Rockstar frequently depicts, and often parodies, the darkest recesses of humanity. Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar's Wild West epic, is no different, involving a shockingly violent storyline centered around a serial killer. One of Red Dead Redemption 2's earliest stranger missions, called American Dreams, starts when Arthur comes across a gruesome crime scene outside the town of Valentine. Though it can start by stumbling upon one of the other victims of the killer, this one is usually the easiest to find, being near to the Van der Linde camp, and begins Red Dead Redemption 2's disturbing serial killer saga.
Outside of Valentine, strung up in the supports for a railroad bridge, is a mutilated and dismembered corpse accompanied by the graffiti, "LOOK ON MY WORKS." If Arthur chooses to investigate, a piece of a map can be found stuffed in the victim's severed head, similar to other treasure maps found in Red Dead Redemption 2. Two other similar crime scenes must be found in order to finish the quest.
One of the other bodies is near Wallace Station, west of Valentine. This dismembered corpse has been tied to a boulder, with the head nearby on a smaller boulder. The scene is accompanied by another set of graffiti, which reads, "DO YOU SEE?" The final victim can be found east of RDR2's Braithwaite Manor, strung up in a tree next to the painted word, "BEHOLD." Finding the third head on the backside of the tree completes the map, which had to be pieced together with the scraps found at each crime scene. The following will contain spoilers as to the identity of Red Dead Redemption 2's serial killer.
Who Red Dead Redemption 2's Serial Killer Is
Piecing together the serial killer's map in Red Dead Redemption 2 leads Arthur to Lucky's Cabin, a derelict homestead southwest of Valentine not too far from the first crime scene. A hatch outside the destroyed cabin leads to a basement filled with skulls, notes, and more dismembered corpses - the killer's most recent victims, not yet displayed. Letters can also be found and read in the basement. One is to a man named Edmund from his mother, who is concerned about his recent behavior, and hears that Edmund has been leaving his residence in the middle of the night.
The other is addressed to the editor of a newspaper. The author of this letter lambasts the editor for "the paucity of coverage" concerning "the recent killings in the region." It goes on to say that the killer is "clearly a man of great intelligence, power, and no small amount of cunning," and advises the editor to begin treating "him and his creations with the reverence that they deserve." An odd request from a reader, indeed.
If the multiple corpses, skulls, and incriminating letters weren't evidence enough, Arthur Morgan is assaulted by the killer himself when he inspects a knife. Arthur manages to escape before he can become Edmund Lowry Jr.'s next victim, and turns the killer over to the Valentine sheriff. Solving the clues and confronting the killer is one of Red Dead Redemption 2's more memorable stranger missions, but the crime scenes and the killer's lair are some of the more stomach-turning sequences in the game.