert lifestyle after asserting disturbing theories online about human cognition and society.
Despite Ziz’s erratic online presence, where she discusses controversial beliefs, including the fractious coexistence of opposing brain hemispheres, her influence drew a small cadre of followers. They adopted a radical stance against social norms, rationalizing actions such as evading rent and embracing extremism under the guise of self-defense and ideological purity.
One violent event unfolded in November 2019, during a protest outside a Northern California retreat center. LaSota, along with others, was apprehended for blocking access and distributing provocative flyers concerning the rationalist community, known for its cerebral approach to understanding human cognition. Although the group protested alleged sexual misconduct within the rationalist circles, the underlying motives remain entwined with their convoluted ideological fabric.
Eventually, the dangerous fervor sanctioned by this twisted rationalism led to a tragic incident involving Emma Borhanian, a group member and purportedly brilliant individual. During an eviction attempt by their landlord in Vallejo, California, a confrontation ended with Borhanian’s death and serious injuries to the landlord. Two group members were subsequently charged with murder and attempted murder.
Adding to the chaos, a Pennsylvania couple was discovered murdered on New Year’s Eve in 2022. Interestingly, the investigation led back to the same circle, with LaSota present at a nearby location. She faced charges for obstruction and disorderly conduct before mysteriously ceasing to appear in court, exacerbating the intrigue surrounding her true whereabouts.
It wasn’t long before another name connected with LaSota surfaced in a violent confrontation in Vermont. A routine traffic stop escalated into a deadly shootout involving a vehicle driven by Teresa Youngblut, who was linked romantically to another suspect in the murder of a landlord in California. The gunfight left one U.S. Border Patrol agent and one suspect dead, further tying the group to ruthless criminal activities.
Neighbors back in North Carolina still reel from their unsettling interactions with the group: secretive night walks and silent camaraderie hinting at a profound yet disturbed closeness. Their story, marked by intellectual prowess turned sinister, continues to unfold as investigations probe the depths of their network and motives.
As these investigations deepen, revealing a convoluted web of identities, ideologies, and crimes, the challenge remains for law enforcement to fully unravel the extent of the Zizians’ influence and bring about justice for the seemingly random and ideologically fueled violence scattered across the U.S.