Brain Teasers
Snowy Bridge
Situation
Situation puzzles (sometimes called lateral thinking puzzles) are ones where you need to ask lots of yes or no questions to figure out what happened in the situation. These are good puzzles for groups where one person knows the puzzle and answers the questions.Situation
The bridge was covered with a fresh blanket of snow. Only one set of footprints led to the woman's body lying in the middle of the bridge. Mike, a detective, knew from the one set of footprints that this was suicide, yet he couldn't find the weapon used. Mike discovered powder burns on the dead woman's chest and a small chip out of the railing where the snow had been brushed away. The dead woman's footprints were all around this area. The only other clue was that 10 metres down, and directly below the chip of paint on the railing, was a hole in the ice. How did the woman manage to kill herself instantly, yet still dispose of the weapon?
Answer
Mike reasoned that the woman had a rope to which she secured a weight to one end and the gun to the other. She then dropped the weight over the bridge. When the woman shot herself, she automatically released the gun. As the weight fell, it pulled the gun which hit the railing, causing the small chip mark. The movement of the rope and gun explain why the snow was brushed away from the railing. The hole in the ice was caused by the falling weight.Hide Answer Show Answer
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