A diabolical killer prowls the Wild West in Red Dead Redemption 2 — and now, we’re not talking about Arthur, Dutch, or any of the Van der Linde gang. If you manage to locate some creepy murder scenes that randomly spawn on the map, you’ll be able to track down a serial killer and bring them some very brutal justice. It’s one of the spookiest side-stories in the game, and it all leads to a Stranger Mission, if you follow the clues and put the pieces together.
To locate the killer, you need to find three pieces of a map. Get all three pieces, and the map will take you to the killer’s location. They want to be found, and taunt you with each new clue. Once you find the location, a spook mission called “American Dreams” will begin, where Arthur can confront the killer.
It’s all totally optional and incredibly easy to miss. Here, I’ll explain where you need to look to find every murder scene, and where to track down the final killer’s location.
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How To Solve The Secret Murder Mystery Quest | Serial Killer Locations Guide
To begin your investigation, you need to locate three “Chance Encounter” murder scenes. These are unique encounters that appear while you explore the open-world. To find them, you need to check the following locations — murder scenes will only appear between 10PM-5AM at night.
To find clues, you must investigate the severed heads and remove the clue piece.
- Murder Scene #1: South of Valentine – Follow the rail lines south to a rocky bridge. The murder victim will appear under the tracks. Find the head in the bridge supports.
- Murder Scene #2: West of Shady Belle – Explore the area west of your Shady Belle camp, or south of Rhodes to find a victim hanging from a very large tree. Find it just under the second “S” in “Scarlett Meadows” on your map. The head with the clue is behind the tree.
- Murder Scene #3: Southwest of Wallace Station – Travel southwest from Wallace Station in West Elizabeth to find a large rock on the hills with a violent murder scene.
The three clue pieces point to the killer’s location — find the stranger mission southwest of Valentine, at Lucky’s Cabin. The basement door is locked — look at the clue pieces to get the combination.
Investigate the disgusting underground of the killer’s cabin, and take a closer look at the knife in the back of the room. A cutscene will begin, and after that you’ll be able to capture the killer. Hog-tie them and take the killer to the Valentine Sheriff’s Office. Save the sheriff, and you’ll earn your reward and complete this spooky side-mission.