Crimes Of The Times

5 Criminal Codes That Stumped Investigators for Decades

From mob hitmen to serial killers, criminals have long used secret codes to hide their darkest secrets. We're counting down five encrypted messages that kept law enforcement in the dark for decades—and revealing what finally cracked them wide open. Some took sophisticated computer algorithms, others just needed fresh eyes on old evidence.

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The Zodiac Killer's 340 Cipher: 51 Years to Decode

May 2800:11:45Tap to summarize

For 51 years, the Zodiac Killer's 340-character cipher taunted investigators, cryptographers, and amateur sleuths alike. In December 2020, a team of three codebreakers finally deciphered the message—and what it revealed was chilling. We examine the cipher's creation, the obsessive hunt to decode it, and what the solution tells us about one of America's most notorious unsolved cases.

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