Are you staring at a murder board full of scattered clues, wondering who actually killed Lord Arthur in the dusty manor? This complete investigation 1 walkthrough Mini Murder Mysteries guide gives you the exact sequence to find all evidence, weed out the red herrings, and correctly fill in the blanks. If you want to skip the guesswork and nail the solution on your first try, you are in the right place.
Released by solo developer BUNKWORKS on June 23, 2026, Mini Murder Mysteries is a cozy, Golden Idol-inspired deduction game that tests your lateral thinking. The game requires you to explore crime scenes, scrutinize witness statements, and collect special "Deduction Words" to build an ironclad conclusion. However, because you only need a handful of the 24 available words to solve each case, it is incredibly easy to get distracted by false leads. Here is exactly how to conquer the game's opening level.
The Setup: What Happened at Harrington Manor?
Investigation 1, titled "The Demise of Lord Harrington," introduces you to the core mechanics of the game. You are dropped into the Harrington Manor Study, where Lord Arthur Harrington has been found dead. There are three prime suspects: his wife Beatrice Harrington, his butler Thomas Vance, and his business partner Elias Thorne.
Your goal is to sift through the environment, read the witness statements, and extract the 24 Deduction Words hidden in the text and objects. Once you have enough information, you must open the murder board and construct a sentence that accurately describes the killer, the victim, the weapon, the method, and the motive.
Step-by-Step Investigation 1 Walkthrough Mini Murder Mysteries
To avoid running in circles, follow this optimal path through the crime scene. The game's UI allows you to click on highlighted words in documents and environmental descriptions to add them to your deduction inventory.
Phase 1: Sweeping the Crime Scene
Start by examining the body. Clicking on the victim's pockets will unlock the words "Arthur" and "Poison." The autopsy notes clearly state that the victim did not die of a physical wound, which immediately rules out the antique dagger on the wall as the murder weapon.
Next, move to the desk. Inspecting the torn letter hidden inside the drawer gives you the "Desk Ledger," "Debt," and "Elias." This establishes a clear financial motive. Finally, inspect the "Butler's Tray" resting on the side table. Examining the cups will yield "Tea" and "Thomas."
In this first case, you must scour the Harrington Manor Study to find all 24 possible terms. Key terms like "Arthur" and "Poison" are found directly on the body. Meanwhile, cross-referencing the "Desk Ledger" reveals the crucial "Debt" motive tied directly to "Elias". Don't forget to check the "Butler's Tray" to collect the "Tea" clue, which serves as the murder weapon's delivery method.
Phase 2: Interrogating the Suspects
Once you have swept the room, open the witness statement tab. You need to read between the lines:
- Beatrice Harrington claims she was asleep. Her statement yields the words "Beatrice" and "Jealousy."
- Thomas Vance claims he was washing dishes. His statement yields "Midnight" and "Blackmail."
- Elias Thorne claims he was outside getting fresh air. His statement yields "Garden" and "10:00 PM."
Phase 3: Finding the Contradictions
The "Harrington Manor Study" is a dense crime scene filled with interactive hotspots. The "Victim Arthur" is slumped over the desk, while "Spilled Tea" stains the rug nearby. In the corner, a "Burnt Will in Fireplace" ashes hints at a secondary motive, and the "Hidden Ledger" behind the bookshelf breaks the case wide open. Notice the "Muddy boots" near the entrance—they contradict a key suspect's alibi.
When interrogating the suspects, pay close attention to the timeline. "Elias claims he was in the garden" at "10:00 PM", but the "Muddy boots" found inside the study suggest otherwise. By placing "Elias" at the scene of the crime alongside "Arthur", his entire defense falls apart.
Evidence Checklist for Investigation 1 Walkthrough Mini Murder Mysteries
If you are a completionist who wants to find all 24 Deduction Words before solving the murder board, use this exact checklist:
- Arthur (Found on the victim's body)
- Beatrice (Found in the marriage certificate)
- Thomas (Found on the staff roster)
- Elias (Found in the torn letter)
- Poison (Found on the victim's lips)
- Dagger (Found on the wall display - Red Herring)
- Pistol (Found in the desk drawer - Red Herring)
- Strangled (Found in the medical book - Red Herring)
- Tea (Found on the Butler's Tray)
- Ledger (Found behind the bookshelf)
- Will (Found in the fireplace ashes)
- Safe (Found behind the painting)
- Fireplace (Found by inspecting the hearth)
- Clock (Found by inspecting the grandfather clock)
- Debt (Found inside the Ledger)
- Jealousy (Found in Beatrice's statement)
- Revenge (Found in Thomas's diary)
- Inheritance (Found on the burnt Will)
Breaking the Alibis: Fact vs. Fiction
To truly understand the solution, you have to sort the coincidental from the crucial. Here is how the suspects' claims stack up against the hard evidence:
| Suspect | Stated Alibi | Contradicting Evidence | True Motive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beatrice Harrington | Sleeping in the master bedroom | The "10:00 PM" grandfather clock chime | Inheritance (Red Herring) |
| Thomas Vance | Washing dishes in the kitchen | The unwashed "Tea" cups on the "Butler's Tray" | Blackmail (Red Herring) |
| Elias Thorne | Walking in the "Garden" | "Muddy boots" found inside the "Study" | "Debt" (Actual Motive) |
Elias owed Arthur a massive sum of money, as proven by the Ledger. He used the cover of his garden walk to slip back into the study with muddy boots, dropping the poison into Arthur's evening tea.
The Murder Board Solution in our Investigation 1 Walkthrough Mini Murder Mysteries
Once you have gathered the necessary words, open the murder board interface. You will see a fill-in-the-blank sentence summarizing the crime. Drag and drop the specific deduction words into the correct slots to lock in your answer.
The Final Solution: "[ Elias ] murdered [ Arthur ] using [ Poison ] in the [ Tea ] to hide their [ Debt ]."
Once you slot these five words into the board and hit submit, the "Case Closed" stamp will trigger, unlocking Investigation 2.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I unlock the safe in Investigation 1? You don't actually need a code. Inspecting the "Ledger" reveals that the safe was already forced open before the murder occurred, granting you the "Safe" deduction word without needing a combination.
Why can't I place "Dagger" on the murder board? The dagger is a deliberate red herring designed to test your reading comprehension. The autopsy report on the victim proves the cause of death was "Poison," specifically ingested via the "Tea."
Do I need all 24 deduction words to solve the case? No. Mini Murder Mysteries only requires you to place the correct handful of words on the final murder board to complete the case. Finding all 24 is strictly for completionists and Steam achievements.
Is there a penalty for guessing wrong on the murder board? No, the game does not penalize you for incorrect deductions. However, the satisfaction of the game comes from using lateral thinking to get it right on the first try.
Closing Thoughts
BUNKWORKS has crafted a brilliant opening level that perfectly teaches the game's mechanics without holding your hand too tightly. By following this investigation 1 walkthrough Mini Murder Mysteries players can breeze past the early hurdles and prepare their detective skills for the much harder cases ahead. Remember: read every document twice, ignore the obvious weapons, and always check the boots.
Sources
- BUNKWORKS Developer Updates & Steam Next Fest Demo Notes
- In-game evidence text and murder board mechanics from Mini Murder Mysteries (Released June 23, 2026)