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Michelle Jacqueline Zajko, 32, of Media, Pennsylvania, Jack Amadeus LaSota, 34, of Berkeley, California, and Daniel Arthur Blank, 26, of Sacramento, California, were arrested in Allegany County, Maryland, according to the Maryland State Police in a statement released on Monday, Feb. 17.
The trio was taken into custody in the 10,000 block of Piney Mountain Road in Frostburg, Maryland at around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16. Zajko was charged for trespassing, resisting arrest, obstruction, and illegal possession of a handgun, while LaSota was charged with trespassing, obstruction, and firearm in a vehicle. Blank was charged with trespassing and obstruction, authorities said.
All three suspects remain held at the Allegany County Detention Center after appearing before a district court commissioner. Maryland State Police confirmed they are working with federal law enforcement and the Allegany County State’s Attorney’s Office as the investigation continues.
Richard and Rita Zajko and their Chester Heights home.
Zajko, the daughter of Richard and Rita Zajko who were murdered in Chester Heights in 2022, supplied the firearms used by cult associate Teresa Youngblut and Felix Bauckholt in the Jan. 20, 2025, killing of Border Patrol Agent David "Chris" Maland, according to the FBI.
Michelle Jacqueline Zajko
Zajko admitted to owning the same model gun used in her parents’ murders, which she purchased in Vermont. LaSota, known online as “Ziz,” leads the “Zizians,” a cult allegedly tied to violent crimes across the country, authorities said.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to include details from police shared following our inquiries.
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