Frequently Asked Questions

To begin your investigation, click the Start Case button to view the case files from Day 1.

• After you’ve reviewed all the case documents for the current Investigation Day in the Evidence and Investigate tabs, the information from the next Investigation Day will become available.
• Use the Case Update tab to guide you through the case information
• Record your observations with the Case Notes notepad. [PRO]

Watch Learn how to investigate a case for more.

Whenever a potential suspect is introduced, they will be added to the Suspects tab.

• If and when you clear someone of suspicion, click their toggle button on the Suspects tab to change their status from Potential Suspect to Cleared of Suspicion.
• If new evidence changes your opinion, click the toggle again to change their status back to Potential Suspect.
• When you’ve narrowed it down to one suspect, you’re ready to make an arrest.

Create a free Crime Scene account to preserve your progress and resume your investigation later.

When you’re ready to solve the case, click the Arrest Suspect(s) button on the Suspect tab.

• If you’ve chosen the correct suspect(s), you’ll be able to view the solution.
• If you did not select the correct suspect(s), continue your investigation and try again.

Watch Learn how to solve a case for more.

We’ll feature a different case beginning on the first of each month. The countdown on the main page will tell you how long the wait for the next case is — and how much time you have left to solve the current one for free.

Visit My Cases to see how many cases you’ve started, how many you solved, and more.

Any case you’ve completed will have the word “Solved” overlaid on the case image.

For the case(s) you’re still working, you can see how much progress you’ve made on each of the cases you’ve started.

If you want to reset a case and start over from the beginning, go to My Cases, find the case you want to restart, and click the Delete button.

Then go to the current case or Open Cases and click Explore Case on the case you wish to restart.

Important: If the case you want to restart is no longer available in Open Cases, you will not be able to restart it after you delete it.

Visit My Account to view your subscription details and payment information, or to edit your password and account details.

Use our contact form to get technical support or to share your ideas and feedback.

Yoknapatawpha County was created and immortalized by the legendary William Faulkner. The fictional county includes Faulkner’s own hometown of Oxford, Mississippi, and surrounding areas.

We’ll let Mr. Faulkner himself explain.

• Solve the featured case plus everything in Open Cases.
• Use the notepad to record your thoughts and theories on each case
• Use the case search tool on each case
• Get a free PRO subscription code to share when you buy or renew a 1-year subscription
• Enjoy exclusive discounts in the Crime Scene store

1-day subscriptions renew automatically at the end of 24 hours.

1-month and 1-year subscriptions expire at the end of their terms.

Yes. 1-day subscribers will receive an email reminder a few hours before their subscriptions renew.

1-month and 1-year subscribers will receive an email reminder 3 days before their subscriptions expire.

Click My Case Notes in the bottom left corner of any case page, and enter your notes.

You have a fresh notepad for each case so your case information doesn’t overlap.

Enter the word or phrase you want to search for in the “Search this case” field below the Case Progress bar.

The further you’ve gotten in the case, the more results you’re likely to see in response to your search.

With a Crime Scene subscription, you and your students will be able to:

• see the solutions to all previous cases
• view subscriber-exclusive bonus material where available

As the teacher, you decide when to give your students the PRO access that comes with your class subscription.

When you have them sign up for their student accounts, they will be able to see the solution to the case you’re working on as well as all other solved Crime Scene cases.

Without PRO access, your students will be able to view all of the case documents except the solution.

• The one-year nonrecurring subscription includes detective-level access for up to 100 students.
• The 90-day nonrecurring subscription includes detective-level access for up to 35 students.

• Credit card
• PayPal
• Purchase order
  • To pay with a school purchase order, email it to store@crimescene.com

After you purchase your subscription, you’ll receive a coupon code along with a link where your students can sign up for their own Crime Scene user accounts.

Please note:

• Your students are automatically opted out of our email newsletter. They can sign up to receive the newsletter at any time if they wish.
• To protect user security, each student must create their own account. Student user accounts cannot be added in bulk.

On average, a case is comprised of between 60 and 95 documents, including police and evidence reports, interview transcripts, biographies, press articles, and more.

Use the Case Updates tab as a guide through the case. It provides a chronological summary of the investigation—no spoilers—with links to all of the case documents.