A timeline helps readers see order. It does not prove that one event caused another, that every dated statement is accurate, or that events listed close together involve the same person.
Identify what each date represents
A case timeline may contain the date an event occurred, the date it was reported, the date a document was created, or the date a later witness remembered. Those are not interchangeable. Label them clearly.
When a precise date is unavailable, preserve the uncertainty. “Reported in October” is more accurate than inventing an exact day. A later source should not silently replace a contemporary record.
Follow the source
Each case-specific entry should point to a traceable source: an official record, contemporaneous publication, transcript, photograph, letter, or clearly identified later account. Readers should be able to tell whether the timeline is quoting a source, paraphrasing it, or offering an interpretation.
Separate fact from inference
Two events appearing near each other may suggest a question worth examining. Proximity alone does not establish identity, motive, authorship, or causation. Use labels such as documented, reported, disputed, inferred, or unverified when the evidence requires them.
Contradictions belong in the timeline or its notes. Do not hide a conflicting date merely because one version makes a cleaner story.
Treat gaps honestly
An empty period can mean no event occurred, no record survived, or no relevant source has been located. Absence from the current timeline is not proof of absence.
Use Zodiac Killer X’s timeline, facts, and case files together. The timeline is a navigation tool; the linked source and its limitations carry the evidentiary weight. Readers who identify a documented correction can use the contact page and provide the exact source.