Clues & Culprits › Hints › Oct 24, 2026 Medium
Spoiler-Free Hints for Oct 24, 2026
Stuck on the Medium case, “Breakfast with the Gorillas”? 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
All summer, very wealthy guests paid £10,000 each for a secret midnight 'keeper experience' at Larchmont Zoo — breakfast with the gorillas, a swim with the sea lions. The zoo found out when its silverback was spotted wearing a diamond bracelet.
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 Otto the keeper's assistant (C4) 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).
The only keeper's assistant in Row 2 is a criminal.— Otto, keeper's assistant (C4)
Spoiler: who can I prove first?
Freya (B2) is a criminal, proven by Otto’s statement.
Nudge 2 — the opening
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, across rows 1, 2, 4 and 5, most of them in row 4. The statements doing the work are paired verdicts, role counts and if–then clues. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with paired verdicts, two suspects tied together share their fate — prove one and the other follows.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Otto’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Freya (B2) — a criminal.
Nudge 3 — after about 5 proven suspects
Five suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 3 and 5. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, “between” clues and shared-neighbor counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with neighbor counts, a corner has three neighbors, an edge five, the middle eight — compare the count with what is left.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Tess’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Silas (C5) — innocent.
Nudge 4 — after about 10 proven suspects
Four suspects get proven in this stretch, in rows 1 and 2. The statements doing the work are neighbor counts, if–then clues and odd/even clues. 2 steps here need 2 statements read together. Tip: with if–then clues, use the contrapositive: when the “then” part is false, the “if” part is false too.
Spoiler: whose statements to read
Jasper’s and Rufus’s statements, read together.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Gus (C2) — 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 odd/even clues, row and column counts and neighbor counts. Every step in this stretch needs just one statement. Tip: with odd/even clues, count the proven ones first; the parity of the rest follows.
Spoiler: whose statement to read
Lionel’s statement.
Spoiler: which suspect does that settle?
Hana (D2) — innocent.
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 Jasper’s and Rufus’s statements together. They settle Gus.
Clue types in this case
paired verdicts ×3, direction clues ×1, odd/even clues ×2, if–then clues ×2, neighbor counts ×4, row and column counts ×1, “between” clues ×1, role counts ×1 and shared-neighbor counts ×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 is published two days after the case, so today’s solvers aren’t spoiled.