Sunken boat linked to 'Zizians,' mysterious Vallejo murder case ...Middle East

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (KRON) -- A boat abandoned in waters of Pillar Point Harbor near Half Moon Bay ties together pieces of a mysterious Vallejo murder case and radical community known as the "Zizians."

The Zizians have well-educated followers who believe in a radical offshoot of "Rationalism," as well as "vegan Sith" ideologies, according to Open Vallejo and the San Francisco Chronicle. Several followers are reportedly vegan and transgender.

One alleged follower of Zizian ideology, Maximilian Bentley Snyder, appeared in court on Thursday to face murder charges. The 22-year-old data scientist is accused of stabbing a property owner, 82-year-old Curtis Lind, to death in Vallejo.

The Zizians' leader, computer engineer Jack "Ziz" Amadeus LaSota, and her followers anchored their tugboat, named The Caleb, in Pillar Point Harbor in 2017, according to a civil lawsuit filed by harbor officials. The crew arrived "seeking safe harbor from a dangerous sea," the suit states.

LaSota's crew lived on the 94-foot-long boat within Pillar Point Harbor illegally for years, according to the lawsuit.

Lind befriend Zizian members while Lind was living on his large boat and the group was living aboard The Caleb, the Chronicle reported.

"Curt found joy in interesting conversations with anyone he came across. He was the type of man who could easily engage in a conversation with a complete stranger and leave with a new friend. Curt had a deep love of the ocean and lived many years on boats and ships he refurbished himself," the victim's loved ones wrote on a GoFundMe page.

Despite efforts from the U.S. Coast Guard and harbor officials, The Caleb continually caused problems. During one incident on December 14, 2018, "The Caleb dragged anchor and was out of control in the outer harbor, striking an unoccupied mooring ball. The owners of nearby vessels reported the Caleb drifting and were worried for their safety."

LaSota sold her ownership stake in the boat in 2021, and the crew abandoned the vessel by early 2022, the lawsuit states. On the morning of May 27, 2022, The Caleb partially sunk in the outer harbor.

"The Caleb is unseaworthy and is not reasonably capable of being made fit to be used as a means of transportation by water, as evidenced by its sinking. In its current state and position, the Caleb presents a danger to navigation, health, safety, and the environment," the lawsuit states.

After selling her ownership stake in the boat, LaSota allegedly faked her own death. Her family filed a petition in San Mateo County Court in 2022 requesting for LaSota to be legally declared dead, court records show. The petition claims to LaSota was residing in Half Moon Bay when she died on August 20, 2022.

Lind later sold his boat and allowed crewmembers of The Caleb to move from the harbor to his Vallejo property and live in box trucks, according to the Chronicle.

Lind was 80 years old when he was stabbed with a sword on his Vallejo property in late 2022. The GoFundMe page says the attack was carried out by three young adults. "He miraculously survived being stabbed multiple times, had a sword impaled through his chest and ultimately lost his right eye," the page states.

On January 17, 2025, Lind's Vallejo property on Lemon Street became a murder scene when Lind was "viciously attacked in front of his property in Vallejo," the GoFundMe page writes. Police said the victim was stabbed to death. Solano County prosecutors charged Synder with murder.

Snyder was booked into the Solano County Jail on January 24, inmate records show.

Investigators are digging into the group's history trying to determine whether it is a death cult.

Last year, Snyder sought a marriage license with a woman who is now charged with murdering a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Vermont near the Canadian border. The woman, Teresa Youngblut, 21, fatally shot 44-year-old Border Patrol Agent David Maland on January 20, investigators said.

Youngblut had been traveling with Felix Bauckholt, who also was killed in the Jan. 20 shooting. It’s unclear when they arrived in Vermont, but the FBI said the pair had been under surveillance there for several days.

LaSota's current whereabouts are unknown.

Snyder is being held in the Solano County Jail with no bail. He is scheduled to appear in court on February 21.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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