BIZARRE CASE

Vegan Cult-Like Group Members Arrested in Six Deaths

Jack Lasota and Michelle Zajko were arrested in Maryland and are linked to deaths in at least three states.

The supposed leader of a “transgender vegan cult,” known as the Zizians, was arrested along with another group member in Maryland on Monday, Maryland State Police confirmed on Monday, CBS reported. Jack Lasota, 34, known as “Ziz” and uses she/her pronouns, is the cult-like group’s leader who was arrested with Michelle Zajko, 33, of Media, Pennsylvania. The two face numerous charges, such as trespassing, obstructing and hindering, and possession of a handgun in a vehicle. The “Zizians” allegedly killed a U.S. border patrol agent, David Maland, 44, and are linked to five other deaths in Vermont, Pennsylvania, and California. Daniel Blank, 26, is a third person also arrested, although his connection is not clear yet. The group members—most in their 20s and 30s and some allegedly computer scientists who previously worked at Google and NASA—apparently met online and developed radical views about veganism, gender identity, and artificial intelligence. Lasota published a dark blog under her name, “Ziz,” and in a post, described a theory that the hemisphere of the brain could hold separate values and genders that “often desire to kill each other.” Zajko is also suspected of shooting her parents in 2023 in Pennsylvania. Lasota and Zajko’s bail hearing is scheduled for Tuesday at Allegany District Court in Cumberland.