This event will be held rain or shine.
Instructions for the Murder Mystery will be available between 8:00am-9:30am at the designated coordinates. We will meet at or near the large pavillion, depending on availability.
Information about the Murder Mystery:
Murder Victim: Val D’Osta
Papa Ratzi, a local reporter, is investigating a grizzly murder of the town’s most prominent socialite and businesswoman, Val D’Osta. The authorities are being very tight-lipped on the details of the crime and Papa needs to get the scoop to save his job. The problem is, while rich and well-known throughout the community, Val D'Osta was also ruthless. There are no shortage of suspects and the motives are many. Can you help Papa solve this mystery and figure out who killed Val and why?
There are ten caches in this Murder Mystery. Caches 1-9 are traditional caches spread throughout Lowndes County. Like the game of Clue, you will solve the mystery by eliminating suspects, motives, and other details of the crime. You can find the caches in any order.
Each cache contains four clues. Once you have found caches 1-9, you will have the information to solve the crime and locate the mystery cache. Insect repellent may prove very helpful for your journey to complete your mission. You may need rain boots for at least one cache if the area has received a lot of rain recently. Some of the caches are park and grabs, and a few will require a little walking. Paths to most caches involving walks are clear and flat.
Are you up to the challenge? Do you have what it takes to help Papa Ratzi solve this mystery and save his job? Will Val D'Osta ever get justice? Will the murderer ever face the music? Let's see if you have what it takes to get the job done!
Meet the Suspects:
Suspect #1:
Doug Graves manages the local cemetery. He sells plots, oversees the grounds keepers, and fields complaints from grieving loved ones about issues they have with the cemetery and their beloved family member’s final resting place. Doug works crazy hours and can often be found roaming the cemetery in the wee morning hours. Doug was used to running into Val in the cemetery late at night. She claimed it was the only time she had to visit her dearly departed parents’ graves, but Doug always suspected that Val had more sinister reasons for wandering the cemetery in the dark.
Suspect #2:
Woody Choker is very successful businessman who has only lived in Lowndes County about 2 years. Since moving to town, Woody has had no trouble making friends. With his considerable wealth, Woody has been rubbing noses with the town’s upper crust and can often be found hanging out at the Country Club. Woody never seems to have any trouble catching the eye of the opposite sex. In his short time in town, he has left a trail of broken hearts along the way. Woody and Val had been dating a few months at the time of her death.
Suspect #3:
Britney Speared and Val were best friends since they were 5. They were inseparable, until 8th grade when they both fell for the new guy at school, Doug Graves. Britney started “dating” Doug in 9th grade, and the two girls drifted apart. Britney and Doug were a couple until the end of their Junior year.
Over summer vacation while Britney was out of town visiting her grandma, Val saw her chance to make her move. While at a 4th of July party, Val asked Doug to dance, and that’s where the trouble really started. They ended up having a summer fling and Britney’s heart was broken. She never forgave Val, and there was always trouble when they ran into each other around town, even twenty years later.
Suspect #4:
Karmel Macchiato started working at Titletown Roasters to pay her way through college, but decided to stay on after graduation because she could make more in tips than she would at an entry-level business position. Karmel knows all the regulars and has their favorite drink ready when they walk through the door. Everyone loves Karmel and enjoys seeing her smiling face at the start of their day. They always show their appreciation with generous tips, and there’s no doubt that she is the town’s favorite barista.
Val was a regular customer at Titletown Roasters and always created a spectacle with her nasty attitude and unreasonable demands. Customers and employees alike dreaded seeing her walk in every day because her visit never failed to end in a confrontation with someone unfortunate enough to be in her sights on any given morning.
Suspect #5:
Rick O’Shea has lived in Lowndes County for twenty years. He has a reputation for being a hot-head and has been known as the type who shoots first and asks questions later. Val and Rick dated sometimes, but people around town wondered what the two had in common. Rick didn’t seem to be Val’s type, and it was obvious to onlookers that he was more invested in the relationship than she was. Things were contentious between Rick and Val since she left him to be with Woody.
Woody was everything Rick wasn’t. Rick was rough around the edges, whereas Woody fit in with Val’s socialite persona perfectly. Rick didn’t stand much chance once Woody arrived on scene and set his sights on the town’s most eligible bachelorette. Rick was quite bitter about the break-up and always took every opportunity to let Val know how he felt.
Suspect #6:
Anita Alibi is a Lowndes County native. She had known Val since kindergarten, and even on the playground they would often fight. Val was intelligent, beautiful, rich, and popular. It seemed that she always got her way in life and love. Anita on the other hand, struggled in every aspect, and things never seemed to go her way. Val and her friends often ridiculed Anita for not having the "right" clothes, and they did everything they could to make her life miserable.
As adults, Anita resented Val’s success and made no secret of her dislike for Val. The two women had several public disputes that almost ended in “cat-fights.” Anita had numerous charges for terroristic threats and vandalism regarding Val and several of her properties.
Suspect #7
Rusty Nails owns the local hardware store in a shopping center owned by Val. Their relationship was known to be contentious because Val would frequently raise the rent and wasn’t the best at maintaining her property. Every time Rusty complained about the AC not working, the roof leaking, or various other items needing repair, Val would get heated and scream that if Rusty didn’t like the property, he was welcomed to find another location for his store. Customers had witnessed more than one loud dispute between the landlord and her tenant.
Suspect #8:
Tim Burr is a local forester and landowner. Lowndes County is known for its abundance of rich pine forests, and Tim’s family is one of the most prominent landowners in the county. The Burrs make a lot of money harvesting pines and selling them at the local mill in Clyattville. Val has her eye on some of Tim’s most profitable acreage where she wants to build a new subdivision of multi-million-dollar homes. Tim was not interested in selling to Val and does not want to see the land clear cut for a subdivision. Val was determined to get the land and Tim Burr would do anything to keep that from happening.
Suspect #9:
Vi King is Val’s younger sister. She grew up in Val’s shadow and was often compared to Val. Vi never seemed to measure up and she harbored much resentment toward Val for making her life miserable. Val took advantage of Vi’s insecurities and often used them to manipulate Vi into giving her her way. The sisters’ relationship was rocky at best, and it was much more violent than typical sibling rivalry. The two had engaged in at least 3 physical altercations in public that ended with the involvement of law enforcement.
Suspect #10:
Wilde Cat has lived in Lowndes County his whole life. Since he was a small child, Wilde has been branded a brat. He loses his temper easily and often. Once, someone parked too close to his truck at Wal-Mart, and he took a hammer to their car, breaking all the windows and banging up the hood. Another time while eating at the local buffet, the waitress forgot to refill his sweet tea. Wilde flipped the table over and stormed out of the restaurant, shouting obscenities all the way. Everyone in town knows Wilde’s reputation and tries to steer clear of him at all costs.