August 2, 2026
By Heath Scofield

The 2026 Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce (PACC) Murder Mystery Night took place on August 1st from 4-8 p.m. in Pickerington Village.

This year, 64 teams registered to participate in the event, the same number as in 2025, and more than 250 individuals attended. The age demographics varied from children in strollers to retirees.

“It’s as family-friendly as murder can be,” described Kim Barlag, President and CEO of the PACC.

Barlag has been the event’s mastermind, devising the humorous stories, designing the puzzles/clues and including real-life crime-solvers. The last two years have been inspired by real historical events that occurred within Pickerington Village. Last year was inspired by a bank robbery in the 1950s, and this year was based on the death of a vagabond in the 1930s.

Trophies and prizes were awarded to the two teams that not only solved the murder but also best described the means, motive, and opportunity. Teams could receive bonus points for finding and completing group-specific puzzles. Additional prizes were given to the two groups with the best costumes.

This year’s winners for solving the case were the “Sherlock Homies 2”, with “Case Quackers” in second place. The costume contest winners were “The Golden Girls” with “Whodunnit Donuts” as the runners-up.

Participating teams registered for the event in advance, and received a goodie bag with a guide, investigators’ notebooks, and more. The day of the event, they canvassed the Elevate District, interrogated the diverse array of suspects and visited clue stations run by sponsors.

One of the tents was provided by the Pickerington Community Theatre (PCT), who were participating for their second year to promote their winter play, Murder on the Orient Express, which will run in early December.

“We love to perform,” explained Coreen Janetzke, the director for Murder on the Orient Express, “any opportunity to dress up.”

Last year, PCT promoted their October’s production of Clue, which fit well with the Chamber’s Murder Mystery, however this year, their upcoming show and the event matched even closer.

“Our license [to perform Murder] was planned for Winter,” explained Bettie Bechtel, an at-large member of PCT “it was a coincidence that it matched with what [the PACC] was doing.”

In addition to the clue stops, teams interacted with professionals in the field of forensics from both the Pickerington Police Department and Ohio University.

“We do a lot of outreach,” stated Sonja Rawn, an associate professor at Ohio University, “This is just one of the things we do.”

Rawn, who teaches both Forensics and Law classes throughout OU’s system was joined by Dr Brenda Miller, a Chemistry professor at OU Chillicothe; Emma Kubacki, an Analytical Chemistry Grad Student; Sammy Parker, a Forensic Chemistry student at OU Athens; and Makayla Dunbar, a senior at Teays Valley High School.

The group conducted the crime investigation for the third year, using tools and props brought from Athens the afternoon prior to the event.

“It takes a couple days to understand what is needed and make it,” Rawn explained.

The body, for example, is a prop utilized in many of Rawn’s Forensics classes to which Sammy Parker applied make-up.

“He has met his maker in a LOT of different ways,” Rawn said.