The 'Liquid Matthew Murder' Mystery Started As A Church Game

The 'Liquid Matthew Murder' Mystery Started As A Church Game

In 1983, the body of Francisco Patino Gutierrez was found on a street in Hialeah, Florida. Nearby, a plastic bag was found taped to the back of a dumpster. Inside was a cryptic riddle. In context, investigators found the note and accompanying riddle as particularly puzzling:

Once you’re back on the track you’ll travel in night. So prepare your old self for a terrible fright. ... Now the motive is clear and the victim is, too. You’ve got all the answers. Just follow the clues.

The case became known as the “Liquid Matthew Murder” thanks to a subsequent riddle clue that was located by police shortly after. The mystery vexed the police for weeks until they released the notes in the local paper.

It was then that authorities discovered that the note was written for a church’s murder mystery game a month prior to the murder. Thanks to a rainstorm the night of the game, the notes hadn’t been collected, and so they were still up when Gutierrez's body was recovered. Investigators later attributed his passing to gang-related activities.

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