21 Murder Mystery Riddles Most People Can’t Solve

The Riddle

From Riddlenow:

Hotel maid found Sean Donovin dead in his hotel room bed at 3:15 PM on January 4. No foul play showed. A cryptic note remained, so police first thought Sean killed himself. A detective called in for safety and immediately suspected foul play. Sean was a man in his 20s, engaged, and a successful businessman who taught Sunday school. On the surface, he seemed to have no reason to act this way.

Since Sean died in his room with no forced entry, the detective thought a close person must have killed him. Sean did not trust people easily. The three closest people were his sister, Hannah, who helped with Sunday school; his brother, John, who ran a small business; and his fiancée, Jenna.

The detective waited to call Sean's death a suicide until the medical examiner finished the autopsy. Sean died instantly from a lethal injection. The body was found about 11 hours after he passed.

Still confused by the evidence, the detective began searching the note for clues. It read:

Jan 04/2009 4:10 AM

My loved ones,

Jenna, Sis, John, I want to tell you how sorry I am. I blame God for letting me die today. Blame Him. Seek Him if you want to know why I left you. Do not mourn my death. Move on.

Goodbye,

Sean

The detective found it odd that a devout man would end his life and then curse God, but the handwriting matched Sean's. After some thought, the detective figured Sean was killed and arrested one of the three suspects. How did he know this? Who was the killer?

The Solution

The detective arrested Sean's brother, John. He figured Sean suspected his brother was jealous of him and his business. Sean wrote the note to direct authorities toward his brother if anything happened.

The first clue was the passage, "Seek Him if you want to know why I did leave you," which sent the detective to the Bible. He figured "4:10" meant a specific Bible passage, not a time. "AM" suggested the Old Testament. He needed the Bible book. He guessed "Jenna, Sis" pointed to Genesis. Checking that passage, he found the story of the first murder: Cain killed his brother Abel out of jealousy.

The Riddle

From Riddlenow:

Max Worthington died. He was fatally stabbed in the back at his manual typewriter. His agent, Roger, found Max's body while checking on him because Max did not send his latest column. Roger called the police. The dispatcher sent Detective Sing to investigate. Detective Sing saw Max was writing when he died. The last thing typed was "49t34 w5qgg3e j3," a random string of letters and numbers created as Max's body fell onto the typewriter.

Detective Sing questioned those near Worthington. He found several suspects. Max's ex-wife, Marisa, fought with him over alimony payments she felt owed, despite his offer of the shared mansion and a large payment. Max's current girlfriend, Jillian, was a pretty young woman but seemed high maintenance and cared more about Max's money than him. Max's brother, Gerald, felt happy about his brother's death because Max took Marisa from him, and Gerald wanted to win her back.

Detective Sing finished his investigation. He quickly made an arrest. Who did he take into custody?

This is the Solution.

Max's agent, Roger, was arrested. Detective Sing reviewed Max's last message. He found the columnist typed the murderer's identity. However, his fingers were one line off the keys. Instead of writing "Roger stabbed me," he wrote "49t34 w5qgg3e j3."

This is the Riddle.

From Riddlenow:

Edward thought he committed the perfect crime. He broke into a woman's house. He strangled her in her bed. He staged the scene to look like a burglary stopped suddenly. He searched the house, threw the woman's things everywhere. Then, he smashed the patio door glass from outside to show entry. Finally, he set up the alarm and left to play golf with friends to create an alibi.

Two hours later, while Edward walked the golf course, the alarm sounded at the woman's house. The police got alerted. They reached the house and found the scene just as Edward set it up. No other people, like family or staff, were there. No animals could have triggered the alarm; it seemed to work fine. They decided the woman was killed during a failed burglary.

One detective suspected Edward. Edward was the woman's known enemy. But she could not figure out how he rigged the alarm to go off hours after he left. How did he do that?

This is the Solution.

Edward set a tray on the table edge. He put heavy pans on one side and used ice blocks to balance them on the other. After the ice melted over hours, the pans' weight made the tray crash. This tripped the alarm. Police first thought the pans, tray, and water puddle were just clutter from the search.

The Riddle

FromSolveordie:

Two Southern belles ate together and both ordered iced tea. One woman drank hers fast and ordered more, downing five teas while her friend finished only one. Before the meal ended, the belle who drank one iced tea died; the one who drank five lived.

Police experts found all six iced teas were poisoned. Why did one woman die and the other survive?

The Solution

Only the ice was poisoned, not the tea. The ice in the tea drunk slowly melted and poisoned the woman. The ice in the five glasses drunk quickly never melted enough to poison anyone.

The Riddle

FromStorypick:

A body lay on the ground at the base of a tall building. The victim looked like they jumped from a window. Still, a detective arrived. He went into the building, walked to the first-floor window above the body, opened it, and threw a coin out. He then went to the second-floor window above the body, opened it, and did the same. He moved to every window above the body on each floor, repeating the exact same move.

The gathered police thought he was losing his mind. Yet, after opening the top floor window and tossing a coin, he climbed down to street level. He told the police the person was murdered. How did he figure this out?

The Solution

If the person had jumped, one window would have been open. But all the windows were closed.

The Riddle

FromRiddlenow:

Adrian, a hunter, was found dead at the bottom of a cliff, below where his girlfriend's body lay. He wore full cold-weather gear: hiking boots, mittens, layered jackets, and thick wool trousers. James, a member of Adrian's hunting party, spoke to police. James said he heard Adrian argue with his girlfriend, Lulo. James claimed the argument became violent—Adrian picked up a rock and hit Lulo over the head, killing her. After the blow, Adrian looked up, saw James watching him, and turned to run off the cliff to die.

James showed the rock Adrian used to hit Lulo. Forensics tested the rock. The lab found Adrian's fingerprints on the rock that supposedly killed Lulo. Police arrested James for Adrian's murder. How did they conclude Adrian died and James was the killer when the evidence seemed to back James's story?

The Solution.

Adrian's body had mittens on. He could not have left fingerprints on the rock James claimed killed Lulo. They figured James ended both of them and planted Adrian's prints to cover up.

The Riddle.

From Riddlenow:

A rich man lived alone in a small cottage. Partially disabled, he got many needs delivered. One Thursday, the mail carrier came to deliver a letter. He saw the front door open. He looked inside and found the rich man dead on the floor in dried blood. The mailman called the police; they checked the scene for clues.

Authorities arrested someone before checking the cottage. They used items on the porch: two milk bottles, Monday's paper, a catalog, flyers, and mail. Who was the culprit, and how did they know who did it just from the porch items?

The Solution.

The newspaper delivery person was arrested. They had not delivered Tuesday's or Wednesday's papers because they knew the rich man was already dead from their work.

The Riddle.

From Storypick:

A chemist died in his lab. Only a few people could access his lab because of his work. Police found a note near his body. It looked like random numbers, and they could not figure it out. It read: "26-3-58/28-27-57-16."

They gave the note to the homicide detective. The detective ordered the arrest of two of the chemist's colleagues. How did the detective find out who the murderers were?

The Solution.

The detective, an amateur chemist, saw the numbers matched atomic numbers on the periodic table. The numbers spelled out "Fe-Li-Ce/Ni-Co-La-S." Felice and Nicolas were the culprits.

The Riddle.

From Riddlenow:

John Aiers, a small person, died in his living room from what looked like a self-inflicted gunshot. He still held the pistol in his hand. There was no fight or sign of foul play—only a small bullet hole below his left chest and a small bloodstain near the wound. The bullet passed through his body, the couch he sat on, and hit the wall behind him.

A junior detective thought Aiers took his own life, seeing his financial debt and depression history. The senior detective, however, knew Aiers was murdered the moment he saw the body. What did the junior detective miss?

The Solution.

Aiers's shirt had only a hole and a small bloodstain. This means the gun barrel was far from his body. Aiers was small; his arms could not hold the gun far enough away to shoot himself without leaving residue.

The Riddle.

Fom.Storypick.:

A man faces trial for killing his wife. His lawyer stands up to give closing statements. He tells the jury the man is innocent; he can prove it. He claims she was just missing, but she is alive. He states she will walk through the courtroom doors in one minute. The courtroom freezes. Everyone stares at the doors while the lawyer and defendant watch the jury's reactions.

After several minutes, the man's wife does not walk through the doors. The defense lawyer finishes his statement. He argues the jury must acquit his client. They watched the door for the wife to appear, meaning they must doubt his guilt.

The jury deliberates, then returns minutes later with a "guilty" verdict. Why did they convict the man who killed his wife?

The Solution.

The jury looked at the doors hoping the wife would enter, but the defendant never did. Instead, he stared at the jury. He knew his wife would not come through the doors because he killed her.

The Riddle.

From.Storypick.:

A man visits a friend. He finds no answer at the door and fears the worst. He brushes the frost off a window pane and looks in. He sees his friend's body on the floor, his neck twisted unnaturally. The man calls the police. They arrive fast, enter the house, and find the homeowner dead from a broken neck.

The police ask the man what he was doing there and how he found his friend. The man says he just stopped by and wiped frost off a window to look in since his friend did not answer. Before he finishes, the police cuff him and arrest him for the friend's murder. How did they know he lied?

The Solution.

Frost forms on the inside. Windows show frost when cold outside air meets warm, humid air inside. The man could not have wiped frost off the outside of the window pane.

The Riddle.

From.Riddlenow.:

Wealthy bachelor Steven Andrews died in his ocean-view mansion. Detective Carrie Marshall arrived mid-afternoon. Riverside police gathered five suspects by a bay window. They stayed in the mansion: the cook, the maid, two friends, and his niece. Lieutenant Linda Newton, Marshall's partner, arrived an hour early. Newton shared that all suspects agreed Steven lived minutes after midnight. No one heard a murder before Mandy Andrews, his niece, found his body at 6:30 AM while getting water. Mandy saw her uncle's body near the bay window on her way up.

Lieutenant Newton and Riverside officers searched the house for clues. Detective Marshall questioned the suspects. She tried not to focus on the ocean sunset from the bay window.

The maid said she cleaned the dining room where Andrews hosted guests. She helped the cook put away leftovers before retiring near 11:00 PM. She read until about 12:30 AM, hearing talking and laughter but catching no words. Later, she heard Mandy scream. She rushed downstairs with the cook and guests to find Andrews's body by the bay window, shot in the head.

The cook backed up the maid's story. He said he tidied the dining room then helped store food. He went to his room around the same time the maid did. He slept around 11:30 PM after showering and brushing teeth. He woke to a scream. He ran downstairs with the maid and guests to find Andrews's dead body by the bay window.

Mandy was with her uncle and friends until midnight. She went to her room and slept around 1:15 AM. She woke exactly at 6:24 AM. She went downstairs for water. Looking at the sunrise through the bay window on her way up, she saw her uncle's body and screamed, waking everyone.

Detective Marshall did not question Andrews's two friends. She solved the case. What led her to the culprit?

This is the answer.

Detective Marshall saw the sun set through the bay window during her interrogation; this showed she faced west. Mandy claimed she saw the sun rise through that same window when she saw her uncle's body. Mandy lied; she committed the crime. Detective Marshall later figured Mandy shot her uncle with a revolver hidden in the kitchen after he cut her off and removed her from his will.

The Riddle

From Storypick:

A young woman meets a strange young stranger at her mother's funeral. They connect right away, but he leaves before she gets his contact info. She keeps thinking about the man. She cannot find anyone who knows him or contact him.

A few days later, her sister visits. She also cannot identify the man. The young woman always got along with her sister; they rarely fought. Then, she decides to kill her in a way that leaves no suspicion. What went wrong? Why did the young woman plan this against a sister she loved?

The Solution

The young woman thought the young man was connected to her family. She thought he might attend her sister's funeral like he did her mother's.

The Riddle

From Storypick:

A young woman goes to an older woman's home, whom she met at a farmer's market. They talk briefly. The young woman feels uneasy and wants to leave. The older woman acts offended and suggests staying longer to try one of the fat, juicy apples she bought at the market. The young woman refuses. The older woman insists, picks up a sharp kitchen knife, and suggests they share the apple.

Intimidated by the knife, the young woman agrees. The older woman cuts the apple in half. They each eat from their half. The old woman, who was actually a crazed serial killer, enjoys her half while the young woman drops dead. How did the old woman kill the young woman?

The Solution

The old woman coated one side of the knife with liquid cyanide. When she cut the apple in half, only the young woman's part was poisoned.

The Riddle

From Storypick:

A man is found dead in a field of fresh snow. Police are confused by the crime. The only marks on the snow are the man's footprints and two parallel lines on either side. No other footprints lead to or from the body.

The homicide detective who arrives finds a clue. This clue helps solve the murder. The detective asks police to issue an APB for a specific suspect. What did the detective guess?

The Solution

The culprit was someone in a wheelchair.

The Riddle

From Storypick:

Police arrived at a suicide scene. They found a man dead from a gunshot. He held a pistol and a cassette recorder. A detective played the recorder. A voice said, "I have nothing else to live for. I can't go on." The recorder then captured one gunshot and stopped.

The detective told police to secure the area and wait for forensics. The man did not kill himself; someone murdered him. How did the detective know this just from the recording?

The Solution

If the man recorded himself during the act, the detective would have needed to rewind the tape to hear his message.

The Riddle

From Riddlenow:

A detective arrived at the murder site. A young waitress at Jake's Palace suffered a blow to the head and a chokehold from a belt. The attacker left her, thinking she was dead, but she was only unconscious. She pulled herself twenty feet toward the water. There, she wrote a message in the sand before passing from her head wound. Two officers first saw two worn letters, shaped like an "h" and a "p". They assumed the victim wrote "help" in the sand before the water washed them away.

While the detective examined the scene, more officers arrived. They brought three male suspects: One, Jersey, a man in bad clothes, claimed he only bought the woman a drink at the club before she left without speaking. Two, Shelby, who owned Jake's Palace, said he saw the woman leave with the third man. Three claimed the woman only went with him to his car for cigarettes and then returned to the club.

After hearing their stories, the detective felt he had enough to solve the case. He knew who did it and how he knew.

The Solution

Because the woman crawled toward the water instead of away, and knowing her time was short, the detective did not think she wrote "help." Instead, he thought of her attacker: "Shelby." The detective figured the woman found out the club owner cheated his staff and planned to blame him. Shelby followed her out and attacked her near the beach.

The Riddle

From Riddlenow:

A millionaire was killed in his mansion one Sunday in April. His wife found the body and called the police; an investigation started. Detectives found four people at the mansion or grounds during the murder: the millionaire's wife, the cook, the maid, the gardener, and the butler.

Everyone claimed innocence. However, no one had an alibi. They were all alone in separate areas when the murder happened. The millionaire's wife said she read a book. The maid said she got the mail. The gardener claimed he was planting seeds on the grounds. The butler stated he polished the silver.

Detectives heard these stories. They immediately arrested one suspect. They charged that person with the millionaire's murder. But who was it?

The Solution

The maid was arrested. The murder occurred on a Sunday. There is no mail delivery on Sundays.

The Riddle

From Storypick:

A recently married man booked a honeymoon to a tropical island with his travel agent. A week later, the husband returned alone. He told the police his wife died in an accident on their trip. Local police called it an accident. The husband was immediately arrested and charged with her murder.

Surprised, the man asks the police why they do not believe him. They tell him the travel agent tipped them off about his evil deed. How did the travel agent know he killed his wife?

The Solution

The man booked a roundtrip ticket for himself. He booked only a one-way ticket for his wife.

The Riddle

From Storypick:

A man rushed into his wife's hospital room. He shouted, "Who shot her? Who shot my wife?" A police detective told the man to calm down and explain. The man said he was the wife's husband and demanded justice. The detective asked how he knew about his wife's condition. The man said he stayed at a friend's house and called home in the morning. The maid answered the phone. She told him his wife was hurt and in the hospital. He rushed there immediately.

He criticized the detective for questioning him instead of finding the shooter. The detective smiled. He told the man he did not need to look for the shooter because he found him. He arrested the husband for attempted murder. How did he know the husband was guilty?

The Solution

The maid only told the man his wife was hurt. She did not say she was shot. He could only know this if he shot her.

The Riddle

From Riddles:

A husband and wife drove on the highway. They ran out of gas. The husband walked to the nearest gas station. His wife stayed in the car. She locked the doors. She rolled up the windows. She turned on the radio. She heard a news bulletin about a "murderer on the loose" nearby. She checked the doors and windows to make sure they were locked and up. She felt safe.

An hour later, the husband returned. He found his wife dead in the car. The killer was the crazed killer. Windows remained up. Doors stayed locked. The car showed no damage. How did the culprit kill the woman?

This is the solution.

The car was a convertible. The top was down.