Mystery Festival fosters investigative skills

Who did it?

That was the question at the center of Ms. Kathy Murphy’s Mystery Festival for a group of 4th and 5th grade students before winter break.

Murphy’s students were given a simulation of the disappearance of victim “Felix Navidad” with four suspects. Five, if you count Felix who was questioned to have staged his own disappearance.

Each suspect had a motive and backstory.

“This is a complex mystery with several possible outcomes.  There is no obvious culprit. There is evidence pointing to each of the four suspects. It allows students to be creative and exercise critical thinking skills in formulating their own theories,” Murphy explained.

Students acted as forensic scientists, evaluating evidence from the crime scene including fingerprints on cups, fibers from clothing, footprints, even the smell of the colognes of the various suspects. 

Students used a variety of testing methods of the evidence, including chromatography, fingerprint analysis, testing the pH of liquids, burning threads to identify the type of thread (cotton or wool), looking at a DNA report, analyzing handwriting samples, and using iodine to identify a powder found at the crime scene. 

“Did it burn fast, or slow?” a staff volunteer asked 5th grader Kaden Vuong about the threads the students tested to analyze what was left at the crime scene.

“Really fast,” Vuong answered.

In their conclusions, student Kyran wrote, “I think Kendra and Vera are the ones because they both had blood powder on their shoes and made the fake blood,” other students posed other thoughts. 

Krystal wrote," I think two people teamed up to kill him, Vera and Alfredo. Alfredo's drink did not contain poison and Felix's did. Felix passed out. When they tried to carry his body away they broke the clock."

Other students caught on to other details in the investigation.

"Kendra went to the beach and stole Gene's shoes and his cologne and stole his dog while he was sleeping. His dog followed her and stepped in the paint. She had blood powder on her shoes and her handwriting was on the fake note,” Jaxen said.

Because there is no right or wrong answer, students had to support their own conclusion using evidence from the crime scene

Student Audrey wrote, "Felix is dead. His Coca Cola was poisoned by Vera, a chemist. She also poisoned the ice cubes. Police found powder on her shoes that was used to make the fake blood."

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