Community Puzzle: The Case of the Missing Couple

[Malachen]

Can't believe I also missed that about the name. 

 

@DrBloodmoney you can do spoiler tags on mobile by writing [ spoiler ] your text here [ /spoiler ] without the spaces.

 

the missing clue may also be relevant to the number clue it is

[DrBloodmoney]

8 minutes ago, Malachen said:

Can't believe I also missed that about the name. 

 

@DrBloodmoney you can do spoiler tags on mobile by writing [ spoiler ] your text here [ /spoiler ] without the spaces.

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

the missing clue may also be relevant to the number clue it is

 

cheers - this will be a test then (hope it works!)

 

 

So I looked up Foo Fighters songs with “spark” in them - there’s only one line, in Something for Nothing - but that track has pretty vague lyrics, and I think that’s a dead end

 

It works!

 

Cheers @Malachen !

Edited July 9, 2022 by DrBloodmoney

[MattbluePT]

4 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said:

 

  Hide contents

So I looked up Foo Fighters songs with “spark” in them - there’s only one line, in Something for Nothing - but that track has pretty vague lyrics, and I think that’s a dead end

 

 

Actually

Spoiler

That song was recorded and inspired in Chicago. Points to a location. Are we going somewhere, or just complicating things?

 

Edited July 9, 2022 by MattbluePT

[Malachen]

26 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said:

cheers - this will be a test then (hope it works!)

 

  Hide contents

So I looked up Foo Fighters songs with “spark” in them - there’s only one line, in Something for Nothing - but that track has pretty vague lyrics, and I think that’s a dead end

 

It works!

 

Cheers @Malachen !

Glad I could help!

[Im2Fast_4U]

Added thoughts:

Spoiler

I don't think Frank is a likely suspect given the info we have thus far. With Vice not noting any disturbances in the residence to suggest a break in, its a narrow (yet possible) chance he both found a key or similar means to enter the premises without disturbance, abduct both of them, and leave the puzzles in the first place. If we had more background on Frank's technical skills we could learn if it would be possible, but even if so, why would he take the time to leave a trail on Jane's laptop?

 

Still seems most likely that Kevin did this, and created the puzzles as a way to rationalize a potential downfall in their relationship. This would be evidenced by their argument caught on the camera footage, and be metaphorically why sparx was missing in the puzzle, as the sparks in their relationship may have faded. Not all too uncommon in relationships that take off very quickly, then deteriorate over time.

 

Requested information for Vice:

Spoiler

1. What was the date of the Foo Fighters concert social media post Jane made?

2. Was there a location tagged on the Foo Fighters concert post? If so, what was it? City, venue, anything?

3. Have you been able to ask Isabella any follow up questions, namely if she is familiar with the first time Jane told Kevin she loved him?

 

This information would be critical in solving the passcode. Thanks!

 

[Platinum_Vice]

Puzzle 6 of 9

 

Hey everyone, great job!

 

I put the literal answer into the puzzle:

Spoiler

"WHERE YOU TOLD ME THAT YOU LOVED ME FOR THE FIRST TIME."

 

 

I definitely find it concerning that

Spoiler

there is no 'sparx.' As someone whose last gaming experience was Pong, and therefore is not familiar with what a Sparx is, I take this in a more literal sense. 

 

I am absolutely interested in discovering who the "you" is and who the "me" is. 

 

One thing that is definitely affecting my investigation is an assumption that the puzzle program was created by Kevin, but I don't know whether that assumption is going to 'make an ass out of you and me.' The tone and way that the puzzles read (in addition to Kevin's profession as a computer programmer and the puzzle being located in their shared apartment), has led me to that conclusion. Happy to hear your thoughts if you're thinking differently.

 

Something that I can't understand is why the puzzle program was running and why it was at puzzle 1/9. From memory, that first puzzle mentioned words to the effect of 'you need to solve this, Jane.' Do you think she solved them?

 

The propeller heads at our Digital Evidence Unit would be able to run rampant in Jane's unlocked and running laptop but I don't want them to do that until we solve these puzzles. If there is something sinister afoot then our best chances of locating Jane and Kevin could be compromised by not seeing these puzzles through to the end. Meanwhile, Kevin's laptop and both of their phones are fair game, but without passwords, our anti-encryption software could potentially take years. I've tried some obvious potential codes but I doubt I (or we) would be able to guess our way through the encryptions.

 

 

I went and had another look at Jane and Kevin’s apartment again with Robert. 

 

There is definitely no signs of a break-in. I used an ultraviolet light to try to find any blood spatter but there's nothing obvious.

 

In general it was left in a clean state. The kitchen, benches and dining rooms are all clean. The fridge has a few things out of date including yoghurt (out of date two days ago) but all meats are in the freezer. Bananas are getting rotten in a fruit basket. There’s a kettle but no milk. There’s a toaster but no bread. Actually, the fridge was fairly empty in general.

 

I went through the interior bins. The general rubbish bin was empty. The recycling had an empty milk carton and a hard plastic case for a $100 multitool/pocketknife. That plastic casing has been cut open with scissors. I seized it and will make inquiries to determine who sold it and when. It’s a broad lead for an unknown gain but I am struggling at the moment. I can’t find the multitool, or the scissors used to cut the plastic case, or even the bin bags for restocking the bin. 

 

The bed isn’t made but most Millennials don’t seem to care too much about that in my experience. There’s a little bit of washing in an ensuite basket but it looks like it’s only one pair of clothes plus one pair of pyjamas each. Jane’s make-up is here as is her hair curler and hair dryer. There are two toothbrushes and there’s toothpaste. Kevin has a beard brush and beard oil left on the bench.  

 

Phone chargers on either side of the bed are still plugged in. Each bedside table had a stack of books. I photographed them before returning them to the bookshelf. In doing so I filled in most of the holes except for two books. I can’t find them in the apartment.  

 

In the wardrobe, Robert could only point out one missing item of clothing: Jane's denim jacket. I recalled the CCTV at the nearby bank and identified that Kevin's jacket and the boots that they were wearing are all missing too... except that day was weeks before they went missing... They've both been going about their life in between that day and being reported missing so it's an odd coincidence.

 

They have no pets. A robotic vacuum cleaner seems to have been cleaning the floor. 

 

The apartment is decorated by potted plants, photographs of Jane and Kevin, a few homemade paintings and video game trinkets and posters. It appears that Jane is a pretty big fan of a man who, since this case, I have come to know as 'The Witcher.'

 

On the balcony, plants are attached to latticework using cable ties but there’s no cable ties in the toolbox in the basement storeroom. 

 

In that basement storeroom (there’s one allocated to each apartment in the building) I found the crossbow that was in Kevin's Facebook cover photo but there’s no bolts. There was a toolbox filled with home renovation tools like drillbits, screwdrivers and plumbing pieces. Another toolbox for cars is sitting on a shelf. A crusty old sleeping bag sits on another shelf next to an old rusty fishing rod. Replacement car oils and coolants line further shelving and there’s a bucket of carwashing rags and detergent nearby. There’s an old lawnmower on the floor. I see no torches or anything like that. There are definitely no jerry cans of fuel like what Kevin filled up at his local petrol station.

 

The external bin combines trash from all apartments and it has already been emptied. 

 

Robert checked the mailbox and opened the mail: just bills for electricity and water. 

 

I spoke with more neighbours and revisited the immediate ones. Everyone who knows Jane and Kevin/the people who live in this apartment haven’t seen them for at least a fortnight. 

 

 

I finally convinced Robert to allow me to release photos of Jane to the media in a request for public information. This has taken significant convincing but he had a dream the night before about Jane. He told me that she was alive, alone, and in the foetal position in the dark. She was wearing the missing denim jacket. He doesn’t believe in any of (and I quote) “that psychic shit” but tells me that he feels extremely anxious that she is in danger. 

 

We spoke about Kevin. Robert finds it strange that he met Jane at her work and that Kevin moved into Jane's apartment so quickly. Robert had met Jane's mother through church and their relationship had taken longer to develop. He suspects that Kevin manipulated Jane and he resents that Kevin didn’t speak to him first about dating her (Robert does not approve of “New Age relationship approaches” as he believes it leaves women open to being more vulnerable to assaults and predatory behaviours). 

 

We spoke about Frank. Robert was not very interested in speaking about him and seemed relieved to know that Frank was deceased – “he’ll never hurt my daughter again.” Apparently Frank had given Jane a black eye about five months into their relationship.

 

Robert told me about a conversation Jane had had with him early into Kevin's relationship with her: apparently during one of the occasions that Kevin walked Jane home from work, Frank had presented himself to them in the street. He had made some comment about Jane that offended her and so Kevin punched him... hard. 

 

Robert also told me that Kevin had once applied to be a police officer but he didn’t make it through the entrance evaluations. 

 

 

I spent yesterday's evening in disguise as I tailed Michael. I want to see if there’s anything more to his attraction to Jane. 

 

 

7 hours ago, Im2Fast_4U said:

Instead of the password being that transcribed message "Where you told me that you loved me for the first time", it would seem most appropriate the password would be the titular location where she told him as such for the first time.

 

I agree with your logic, but as I don't know that location I just put in the whole sentence on a wing and a prayer. Fortunately, it worked!

 

7 hours ago, Im2Fast_4U said:

1. What was the date of the Foo Fighters concert social media post Jane made?

2. Was there a location tagged on the Foo Fighters concert post? If so, what was it? City, venue, anything?

3. Have you been able to ask Isabella any follow up questions, namely if she is familiar with the first time Jane told Kevin she loved him?

 

1+2: The concert was a day somewhere in the realm of 3.5 years ago (I can't recall the exact date). It was in [the biggest venue] in [Your Local City].

3. I'll call Isabella now. Good thinking!

 

 

Here’s the 6^th puzzle, let me know if you figure out the password:

https://jigex.com/sn8Z8 

 

 

Good luck!

- Vice

 

@DrBloodmoney

@MAUSZX

@DonFrancesco

@Im2Fast_4U

@DoctorDrPepper

@YaManSmevz

@rjkclarke

@MattbluePT

@HusKy

@GuitaristZag

@Malachen

@AugustUnder

@APeskyAxolotl

[GuitaristZag]

 

https://ibb.co/tB059m9

 

So, I believe I've solved the Jigsaw, and possibly the resulting maze. I need to read thru the prior puzzles to really get a feel for the story and know what to do with the maze, but hopefully my solution helps others!

 

 

For my act of kindness, I surprised my dad by buying him dinner. Excited for the event! I just have missed the boat every time until now and gone "I'll join next puzzle"

Edited July 10, 2022 by GuitaristZag
Got spoiler to work, did actual post

[DrBloodmoney]

Okay, this is what I have so far:

 

Spoiler

 

The hidden letters are highlighted.

 

I noticed that most of the letters appear to spell out the names of the two characters.

 

• Pink Dots show the letters for: SEPHIROTH - all of these are on the correct character
• Red Dots show the letters for: CLOUD STRIFE... however, the two green letters are of the wrong character - they are on the Sephiroth drawing. Also, there is no extra "E" as far as I can see
• The Blue dots are the letters/ number left over: 7 A F V S

 

I have yet to figure out what the significance of the "Start Here" and "Finish Here" labels are - though something I did notice is that the sketch might work like a maze - there are "gaps" in the sketched lines, meaning it may be possible to draw a continuous line from the Start to the Finish - possibly picking up certain letters along the way?

 

 

 

Also - the postimg web address goes to an Image Not Found - but II assume this is just a part of the construction of the puzzle, and not anything relevant. 

 

 

Edited July 10, 2022 by DrBloodmoney

[Platinum_Vice]

20 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said:

Also - the postimg web address goes to an Image Not Found - but II assume this is just a part of the construction of the puzzle, and not anything relevant

 

Does anyone else have this problem? it is a higher resolution version of the completed jigsaw to help zoom in on some intentional gaps.

 

Edited July 10, 2022 by Platinum_Vice

[DrBloodmoney]

3 minutes ago, Platinum_Vice said:

 

Does anyone else have this problem? it is a higher resolution version of the completed jigsaw to help with the maze.

 

Spoiler

I just double checked and still get the same issue - can you drop a typed link in a spoiler tag here to see if it's just an issue of typing it out?

 

[Platinum_Vice]

24 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said:

 

  Hide contents

I just double checked and still get the same issue - can you drop a typed link in a spoiler tag here to see if it's just an issue of typing it out?

 

 

Nope - the forum software automatically converts it to the image.

 

GuitaristZag's comment uses the image so it must have worked for him/her. Try again in case there was a typo?

 

Edited July 10, 2022 by Platinum_Vice

[HusKy]

The URL works fine, it redirects to:

 

Spoiler

https://postimg.cc/cghvYWxd

 

Here's my solution for the puzzle itself:

 

Spoiler

 

Edited July 10, 2022 by HusKy

[Platinum_Vice]

1 minute ago, HusKy said:

The URL works fine, it redirects to:

 

  Hide contents

https://postimg.cc/cghvYWxd

 

Here's my solution for the puzzle itself:

 

  Hide contents

 

 

Thanks Husky. Let me know if you extract a password from that puzzle.

[MattbluePT]

Okay, so i completed the puzzle and got this:

Spoiler

I got an image that resembled a maze. I draw the lines to reach the end of the maze and got this image

 

 

Following the direction and using the letters that we go through in the maze, i got the password STARS.

Did anyone got the same result?

 

[DonFrancesco]

Alright, I'm done too. These are my thoughts on it:

Spoiler

While the actual completion of the puzzle didn't pose a problem, the maze kind of did for me... I found so many slightly different ways to go through it, that would all lead me past different letters (or not), that I absolutely wasn't certain at the end which one was the intended version, or if there even was a 'correct' path to take. Also I was never really sure how close I would have to be to a letter for it to count for the password, since a lot of the time it seemed like I could pick them up or not depending on how exactly I drew my line. So I figured, I'd just write all the letters down and see where I could go from there, aiding myself with the approximate order I would get via following the maze, which looked something like this: SCL7DOUSETHRIAOTHFFPVRIIS

 

That made it clear relatively soon that it included the names of both Cloud and Sephiroth, so I subtracted those and ended with: S7TAFFVRIIS.

 

Then, because that still didn't make a lot of sense, I decided to take "FF7" out as well, so what I was left with was: STAVRIIS

 

Still not quite sensical, so I thought, maybe I'd remove the "VII", which also spells 7 in roman numerals as well. That created: STARS

 

And that's the best I can come up with here. Probably not how it was meant to be done, but the only way that worked for me... Now, the question remains what to make of it. My guess is it is still somehow tied to the last puzzle and thus maybe a location. Perhaps the place where Jane first told whomever that she loved him involved "stars" somehow?

 

[Im2Fast_4U]

4 hours ago, MattbluePT said:

Okay, so i completed the puzzle and got this:

  Reveal hidden contents

I got an image that resembled a maze. I draw the lines to reach the end of the maze and got this image

 

 

Following the direction and using the letters that we go through in the maze, i got the password STARS.

Did anyone got the same result?

 

I can confirm this is what I have, and yours is much prettier than the one on my phone lol. 
 

As for what it means:

Getting some Romeo and Juliet Star-crossed lover vibes, or at the least someone feeling that’s what it was, and perhaps it wasn’t in reality. [\spoiler] 

[Malachen]

1 hour ago, Im2Fast_4U said:

I can confirm this is what I have, and yours is much prettier than the one on my phone lol. 
 

As for what it means:

 

  Hide contents

Getting some Romeo and Juliet Star-crossed lover vibes, or at the least someone feeling that’s what it was, and perhaps it wasn’t in reality. [\spoiler] 

I also got

Stars but was hard as hell to do on my phone lol. You've definitely got it wrong about the Romeo and Juliet thing though, this answer clearly means that Nemesis created the puzzles and is luring the most elite detectives into a trap with these clues. Watch out Vice!

 

 

 

 

On a more serious note, think it may just be stars for this clue. Perhaps it links to another good time for the couple and we are proceeding through a journey of their love? Maybe, this was all an elaborate way for Kevin to propose and they both love puzzles and they've eloped to Gretna Green (Or Vegas if they're Americans) and got married and are just living it up somewhere and the father has just assumed malicious intent?

[Platinum_Vice]

Puzzle 7 of 9

 

Hey everyone, I am loving the theories!

 

Your password was correct - it was:

Spoiler

STARS

 

 

 

Here's what I've been up to:

 

I received responses from AirBnB and its competitors: there hasn’t been any recent bookings from Jane or Kevin under their names, or using their email addresses or their billing addresses. 

 

Uber and its competitors (and local taxis) came back with the same lack of a result. 

 

Our local public transport agency ran Jane and Kevin's drivers licenses through their facial recognition software; there's no positive matches for those faces in the metropolitan area since the program was installed to the CCTV network last year. Jane and Kevin's registered transport cards haven’t been used for longer than that. 

 

 

I contacted the company that makes the multitool (I found the open packaging at their apartment. The company provided me with a list of distributors for the state. All five of those distributors have now given me their lists of the store chains that source from them. There are 42 stores in a 20km radius of Jane and Kevin's apartment that stock these multitools! This is not a reasonable lead for me to follow at the moment as a singular investigator. If this case becomes a confirmed homicide then that task will go to a whole team.  

 

There were a few prints on the plastic packaging. I managed to pull some strings and had them lifted by Metropolitan Forensics Division and those lifts have been pushed WAY up the queue for an urgent run through the database. The system will prioritise the people that I've met in this investigation and check them against the lifted prints first. I'm crossing my fingers on this!

 

 

I dug into Kevin's police application since Robert mentioned it. Kevin's intelligence test results were in the 98^th percentile of applicants with an estimated IQ of 140. His physical performance was in the 70th percentile and exceeded the minimum requirements. He also performed well in an interview against a panel of interviewers. He has a minor colour-blindness as established during a pre-acceptance full-body check-up by a doctor. However, there is an email from Robert Smith attached to the application (sent internally from his police computer to the Recruiting Unit) that undermines Kevin's personal character as being a manipulative domestic partner and that he exhibits stalking tendencies. These claims are not corroborated with any evidence, but it appears to me that Kevin’s application was declined as a result of that negative reference. I do not know whether Kevin knows the reason why he was not accepted. This all took place about 3 years ago. 

 

 

Tailing Michael has yielded no new findings at the moment. He lives in a freestanding home with a small backyard. He has a wife and children. He works as a teacher and drives the same way to and from work every day. My suspicions of him are low and I have not convinced myself that he has an involvement in this case, let alone being able to convince higher powers for a warrant to search his home or trace his mobile phone. 

 

 

The media release has so far returned 30 responses by people who think they’ve seen either Jane, Kevin or Kevin's 4x4. This number of responses is within the normal amount of reports for media releases like this one. 

 

6 of those responses are reported sightings interstate or overseas. I expect to have had some notification from the Registration Plate Capture for interstate travel and from Customs for use of their passports to leave the country if Kevin or Jane had left the state. I will therefore triage those responses as the lowest priority. 

 

No responses so far involve someone seeing Jane and Kevin and the 4x4 together or involve any sense of duress or violence. 

 

I will start with reported sightings at locations with CCTV (7 responses) and I will also prioritise reported sightings of Jane and Kevin together without the 4x4 (12 responses). 

 

These calls from the public are definitely keeping me busy! People see familiar faces and patterns every day, so I'm not putting too much stock in a genuine positive match to our Missing Persons. Hopefully this cynical old sleuth is wrong about that.

 

 

Puzzle 7 of 9 appears to be split into two halves. It looks like the second half is a Rubik's Cube puzzle. I went and found some basic Rubik's Cube notations in case that could help you (I'll put it underneath the puzzle).

 

Good luck!

- Vice

 

 

 

7/9:

Okay, Batman, you’ve bested me twice, but that was luck. Every dog has his day, and this Riddler will have his revenge! Good luck solving THIS one.

 

Take the first letter of the hero chess piece and combine it with the solution for the Rubik’s cube puzzle to determine the password. 

 

Password:  __    __ __ __

 

 

7A:

Checkmate in one, white to move. 

 

 

 

7B:

Solve in three moves.

 

Here's that Rubik's Cube notation guide, team:

 

 

@DrBloodmoney

@MAUSZX

@DonFrancesco

@Im2Fast_4U

@DoctorDrPepper

@YaManSmevz

@rjkclarke

@MattbluePT

@HusKy

@GuitaristZag

@Malachen

@AugustUnder

@APeskyAxolotl

 

 

[DrBloodmoney]

Spoiler

As far as I can tell, the only checkmate white can make is by Bishop to King's Bishop 6 (f6 on the diagram), which would make the first letter "B".

 

 

Assuming I'm reading the notations on the Rubix Cube diagrams rights (I'm assuming the "front" face of those isometric move diagrams is the one facing down and left, as it feels dominant) 

 

I believe the password is the name of a game...

 

 

[DonFrancesco]

I got something too:

Spoiler

So first off: Oof! Chess isn't exactly my forte, so I'm not super sure about that, but considering that only one letter makes sense if taken together with the rest of the password, I'm assuming my hunch that it must be to move the white bishop to e5 is at least somewhat correct... or if not it's just a coincidence, but I'm reasonably certain the first letter must be 'B' anyhow.

 

The Rubik's Cube was great, though! I love spatial puzzles, so I had a blast with that one. The solution for this part is to first turn the left side, then the upper side, then lastly the right side, all of them clockwise, which translates to LUR

 

Which would make the final password BLUR.

 

I'll come back for more theories as to what it might mean later, when I have some more time.

Edited July 11, 2022 by DonFrancesco

[Malachen]

You've both definitely got the chess bit right. Gonna dig out my Rubik's cube to confirm the rest ?

[Im2Fast_4U]

Solutions (I both play chess and know my way around twisty puzzles so this is right up my alley!):

Bf6# (read: bishop to f6 checkmate) is a win for white, meaning the password starts with "b". Solving the cube is done by the sequence LUR, making the whole password = "blur", which is that neon themed racing game from the PS3 generation if I recall correctly? As to what it could mean, perhaps how fast their relationship progressed could be said to have felt like a blur? [\spoiler]

[Taruta13]

I solved the puzzles on my own time and really enjoy this thread, though it could be in the games forum instead of the contest forum since the contest forum usually involves earning trophies in games. I'm a puzzle fan.

 

EDIT: While I am not participating, I think Rook to D1 is also a valid checkmate, but I suck at Rubik's Cube so I concur to everyone else. I remember playing chess a few times in my youth(going to be 50 this December, already at middle age )

Edited July 12, 2022 by Taruta13

[Platinum_Vice]

4 hours ago, Taruta13 said:

I solved the puzzles on my own time and really enjoy this thread, though it could be in the games forum instead of the contest forum since the contest forum usually involves earning trophies in games. I'm a puzzle fan.

 

EDIT: While I am not participating, I think Rook to D1 is also a valid checkmate, but I suck at Rubik's Cube so I concur to everyone else. I remember playing chess a few times in my youth(going to be 50 this December, already at middle age )

 

Firstly, welcome to the forum. I am glad to be blessed with your first post. I'm glad you've been enjoying the event. Would you like me to add you to the participants list?

 

Rook to D1 is a check but the black king would still have the E7 option.

[MattbluePT]

So

Spoiler

If I'm not mistaken, bishop to f6 leads to a checkmate, so the first letter should be B.

As for the Rubik cube I'm haviing more trouble to be 100% sure, but i guess it should be LUR (It's hard for me to imagine the changes in the six sides, it would be easier with a real rubik cube).

 

This would give BLUR? Is it the racing game? The band? The fact that their relation seems like a blur? Not sure about the meaning, but I'm pretty sure it is the password.