Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 6, 2026 Medium walkthrough
Oct 6, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Medium case “Lost Above the Treeline”, in an order where each step is proven by the statements already on file.
Play it first Just a hint, please
This Medium case seats 20 suspects on a 4×5 grid. 18 of them carry a clue; the other 2 only have something to say about themselves. 2 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together. The order below is one valid route; any order where each verdict is proven when you enter it reaches the same answer.
Spoiler: show the full walkthrough
Start: Quentin (A5) begins the case proven innocent.
The person between Juno and Leo is a criminal.— Quentin, chalet host (A5)
Step 1: Kurt (C3, snowboarder) is a criminal. This follows from Quentin’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Juno (B3, mountain guide) is innocent. This follows from Kurt’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between me and Iris is innocent.— Kurt, snowboarder (C3)
Step 3: Leo (D3, mountain guide) is a criminal. This follows from Juno’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Everyone to my right is a criminal.— Juno, mountain guide (B3)
Step 4: Pia (D4, snowboarder) is innocent. This follows from Leo’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between me and Tess is innocent.— Leo, mountain guide (D3)
Step 5: Olive (C4, heir) is innocent. This follows from Pia’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Juno and I have exactly one innocent neighbor in common.— Pia, snowboarder (D4)
Step 6: Sadie (C5, chalet host) is innocent. This follows from Olive’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person below me is innocent.— Olive, heir (C4)
Step 7: Tess (D5, mountain guide) is innocent. This follows from Sadie’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Pia and I have no criminal neighbors in common.— Sadie, chalet host (C5)
Step 8: Gemma (C2, chalet host) is innocent. This follows from Tess’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Gemma and I are either both criminals or both innocent.— Tess, mountain guide (D5)
Step 9: Ezra (A2, ice sculptor) is a criminal. This follows from Gemma’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There are no innocents to my left.— Gemma, chalet host (C2)
Step 10: Frank (B2, ski patroller) is a criminal. This follows from Gemma’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 11: Iris (A3, ice sculptor) is innocent. This follows from Ezra’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between me and Mila is innocent.— Ezra, ice sculptor (A2)
Step 12: Celia (C1, heir) is a criminal. This needs 2 statements together — Frank’s and Iris’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly four of my eight neighbors are criminals.— Frank, ski patroller (B2)
There is an odd number of criminals to the left of Celia.— Iris, ice sculptor (A3)
Step 13: Amir (A1, snowboarder) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Frank’s and Celia’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
All the criminals in my row are connected.— Celia, heir (C1)
Step 14: Bruno (B1, ski patroller) is a criminal. This follows from Frank’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 15: Ruby (B5, ski patroller) is a criminal. This follows from Amir’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of Ruby and me is a criminal.— Amir, snowboarder (A1)
Step 16: Mila (A4, ice sculptor) is innocent. This follows from Ruby’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
None of my neighbors is a criminal.— Ruby, ski patroller (B5)
Step 17: Dexter (D1, heir) is innocent. This follows from Mila’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of Dexter and Bruno is a criminal.— Mila, ice sculptor (A4)
Step 18: Hugo (D2, snowboarder) is a criminal. This follows from Dexter’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The person between me and Leo is a criminal.— Dexter, heir (D1)
Step 19: Nico (B4, ice sculptor) is innocent. This follows from Bruno’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
There are exactly two innocents below me.— Bruno, ski patroller (B1)
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amir innocent | Bruno criminal | Celia criminal | Dexter innocent |
| 2 | Ezra criminal | Frank criminal | Gemma innocent | Hugo criminal |
| 3 | Iris innocent | Juno innocent | Kurt criminal | Leo criminal |
| 4 | Mila innocent | Nico innocent | Olive innocent | Pia innocent |
| 5 | Quentin innocent | Ruby criminal | Sadie innocent | Tess innocent |
What happened
Celia was never lost. She arranged her own kidnapping to clear her debts, and the ski patrol arranged it with her: Bruno, Frank and Ruby reported her missing, sent the search down the wrong valley and grounded the helicopters with a faked avalanche warning. Leo hid her in a herder's hut above the treeline, where Ezra kept her company with a guitar. Kurt, who had arrived with no surname and an empty suitcase, opened the Cyprus account, and Hugo washed the money through a string of bets lost on purpose. Her own livestream, posted 'by accident' from the hut, finished them.