The Unabomber Conspiracy Theory That Would Change Everything

Ted Kaczynski, also known as the "Unabomber," is one of the most infamous terrorists in America. Formerly a mathematics professor, Kaczynski spiraled into some dark thoughts that appeared rooted in his distaste for the direction of modern society under industrialism. The reclusive terrorist penned a notorious manifesto outlining his thoughts and was imprisoned after targeting universities and airlines with untraceable bombs, per the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Like any famous figure, Kaczynski's legacy wouldn't be complete without a few conspiracy theories. One of the most prominent is that the Unabomber was behind more than just his untraceable bombing spree. According to this (very unproven) theory, Kaczynski is also the "Zodiac Killer" and the person behind the Tylenol killings. Both cases remain unsolved to this day, and as such, have become almost mythic, with the former becoming the basis for David Fincher's 2007 "Zodiac." All of this makes Kaczynski's addition to the mix unsurprising given his own strange place in history.

According to The Daily Herald, the purported link between Ted Kaczynski and the two other crime sprees began when amateur investigators began to highlight the similarities between the three.

In regards to the Tylenol killings, armchair detectives noted that like Kaczynski's bombings, the spree had apparent links to "wood." Just as the Unabomber selected people with wood-associated names — like Lake Forest victim Percy Wood — the Tylenol cases all took place in areas associated with wood or nature. For example, one location where Tylenol was poisoned was the Woodfield Shopping Center. Adding to the conspiracy is the fact that Kaczynski's parents lived in Lombard, Chicago, where the killings took place.

As for the Zodiac killer — who claimed to have killed 37 people — author Mark Hewitt makes the case for the Kaczynski-Zodiac link in his book "Exposed." "He started the Unabomber campaign in 1978, but in 1966 he was 24 — the right age profilers say for commencing a serial killing career," he told the Vallejo Times Herald. "He was Zodiac for 12 years, and then became the Unabomber."

Kaczynski's purported involvement in the Zodiac and Tylenol killings remains unproven and firmly in "conspiracy" territory. But surprisingly, at one point, Kaczynski claimed the FBI was actually considering the possibility that he was the twisted mind behind the Tylenol killings. In 2011, the bureau acknowledged that it had requested the Unabomber's DNA. According to Kaczynski, the FBI needed his DNA to compare it with some that might have been left behind on the poisoned Tylenol bottles that left seven people dead.