Federal investigators have uncovered a disturbing link between the murder of a U.S. Border Patrol agent and a radical militant group accused of several killings nationwide.
The incident involved Border Patrol agent David Maland, who tragically lost his life on January 20 during what should have been a routine traffic stop in Coventry, Vermont. The suspects, Felix “Ophelia” Bauckholt, a German national, and Teresa “Milo” Consuelo Youngblut, a University of Washington student, were traveling in a Toyota Prius when they were pulled over.
Authorities have reported that Youngblut opened fire on Maland, fatally wounding him, before other border agents returned fire, resulting in the death of Bauckholt. Youngblut survived and was taken into custody.
Investigations show that federal law enforcement had been keeping an eye on Bauckholt and Youngblut in the days leading up to the shooting, particularly after motel staff in Lyndonville, Vermont, noticed them carrying firearms and wearing black tactical clothing.
When questioned by law enforcement, Bauckholt and Youngblut claimed they were scouting for property in the area. They checked out of the motel on January 14, just days before the tragic event. Now, authorities have linked the weapons used in the attack to an ongoing investigation into a shadowy extremist group known as the “Zizians,” which has been connected to at least four homicides.
This group is led by Jack LaSota, who also goes by the alias “Ziz.” Bauckholt, originally from Freiburg, Germany, was a biological male identifying as transgender and had a strong background in mathematics and finance. He graduated from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and worked as a quantitative trader at Tower Research Capital in New York. It’s believed he was in the U.S. on an H-1B visa.
Youngblut, a biological female identifying as transgender, was studying computer science at the University of Washington. Social media records indicate that she followed several far-left, Antifa-aligned accounts. Her family had reported her missing in May 2024, expressing concerns that she was in a controlling relationship and had cut off contact.
The case took another twist when authorities arrested Maximilian Bentley Snyder, a former classmate of Youngblut from Seattle. Snyder faces charges for the murder of 82-year-old Curtis Lind, who was supposed to testify in an attempted murder trial involving alleged members of the “Ziz” group. Prosecutors allege that Snyder killed Lind to prevent his testimony, as Lind was the only witness against suspects Suri Dao and Alexander “Somni” Leatham.
In the 2022 attack on Lind, he was brutally stabbed multiple times and lost an eye but managed to fatally shoot one of his attackers, Amir “Emma” Borhanian. Authorities have also identified Michelle Jacqueline Zajko, a bioinformatics researcher, as a person of interest in the investigation. Zajko, a transgender nonbinary individual, has been linked to the Ziz group and is suspected of supplying firearms to Bauckholt and Youngblut.
Although Zajko has not been charged, they remain under investigation for a double homicide in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. After the border shooting, investigators found a weapons cache and tactical gear in Bauckholt and Youngblut’s vehicle.
The items included two pistols, night-vision goggles, respirators, a ballistic helmet, hollow-point ammunition, lodging records, two-way radios, and electronic devices wrapped in foil.
Authorities also searched their previous residence in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where they had lived in an Airbnb with other Ziz group members. The property owner reported that Youngblut had parked a large box truck there and that group members often gathered at the site. Federal prosecutors have cited Youngblut’s connections to other violent individuals as a reason to deny bail.
In a court motion dated January 27, prosecutor Matthew Lasher stated, “Her associations with other individuals suspected of violent acts also warrants caution.” Meanwhile, online supporters of the Ziz group have been trying to pressure the public not to cooperate with law enforcement. Following the murder of Curtis Lind, a social media account linked to the group posted, “Ladies and gentlemen, we got him.”
As federal agencies continue their investigation into the Ziz group’s operations, they are working to uncover more about the group’s network and potential future threats.
\Law enforcement officials have not ruled out the possibility of additional arrests as they delve deeper into the connections between group members and recent violent incidents across various states.
