[Guest]

Hi there. I am a new member at Brain Den. This is a riddle a friend told me and I found it very interesting

One day, a man was found dead, hanging from a rafter in a very skinny, two story room. The walls are waxed and there are no stairs, so it is impossible to climb to the rafter. At the top of the room, there is a small window and a platform , but it is impossible for a human to crawl through the window. The rafter has dust all over it, meaning no one touched it anytime soon. There is a small hole in the bottom of the room, but the wood is so hard and the damage is so large, that it is impossible for any human to create that hole. There are no traces of blood or any sign of a struggle.

There is a waterfall running right outside the window which forms a small lake, so there are fishing and boating supplies (i.e. a boat, tarp, etc.)

The police confirm this death as a suicide. Luckily, as a special investigator, you quickly deduce that this is not a suicide and is actually a murder.

How was the man murdered?

I'll try posting the answer if no one gets it. Hopefully, it shouldnt be too easy

[Guest]

Avada Kadavra, then use Wingardium Leviosa to hang him by the rafters.

[Guest]

It's late, so this is just a gut instinct/response, but it addresses half of the question ...

It can't be a suicide if there is no way a human could've climbed to the rafter and I am assuming no ladder or other evidence of the person having climbed up himself. So, someone else had to have done it for him. How they did it? I'm guessing they pulled him using a line off a boat to 'attach' him to the rafter, then cut the line - that's just a guess.

[Guest]

I think I've got it, so if you want my answer, look at the spoiler.

There's a waterfall outside, so, the murderers blocked up the hole at the bottom of the room, and diverted water from the waterfall to fill the room. They used a boat to position the victim under the rafter, hung him and then allowed the water to drain away.Possible?

Well, it's worth a try!

Donjar:thumbsup:

[Guest]

There are a lot of holes in this riddle. For example, the police did not confirm where the hole led, the position of the "dusty rafter" relative to the man, about how many days the man was sitting there etc.

1- the room was filled up with water. The man somehow drowned despite there being air above (rafters in the 2 story room). Air being there is definitive because air has to go out for water to go in. This is probably it, as you included "waxed walls", although it is unlikely because a house with a few tons of PSI will definitely collapse upon itself.

2- someone entered through the rafters, poisoned him while he slept, placed him in the rafters, then exited-- body was found many days later and dust had reaccumulated or

3- variation of 2 but they first pumped noxious gas inside the room before placing him upon the rafters.

4- Water was pumped in and an electric current was pumped through. The body was then placed in the rafters as in 2 and 3.

[Guest]

If there are no sings of a strugle or blood then he was murdered somewhere else. Possibly in the lake!

Hi there. I am a new member at Brain Den. This is a riddle a friend told me and I found it very interesting

One day, a man was found dead, hanging from a rafter in a very skinny, two story room. The walls are waxed and there are no stairs, so it is impossible to climb to the rafter. At the top of the room, there is a small window and a platform , but it is impossible for a human to crawl through the window. The rafter has dust all over it, meaning no one touched it anytime soon. There is a small hole in the bottom of the room, but the wood is so hard and the damage is so large, that it is impossible for any human to create that hole. There are no traces of blood or any sign of a struggle.

There is a waterfall running right outside the window which forms a small lake, so there are fishing and boating supplies (i.e. a boat, tarp, etc.)

The police confirm this death as a suicide. Luckily, as a special investigator, you quickly deduce that this is not a suicide and is actually a murder.

How was the man murdered?

I'll try posting the answer if no one gets it. Hopefully, it shouldnt be too easy

[Guest]

The waterfall was diverted into the window using a tarp which drowned the victim and floated him up to the rafter where a noose was thrown over it and "fished" onto his neck. the other end of the rope had an ancor which was dropped down and caused a hole which let the water out and suspended the victim. then the killer just boats away on his yacht.

Edited September 30, 2009 by Chewbacca

[Guest]

Some of the posts were very helpful. Try combining some of them and add in new ideas

All of you did a good job trying to figure it out, but I should have been more specific. Explain how the body got onto the rafter. The answer should explain the circumstances of the situation

Imma try and let you guys figure it out.

[Guest]

the killer shot the man from the top of the room,and he missed 1 shot which explain the hole on the ground.then he lay down a rode on the rafter which long enough for the killer to tie up the victim and pull the body up to make it look like the victim hang himself,this may explain the dust over the draft is "untouched".Blood can be cleaned up after everything,so there is no sign of struggle and blood stain on the floor.but my ans is assume that the room has a door and the killer have a way to reach the ground floor from the top outside the room.

There are a lot of holes in this riddle. For example, the police did not confirm where the hole led, the position of the "dusty rafter" relative to the man, about how many days the man was sitting there etc.

1- the room was filled up with water. The man somehow drowned despite there being air above (rafters in the 2 story room). Air being there is definitive because air has to go out for water to go in. This is probably it, as you included "waxed walls", although it is unlikely because a house with a few tons of PSI will definitely collapse upon itself.

2- someone entered through the rafters, poisoned him while he slept, placed him in the rafters, then exited-- body was found many days later and dust had reaccumulated or

3- variation of 2 but they first pumped noxious gas inside the room before placing him upon the rafters.

4- Water was pumped in and an electric current was pumped through. The body was then placed in the rafters as in 2 and 3.

i agree that there are missing parts with the quiz,such as is there a door to the room and is there any stair outside the room and the size of the hole..

[Guest]

I think it does have something to do with water filling the room, then draining. I am not sure quite how he died, there are several ways it could have occured. He could have the boat used to position him under, as donjar said. There are too many variables to be sure.

[Guest]

Wouldn't the window have to be big enough for someone to get through? [spoiler=Sorry its so long ]The man was killed prior to the hanging. The suspect placed the victim in a rubber boat and covered him with a tarp. He then left the room and made his way to the balcony where he cut part of it out, taped up the holes, and used it to redirect the water from the falls. Quickly making his way back inside, he taped up a door that used to be where the hole is now located. He played the waiting game and kept the body a dry as he could. One in position under the beam, he proceeded to hang the victim followed by his escape out the window. One swing from an axe, for example, leaving a hole that would create enough stress on the door from the water to blast it and part of the wall away. Clean up the mess and the deed is done.

And I imagine the man was strangled? Probably with a rope, leaving the same markings a hanging would. Thats why there's no sign of struggle.

I suppose it could have been done without going through the window if you were to dive down and bust it out, but with all practicality, the suspect would probably have been sucked in and shot out because of how fast the water would drain.