Seattle-area natives Teresa Youngblut, 21, currently held in Vermont, and Maximilian Snyder, 22, in custody in California, have been connected to a series of incidents. The two obtained a marriage license in Washington state last year, but it remains uncertain if they followed through with the marriage. Snyder is facing murder charges in California for the killing of an elderly landlord on Jan. 17, who was set to testify about a previous attack in 2022 involving squatters armed with a samurai sword on his property near San Francisco.
Youngblut, on the other hand, has been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Border Patrol agent David “Chris” Maland in Vermont near the Canadian border on Jan. 21. She faces charges of using a deadly weapon to assault a U.S. Border Patrol agent and discharging a firearm during the incident, but not with directly causing Maland’s death. During the altercation, a German national named Ophelia Bauckholt, who was transfeminine, was also killed. Federal authorities have been using Bauckholt’s male birth name in legal documents.
The shocking deaths of Maland and Bauckholt during the Border Patrol incident have rattled the community in rural New England, where only 24 homicides occurred last year. Essex County State’s Attorney Illuzzi, coincidentally present at the scene of the incident, has deep ties to local law enforcement and is now involved in the investigation alongside the FBI.
There are suspicions that Youngblut and Bauckholt resorted to violence out of fear that their connection to multiple other deaths had been uncovered by investigators. Recent revelations suggest that a gun used in the Vermont encounter was linked to an unsolved double-homicide case in Delaware County in 2022. Illuzzi believes that the pair panicked, believing that law enforcement had connected the dots and were attempting to evade capture.
FBI agent Leah Bogdanowicz, who filed Youngblut’s arrest affidavit, hinted at a broader investigation, indicating that more details are yet to be disclosed. The FBI, while unable to discuss specifics, has acknowledged potential links to violent acts in multiple states, including Pennsylvania and California.
The sequence of events leading to this violent escalation remains puzzling, with authorities working tirelessly to uncover the full extent of the pair’s alleged criminal activities.
Border Patrol agents concluded a weeklong surveillance effort in a violent manner after reports that individuals, Youngblut and Bauckholt, were acting suspiciously while traveling around rural northern Vermont. Law enforcement took notice of the duo because they were seen wearing tactical-style gear and openly carrying firearms, which is legal in Vermont but uncommon. Despite declining to engage with officers, Youngblut and Bauckholt were followed by agents. It was mistakenly believed that Bauckholt’s visa had expired.
Shortly after Border Patrol agents stopped the Toyota Prius driven by Youngblut, Youngblut opened fire with a handgun, leading to a fatal confrontation. Bauckholt, who also drew a handgun, was shot and killed. The incident resulted in the death of Maland, a Border Patrol agent. The specifics of who fired the fatal shots have not been determined yet.
Prosecutors noted the defendant’s behavior as needlessly escalating to deadly violence during what was initially a peaceful interaction. Youngblut, who has no reported criminal history, remains in custody due to concerns of flight risk and alleged connections to undisclosed deaths. Items found in the Prius included cellphones, a night-vision device, and laptops. Youngblut’s diary mentioned LSD use.
The firearms in Youngblut’s possession were reportedly sourced from an individual of interest in a double homicide case in Pennsylvania. Michelle J. Zajko, the daughter of the deceased couple, is identified as this person of interest. Zajko is suspected to be driving a Subaru with Vermont plates and owns property near where Youngblut and Bauckholt were staying.
Court documents mentioned another person of interest connected to a homicide in Vallejo, California, with whom Youngblut has been in frequent contact. This person is linked to a separate murder case where Snyder is currently held on charges.
In a separate incident, Snyder is accused of fatally stabbing landlord Curtis Lind, who was scheduled to testify against individuals who had assaulted him in 2022. Lind had shot two of his attackers during the assault. The motive behind Lind’s murder remains unclear.
Taylor, aged 32, who had a casual relationship with Bauckholt in 2022, disclosed that Bauckholt, along with Snyder, Youngblut, and Zajko, formed a loosely connected group bonded by their shared interests in animal rights, veganism, rational thinking, and artificial intelligence. Taylor, a researcher specializing in AI security, encountered Bauckholt while both were residing on the East Coast but unfortunately lost touch with her in 2023. Many members of the group were either engaged, studying, or employed in the realms of artificial intelligence and computer science, as Taylor explained.
Youngblut, as per their Instagram bio, mentioned studying computer science at the University of Washington. Taylor also mentioned that when they first met Bauckholt, she was employed at a Wall Street investment firm that focused on computer-assisted trading. Taylor was taken aback yet not entirely surprised by the incident in Vermont where Bauckholt was found armed with a firearm. Taylor noted the group’s unconventional views on societal norms and ethics, highlighting their belief that violence could sometimes be deemed justifiable.
Reports from The San Francisco Chronicle unveiled that Snyder and Youngblut were associated with a group known as the “Zizians,” named after the group’s transgender leader, Ziz. The article mentioned that Ziz, previously known as Jack LaSota, might have staged their own demise in 2022. The Associated Press documented that Bauckholt and Youngblut had recently resided in townhomes close to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, observing that they had parked box trucks outside, indicating that someone might have been residing inside one of them.
In terms of ongoing legal matters, Vallejo police confirmed Snyder’s arrest for ambushing Lind but refrained from discussing a possible motive or any link between the two individuals. The Solano County District Attorney’s office acknowledged that Snyder faces prosecution for murder, with the death penalty as a potential consequence, for eliminating a witness as an act of retaliation. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania State Police declined to comment on whether Michelle Zajko is a suspect in the deaths of their parents.
Snyder’s next court appearance is scheduled for February 6, while Bauckholt is due to appear in court on February 7. This article was originally featured on USA TODAY, focusing on the federal investigation into the Vermont border agent shooting and the cross-country killing spree.
