The murder of United States Border Patrol agent, David Maland, which occurred on January 20, 2025, near the border with Canada, has been linked to an extremist network known as the "Zizianos": a radical group of highly educated trans individuals with esoteric beliefs and connections to multiple murders in the United States.
The investigation focuses on Felix "Ophelia" Bauckholt, a German transgender citizen and former mathematics prodigy, and Teresa "Milo" Youngblut, a transgender student at the University of Washington.
A week before the attack, both were reported by staff at a motel in Lyndonville, Vermont, for carrying weapons and black tactical clothing. When authorities visited them, they claimed to be looking for properties and left the motel on January 14.
On January 20, during a routine checkpoint in Coventry, Vermont, Youngblut shot and killed agent Maland. In the confrontation, Bauckholt was killed by other agents. Youngblut was injured and is in custody.
The weapons used in the shooting are linked to Michelle Jacqueline Zajko, a bioinformatics researcher and person of interest in a double homicide in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, in 2023.
Zajko is part of the "Zizianos" circle and is believed to have acquired land near the site of the shooting in Vermont. Although she has not been formally charged, her blog posts ideologically connect her with Jack "Ziz" LaSota, the alleged leader of the sect.
LaSota, who identifies as a woman, is considered the mastermind behind the group. She is known for her radical writings on political violence, transhumanism, veganism, and anarchism.
Although some of her followers claim she died in 2022, it is believed that this story was staged to evade authorities. A source revealed that LaSota lived with Bauckholt and other followers in an Airbnb in North Carolina since 2023.
