Clues & Culprits › Archive › October 2026 › Oct 12, 2026 Medium
Oct 12, 2026 — Medium 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. Every verdict you enter is checked against all the scenarios that still fit the statements on file, so a move only sticks when it is proven.
The opening statement
Bruno the lion tamer starts the case already proven innocent:
My row has exactly one innocent.— Bruno, lion tamer (B1)
The lineup
Suspects stand in alphabetical order, left to right and top to bottom. Each belongs to one of Clues & Culprits’ twelve character classes — the badge on their nameplate. This case uses 6 of them, each cast as a role in the setting: acrobats, lion tamers, clowns, vets, safety inspectors, ushers. Clues about a role (“exactly one of the lion tamers”) count everyone in it.
| Seat | Suspect | Role in this case | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Arlo | acrobat | Courier |
| B1 | Bruno | lion tamer | Enforcer |
| C1 | Cora | clown | Artist |
| D1 | Dina | vet | Healer |
| A2 | Emil | safety inspector | Official |
| B2 | Frank | lion tamer | Enforcer |
| C2 | Greta | safety inspector | Official |
| D2 | Hattie | vet | Healer |
| A3 | Iris | clown | Artist |
| B3 | Juno | acrobat | Courier |
| C3 | Kofi | usher | Servant |
| D3 | Leo | acrobat | Courier |
| A4 | Mila | clown | Artist |
| B4 | Nora | lion tamer | Enforcer |
| C4 | Omar | safety inspector | Official |
| D4 | Petra | acrobat | Courier |
| A5 | Quentin | usher | Servant |
| B5 | Ruby | lion tamer | Enforcer |
| C5 | Sadie | usher | Servant |
| D5 | Tess | acrobat | Courier |
Stuck?
The in-game hint first points at the statement to re-read, then at the suspect you can prove, then shows the proof. For a gentler nudge, open the spoiler-free hints for Oct 12, 2026, or press Share to send a friend your exact board. New to the format? The deduction-puzzle guide covers the habits that unlock every step.
More cases
- Same day: Easy case · Hard case
- Previous Medium: Oct 11, 2026 — The Ambulance on Moorgate
- Next Medium: Oct 13, 2026 — Eight Small Holes
- Clue types in this case: Above, below, left and right · Row and column clues · Common-neighbor clues · Same-verdict and exactly-one clues
- All October 2026 cases · More cases in circuses · Meet the cast