Murder, Mystery, and Misdirection: DMC Chicago Takes on a Murder Mystery

DMCers are used to solving tough problems, but a few days before Halloween, the Chicago team faced a different kind of challenge: solving the mystery of ‘Whodunnit.’ It was quickly revealed that a billionaire had met an untimely end. But what they didn’t know was who among them was responsible.

At this particularly spooky after-work event, hosted by The Murder Mystery Company, DMC Chicago traded engineering challenges for clues, suspects, and lots of misdirection.. The immersive experience put attendees right in the middle of the action as they searched for clues and tried to uncover the culprit.

With props, costumes, twists, turns, and plenty of laughs, the investigation was soon underway.

Did DMC’s problem-solving skills lead the team to the killer? You’ll have to examine the evidence and draw your own conclusion.

Picking Teams and Playing the Part

The first step in solving any mystery is assembling the right team. Attendees split into groups, with one person from each team taking on a character, complete with a script, unique motives, and information to reveal as different scenarios unfolded throughout the night.

But the rest of the team had a part to play, too. Teammates could trade clues, question other characters, and steer suspicion toward, or away from, their own suspect.

“I was on Team Mort,” William Chen explained. “The Mort character was married to another character in the play, and we fully leaned into the bit that his wife did it…we were wrong.”

Despite missing the mark, Team Mort committed to its theory and successfully cast suspicion on an innocent character. Other teams developed strategies of their own, whether that meant seriously investigating the clues or enthusiastically sending everyone else down the wrong path. By the end of the night, everyone had embraced their role in the mystery.

Midnight at the Masquerade

With the teams assembled, it was time to meet the suspects. This year’s mystery, Midnight at the Masquerade, transported everyone to the Billionaires’ Club Annual Masquerade Ball, a glamorous party interrupted by an unexpected murder. To solve the crime, guests had to trade clues, gather information, question the suspects, and determine which partygoer was responsible.

Seven characters brought the story to life, including an actress, a husband-and-wife duo, an eccentric billionaire, a handsome bachelor, a butler, and a doctor. Each received a costume piece to distinguish their character. The actress donned a bright red hat, for example, while the eccentric billionaire sported a bowler hat.

Playing the billionaire was DMC IT Specialist RJ Hughes, whose character hosted the masquerade for six colorful guests. With the suspects assembled and everyone dressed for the part, the teams began comparing clues, forming theories, and pointing fingers as the mystery unfolded.

Making a (Fake) Murderer

Solving the mystery required more than collecting clues. Teams had to work together to decide which information was credible, piece together what they knew, and ultimately agree on their prime suspect.

“Everyone went around exchanging money for information on other characters,” William explained. “Then, once you have enough information, your team can guess who they think murdered the billionaire.”

Of course, collaboration didn’t always mean working toward the right answer. William’s team took a different approach, joining forces to spread suspicion about another character. Whether teams were carefully comparing clues or enthusiastically defending a questionable theory, everyone brought their own perspective to the investigation.

The misdirection must have worked, because only one team successfully identified the murderer. Another team earned recognition for the “worst guess,” complete with a certificate commemorating their impressively incorrect detective work.
For Kaitlyn Heistand, a member of Chicago’s Admin team, figuring out the correct answer was only part of the fun:

“I was really impressed by the actors and how engaging the whole experience was. It was especially fun to see people who are usually a little more reserved around the office really get into it. It took Esther and me a while to catch on, and we ended up spending more time creating a funny story to support our guess than actually trying to figure out who the killer was.”

And the Killer Is…

Whether they cracked the case or constructed a convincing case against the wrong suspect, teams had to communicate, share ideas, and commit to their story.

As for the real killer, it turned out to be someone a majority of the partygoers never suspected…the Actress played by Gabrielle, wife of Embedded Engineer, John Nicholas.

In the end, it was an evening that gave everyone a chance to collaborate with their coworkers in a setting very different from their usual projects.