This week's case
THE WRECK OF THE BATAVIA
On June 4, 1629, the Dutch East India Company ship Batavia ran aground off Western Australia. More than 250 survivors reached the nearby islands.
Four days later, Commander Francisco Pelsaert left in a longboat with about 40 men to search for water. Unable to find any on the mainland, they continued north to Batavia, now Jakarta, to seek help.
In his absence, Under-Merchant Jeronimus Cornelisz took command and formed a faction among the survivors. He began eliminating those who might oppose his control. More than 120 survivors were eventually murdered.
How scoring works
Opening the case scores 4 points, and every call that matches the record scores that again.
A wrong call scores nothing — you keep what you have already earned.
A wrong call scores nothing — you keep what you have already earned.
The rate drops by one point for each day a case stays open, so the earliest investigations are worth the most.