July 28, 2024
Photos by Rachel Scofield
On July 27, the Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce held its first Murder Mystery Night presented by the City of Pickerington. Teams visited clue stations scattered around the Olde Village to question witnesses, interrogate suspects and decipher clues.
Fifty teams registered for the event, with more than 200 people participating.
Trophies and prizes were awarded to the team who guessed the murderer and best explained means, motive, and opportunity. Bonus points earned by completing challenges and riddles were counted in the event of a tie.
The winning team was “Detective CJ and the Crew” under the leadership of Cathy Ryland. Second place was Kristin Howbert’s team “Mystery Machine”. The team with the best costumes was “Replanted” with “4 Girls and a Clue” placing second.
“Our team was compromised of two of my kids, Carson and Kendyl Ryland and my cousin Alyssa Sidle,” Ryland said. “Alyssa and Carson make short murder mystery movies together just for fun, which is where the Detective CJ name came from. When we found out Pickerington was doing a murder mystery, we just had to be a part of it!
The entire production was really well done. All four of us had a blast. The kids enjoyed the decoding challenges and Alyssa and I really enjoyed meeting all local business owners throughout the event. We will definitely be back next year!”
The event was created by Chamber President Kim Barlag and the actors were all Chamber members.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with how our first Murder Mystery Night went,” Barlag said. “The community made it come to life with how engaged they were in the entire process, how creative they were with costumes, and how genuinely enthusiastic everyone was Saturday. I am grateful for all of the businesses who sponsored this first-time event because it couldn’t have happened without them, and I am especially thankful to the suspects who put themselves and their businesses ‘under the magnifying glass.’ I’m already thinking about a story for next year.”
Ohio University Forensics Chemistry faculty and students set up the crime scene, with help from Marathon Towing, who brought a crashed vehicle to the scene. OHIO faculty and students also explained the forensic process and helped teams look at fingerprints, hair samples, and shoe impression castings.
