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Mystery 3:
The Case of Hiker Heather Hensley
In the remote forests of Alaska, a student research trip is about to take an unexpected turn. Heather Hensley, a quiet biology student and skilled photographer, sets out with her team to study the region’s unique plant life, but somewhere between the towering pines and the sheer cliff edges, events unfold that no one is willing to fully explain. The weather is unpredictable; the terrain is treacherous, and each account from the group seems to hide as much as it reveals.
As investigators piece together the timeline, fragments of Heather’s disappearance emerge: heated arguments, unexpected encounters in the wilderness, and the unsettling presence of a legend. The evidence includes carefully preserved belongings and strange tracks, with each clue pointing toward a mystery far more complex. The suspects are few, but the Alaskan backcountry holds secrets that won’t give themselves up easily.
Over the course of six to nine weeks, you will navigate the investigation in a dual-timeline format, alternating between present-day interrogations and flashback scenes. You will examine forensic evidence, study wilderness tracking methods, and analyze biological samples to separate fact from fiction. Each clue will bring you closer to uncovering what really happened on the remote cliffside and to writing the conclusion only you can determine.
Each week, students will:
- Read a new chapter in the unfolding investigation
- Analyze real-world forensic evidence (DNA testing, hair and fiber analysis, ecological tracking, and more)
- Examine suspect profiles and interview transcripts
- Explore forensic biology techniques and environmental science
- Write their own conclusion to the case
Credits Earned: Forensic Science with Lab, English/Creative Writing, and Applied Critical Thinking
Format: Available in Solo Student and Group Editions, with a free Teacher’s Edition. The core program runs six weeks, with an Optional Part 2 for extended learning.
You'll be taken to a registration form first, and then sent to the checkout page.
Select the correct mystery or bundle you want to buy when prompted in the registration form.
Take a Deeper Dive into the Curriculum
The path is the same in both editions: each mystery unfolds over six to nine weeks with identical stories, labs, and evidence. The difference is in how students participate; the Solo Student Edition supports one student working individually, while the Group Edition is designed for siblings, co-ops, or classrooms working together.
How the Mysteries Work
Each mystery is divided into six core weekly sessions, with an Optional Part 2 that allows families to extend the experience through additional research, projects, or the Forensic Showcase. Each session is designed to run approximately two to three hours, plus personal writing time. If you need to shorten or split the sessions, you absolutely can. This engaging program includes everything you need to create a memorable and educational experience.
Each Week Follows This Pattern
Storyline
Every mystery begins with the unfolding storyline. Each chapter pulls students deeper into the case, introducing suspects, revealing fresh clues, and raising new questions, keeping the suspense alive and the detectives guessing until the very end.
Team Collaboration Talking Points or Think Like a Detective
In each mystery, students pause after the story segment to process what has just happened. In the Group Edition, they work together using Team Collaboration Talking Points to spark discussion and analyze clues as a team. In the Solo Edition, students use Think Like a Detective prompts to reflect individually, guiding them to consider new evidence, motives, and theories. Both formats serve the same purpose, helping students think critically and step into the role of a detective.
Evidence Review & Crime Board Setup
The evidence folder contains that session’s forensic materials, photos, handwritten notes, maps, reports, and more. These documents are meant to feel like real case files landing on a detective’s desk. Students examine each piece as they collaborate and build their theory.
To bring the mystery to life, we recommend setting up a bulletin board where students can visually track the case. These become their detective “command centers,” ideal for pinning evidence, marking timelines, sketching out theories, and connecting ideas.
Lab Time
Every mystery includes themed science experiments tied to that week’s developments. In The Case of Hiker Heather Hensley, labs focus on forensic biology and environmental evidence, exploring how plant life, soil, and natural materials can help tell the story of what happened in the wilderness. Each experiment connects directly to the week’s clues and builds your student’s skills in observation, documentation, and analysis.
Each lab comes with a Student Lab Worksheet, which includes:
- A brief explanation of the lab project
- A section for notes, drawings, or charts
- A checklist to reflect on what they did
- One or more meaningful questions to connect science to the mystery
Take a Deeper Dive Videos (Optional)
For students who want to delve further, each mystery includes optional "Take a Deeper Dive Videos". These brief clips bring science, history, and forensic techniques to life, helping students make real-world connections to the case they’re investigating. They’re entirely optional, but they enrich the experience for curious learners who enjoy exploring beyond the mystery itself.
Field Notes: Wilderness and Risks
The Case of Hiker Heather Hensley includes a series of Field Notes, bonus research and thinking activities that expand the mystery beyond the immediate evidence and into the broader realities of the natural world.
Through these Field Notes, students explore how people navigate wilderness environments from multiple perspectives. They examine real-world search and rescue operations, survival decision-making, and the risks of solo research in remote regions. They also investigate how tracking knowledge, ecological science, and careful observation shape how movement and behavior are interpreted in the wild.
They also investigate how tracking knowledge, ecological science, and careful observation shape how movement and behavior are interpreted in the wild.
Some Field Notes invite students to study wildlife and ecosystems connected to the mystery, while others ask them to consider how science and cultural understanding can offer different explanations for the same landscape or event. Together, these activities encourage students to think critically about evidence, the environment, uncertainty, and human interpretation.
Field Notes are designed as enrichment and are especially engaging for students who:
- Enjoy outdoor, wilderness, or survival topics
- Are curious about ecology, wildlife, and environmental science
- Like exploring how science, culture, and experience intersect
- Prefer thoughtful research and scenario-based problem-solving
While optional, the Field Notes add depth, realism, and thematic richness to the mystery, helping students better understand the environment, risks, and unanswered questions surrounding Heather’s disappearance.
Forensic Focus Questions (FFQ)
These research-driven questions prompt students to delve beyond the mystery itself, connecting real-world science and forensic techniques to the unfolding case before them. Each question challenges them to think like investigators, drawing connections between fact and fiction.
Writing Assignments
This is an English course like no other. Each mystery unfolds over the six weeks as students step into the roles of both investigator and storyteller. By the end, every student will have written their own complete crime tale, filled with clues, motives, and twists, using the provided suspects and evidence.
The first mystery, The Case of the Missing Mona Leah, begins in Week 1 with a shocking discovery: the Mona Leah painting is missing, and five suspects are revealed. Each following week deepens the investigation as new evidence is analyzed and motives explored, inspiring the next chapter.
Students must include all five suspects and reference each piece of evidence, but beyond that, the direction is theirs to choose. Some will write as detectives solving the case, while others will write as curators, guards, or even thieves. Every voice is unique, and the stories often surprise with dramatic reveals and clever twists.
Even reluctant writers find success. The mysteries provide built-in characters, suspects, and clues, so students never face the stress of a blank page. Each week gives clear direction, introducing a scene, adding a clue, or developing a motive, so they keep writing without feeling overwhelmed. Some students work best by staying close to our original storyline, retelling scenes in their own words, or making small adjustments along the way. That’s perfectly fine. By Week 6, even these gradual steps will have shaped a unique version of the case, complete with their chosen culprit. The structure builds confidence while leaving room for creativity, and hesitant writers often surprise themselves by not only finishing the project but also enjoying it and realizing they’re capable of far more than they imagined.
Optional Part 2: Forensic Science Showcase
The Forensic Science Showcase is the capstone project for this course, appearing in all four mysteries.
For states requiring additional hours, or for students wanting a greater challenge, each mystery also includes optional My Research and My Forensic Lab projects. These can be paired with the Showcase or completed separately to extend learning.
The Showcase invites students to present their theories, explain how science informed their conclusions, and reflect on their stories, blending forensic evidence, critical thinking, and creative writing.
Print Center
In the Print Center, you’ll find exactly what students need each week:
- Evidence File materials to track suspects, evidence, and clues
- Lab Worksheets for hands-on forensic activities
- Table of Contents Checklist for students to mark progress as they move through the case
Everything is organized so that you only need to print specific pages for the week, saving you time and money, and no more endless printing.
Most Important of All...
Have fun with it. This isn’t a scripted curriculum. It’s a flexible mystery adventure, and you’re the guide. You get to decide how immersive, suspenseful, or scientific you want to be.
Encourage your students to think deeply, be curious, follow the evidence, and build a story they’ll remember!
You'll be taken to a registration form first, and then sent to the checkout page.
Select the correct mystery or bundle you want to buy when prompted in the registration form.