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Solving Hitman 3’s Dartmoor Murder Mystery

Solving Hitman 3’s Dartmoor Murder Mystery

While the methods for completing missions in the Hitman series is near limitless, the objective is almost always the same.  Agent 47 has to use his stealth skills to snuff out an enemy.  Sneak around an environment, spot your target, and take them down without alerting anyone else in the area.  There’s plenty of that to be found in Hitman 3, but the game’s developers also snuck in a mission unlike any other.

Hitman 3’s Dartmoor mission asks players to pocket their garrote and don a deerstalker hat for a bit of a murder mystery.  Agent 47 is tasked with figuring out how Zachary Carlisle met his untimely end.  While Agent 47’s usual skills may come in handy during the investigation, the discovery of clues and evidence is where the real meat of the mission is.  If you’re having a bit of trouble with the whodunit, our step-by-step guide will have you feeling as sleuthy as Sherlock in no time.

Step 1: Look the Part

If you want to play the role of a detective, you have to look the part.  You won’t be able to take on the murder mystery unless you get the right duds.  Lucky for you, there’s already a detective on the case.


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Put Agent 47’s particular set of skills to use in order to sneak your way into Thornbridge Manor, and then be on the lookout for Phineas Witmer.  He’s the detective put in charge of the investigation, which means he’s wearing the outfit you need.  You won’t be able to walk around the Manor freely unless you’re dressed in detective garb, so hunt down Witmer as soon as possible and subdue him as you see fit.  Once his body is stashed away, you can put on his clothes and officially start the investigation.

Step 2: Let the Investigation Begin!

Once you’ve fully assumed the role of Mr. Witmer, it’s time to get to work.  Meet up with Alexa Carlisle in the Manor, who clearly has no idea what the real Mr. Witmer looks like.  After a bit of banter with Carlisle, she’ll take you to the scene of the crime; Zachary’s bedroom.  This location is an absolute wealth of clues for Agent 47 to sift through, and you have to find them all if you want the next phase of the investigation to trigger.  All in all, here’s what you’ll need to do.

  • Read Zachary’s suicide note
  • Investigate the glass on the nightstand
  • Investigate the laptop
  • Investigate Zachary’s body
  • Pull the book on the bookshelf to reveal a hidden passage
  • Collect the floor plan inside the hidden passage

After all of these steps are completed, you’ll be asked to speak with Mr. Fernsby, the Manor’s butler.  This is where things get really interesting.

Step 3: Make Your Case

At this point in the investigation, your options really open up.  From here on out, it’s possible to accuse Fernsby of murder, rule the death a suicide, or name Emma Carlisle, the daughter-in-law and niece of Alexa Carlisle, as the killer.  We won’t spoil which one is the correct answer, but doing a bit more legwork will no doubt reveal evidence that rules out two of the options mentioned.  Once you’ve made your choice for which one you want to accuse, here’s how to wrap things up.

Fernsby Did It

If you want to peg Mr. Fernsby as the murderer, you’ll have to gain access to his office on the ground floor.  While in the office, hunt down Zachary’s Half-Burnt Diary and the Lethal Poison Pill Jar, and that’s all you’ll need.  Make your way to Mr. Fernsby himself for a quick chat, and then you’ll be brought to Alexa.  This is where you can accuse Mr. Fernsby of committing the murder.

Zachary Did It

If you think Zachary caused his own death, you’ll have to make your way to Emma and Gregory’s room on the first floor.  Once you’ve snuck your way inside, collect the Walking Cane, which can be used to open up secret doors in Thornbridge Manor. From here, head to the north-east corner of the first floor library to open up one of these secret rooms, which hides Montgomery’s Long Lost Letter.  Take that letter to Alexa by way of Mr. Fernsby and consider the case closed.

Emma Did It

If you want to name the Emma as the culprit, you’ll need to do a bit more work.  It all starts with grabbing the Mansion Master Key from Fernsby’s office, and then unlocking Emma and Gregory’s room.  When inside, you’ll have to complete the following tasks.

  • Pick up the Walking Cane
  • Pick up the Greenhouse Keychain
  • Pick Up the letter from Emma’s Mother
  • Investigate the muddy shoes

After taking care of those objectives, your next stop is the Greenhouse itself.  Find a way to get inside and then head over to the Distillation Kit.  This will net you one of two important clues, with the second being obtained by scanning a nearby book with your camera.

The final stop on your murder mystery tour is the Sitting Room on the ground floor.  Keep your eyes peeled for a set of muddy footprints that seem to be coming from the garden area.  Take out your camera and scan this clue as your final piece of evidence.  The only things left to do from here are talk to Emma inside the Sitting Room, have one last chat with Mr. Fernsby, and then tell Alexa of your findings.


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Kevin Cassidy has been covering all things Nintendo for over 15 years now and has been leading the weekly GoNintendo Podcast for just as long. Kevin is also quite passionate about pro wrestling, anime, comic books, and more! Follow Kevin on Twitter via @GoNintendoTweet.