Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 12, 2026 Medium
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 12, 2026
Stuck on the Medium case, “The Lions Who Retired”? Open one nudge at a time. Nothing below reveals a verdict unless you click a box marked spoiler.
Back to the case Rules refresher
About this case
Circus Fantasia's three old lions died of 'a sudden fever' in a single week and were cremated before any outside vet could see them. Last night a wildlife sanctuary in Portugal posted a video of three new arrivals with very familiar scars.
This Medium case seats 20 suspects on a 4×5 grid. 16 of them carry a clue; the other 4 only have something to say about themselves. 2 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together.
Nudge 1 — where to start
The case opens with Bruno the lion tamer (B1) already proven. Their statement is enough on its own to prove one more suspect straight away — read it word by word, especially the counting words (exactly, neighbors, between).
My row has exactly one innocent.— Bruno, lion tamer (B1)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Arlo (A1) is a criminal, proven by Bruno’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2 and 5, most of them in row 1. The statements doing the work are direction clues, row and column counts and shared-neighbor counts. One step here needs 2 statements read together. Tip: with direction clues, “above”, “below”, “left” and “right” cover the whole line in that direction, not just the next card.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Arlo’s and Greta’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Tess (D5) — innocent.
Nudge 3 — after about 5 proven suspects
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 2, 3, 4 and 5, most of them in row 3. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, row and column counts and odd/even clues. One step here needs 2 statements read together. Tip: with paired verdicts, chain the pairs: a link of “same” and “different” statements often runs across the board.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Dina’s and Tess’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Ruby (B5) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 3, 4 and 5, most of them in row 4. The statements doing the work are direction clues, paired verdicts and corner and edge counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with corner and edge counts, there are only four corners and one edge ring, so count what is left of them.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Arlo’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Leo (D3) — innocent.
Nudge 5 — the endgame
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 2, 3, 4 and 5, most of them in row 2. The statements doing the work are role counts, “between” clues and shared-neighbor counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with role counts, roles count everyone in the role wherever they stand, so check the whole board.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Quentin’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Sadie (C5) — a criminal.
The hardest step
The toughest moment needs 2 statements at once. If you’re stuck in the middle of the case, this is probably it.
Spoiler: the statements for the hardest step
Read Arlo’s and Greta’s statements together. They settle Tess.
Clue types in this case
direction clues ×2, row and column counts ×2, shared-neighbor counts ×3, paired verdicts ×3, “between” clues ×2, corner and edge counts ×1, neighbor counts ×1, role counts ×1 and odd/even clues ×1.
Questions
How many clues does this case have?
16 of the 20 suspects carry a clue. The rest only talk about themselves — you can hide those asides in Settings.
Where is the full solution?
The step-by-step walkthrough proves every verdict in order.