Mysteries in The Sims series

Multiple mysteries often involving certain Sims, households or lots can be found in The Sims series. These mysteries are commonly introduced through biographies and family or neighborhood descriptions, but can also be conceived through more subtle ways like a gravestone or a memory. Below is a list of the most prevalent mysteries and popular theories.

Bella's Disappearance
Bella Goth disappeared sometime in the 25 years between The Sims and The Sims 2. Her disappearance is never fully explained but there are many clues throughout the series. Bella is said to have last been seen at Don Lothario's home. The Caliente sisters arrived in Pleasantview shortly before her disappearance. Many believe she was abducted by aliens and taken to Strangetown and never returned home. This theory is consistent with The Sims 2 (PSP) where Bella claims that she is running away because she was abducted by aliens.

In The Sims 2, a Bella Goth can be found as a townie in Strangetown. In The Sims 3, there is a Bella Goth as ghost in Lunar Lakes, one of the downloadable neighborhoods, suggesting that Bella eventually died of Old Age in outer space. However, the legitimacy of both versions has been questioned by many players since they don't look like the original Bella from Pleasantview. One of the SimGurus stated that Bella indeed taveled to Lunar Lakes (possibly through alien abduction) and is buried there.

There are many easter eggs referencing Bella's disappearance throughout the series. In The Sims 2, a "missing persons" photo of Bella Goth can be seen on the milk carton when Sims make cereal. A woman, who strongly resembles Bella, can be seen with a man in a striped suit in a hot air balloon in any neighborhood it is placed. When the "Bella Squared" portrait is placed in Strangetown, Bella Goth will eventually show up.

In The Sims 3, Sims with the Good trait can donate to the "Bella Beneficiary". A book called "Where's Bella?" in the Sim's bookcase. A common theory is that this is The Sims equivalent of "Where's Waldo?" (or, in the UK, "Where's Wally?"). There is also a book titled "Murder in Pleasantview" by Alexander Goth (though it could not be the as-yet-unborn Alexander from The Sims 2 unless time travel is involved) hinting at a more sinister explanation for Bella's disappearance. If a Private Investigator is snooping for clues, they will remark, "This reminds me of when Bella went missing... I need to keep looking."

It is possible to reunite Bella Goth with the rest of her family in The Sims 2.

Is Olive a Murderer?
There are 21 Sims who died on Olive Specter's lot, 13 Dead End Lane, and are buried in her garden. They range from NPCs to relatives, neighbours, and her many lovers and husbands. Many of them have death-related names: Earl E. DeMise (early demise), Tim Lee DeMise (timely demise), Rigger Mortis (Rigor mortis causes the muscles in the body to become rigid.), Hugh Thanasia (Euthanasia is the practice of intentionally ending a life to relieve pain and suffering.), and Ichabod Specter (Specter is another term for ghost.).

According to her biography, Olive will stop at nothing to get what she wants and spends her time sharpening sticks and excavating her yard. Her memories indicate that she may have fallen in love with the Grim Reaper and killed Sims so that she could see him more often. Olive may have also killed some Sims out of anger or revenge. Lyla Grunt, the ex-wife of Buzz Grunt, whom she dislikes, is buried in her backyard, and Earl E. DeMise died shortly after leaving her at the altar. There is also much speculation that Nervous Subject is her son from a romantic encounter with the Grim Reaper. Olive did WooHoo with the Grim Reaper after she became an elder and gave birth to her son. This is usually not possible in the game.

In The Sims 3, Olive and Nervous appear in Midnight Hollow. The family description seems to confirm her romance with the Grim Reaper but not the alleged murders. However, in the backstory for the town Olive complains about the unjust rumors about her.

Skip Broke's Death
Skip Broke is said to have died in a "suspicious pool ladder accident". The pool in the backyard of 55 Woodland Drive, where Skip drowned, is very small and doesn't have a ladder.

In The Sims 2, Sims couldn't get out of the pool without a ladder. Many players would intentionally drown their Sims by removing the ladders while Sims were swimming in the pool. It's possible Skip's death is a reference to this popular practice to quickly get rid of unwanted Sims.

Skip can be resurrected even though he doesn't have a grave.

The Tricou Family
The Tricou Family is the mysterious family who resided in the House of Fallen Trees. They are one of the few matrilineal families with Jennicor as the head of the family. Together with her husband Jon Smith, she has two adult daughters, Jennail, who was married to Kvornan, and Nylissit, who was married to Kiernan.

All the adults in the family died of starvation and are buried in the Gothier Green Lawns graveyard. The grandchildren Fricorith and Gvaudoin died in a fire and are buried in the garden of their former home. The new owner of the house, Rainelle Neengia, is also buried there. She was likely scared to death by the ghosts of the two teenagers. Whether this was intentional or not is unknown. However, it is possible that they wanted to scare her away from their house.

A statue of The Gray Woman of SimCity can be found in the backyard of the house and at the graveyard. She is said to have died in a fire and watches over all babies and toddlers from beyond the grave which is why they cannot be harmed by fire. However, Fricorith and Gvaudoin were teenagers when they died in a fire.

In addition to the ghosts, the house also experiences strange haunting effects during the night. There is a big cellar below the house that is empty apart from two coffins. Jennicor's pointed elf-like ears and the vaguely gothic makeup and default fashion choices of the Tricou family are also hints that they may have been (or may have been designed to be) part of a vampire clan.

Jon Smith has six descendants, all of who are Downtownies. They can be made playable and resurrect their father who can then resurrect the rest of his family.

The Landgraab Family Fortune
The mystery surrounding the Landgraab family's fortune is first mentioned on a chance card of the Adventurer career in The Sims 2: Seasons:

"Around the turn of the century, Gregory Landgraab suddenly came into a great deal of money and became one of the wealthiest landowners around. This was never explained, though many theories suggest foul play."

When the player's Sim then questions Spencer Oswald, the Landgraab's accountant, he claims that the Landgraabs are honest now, but he admits that it wasn't always so. He then tells "a tale of love, intrigue, and illegal land dealings".

Even one of the earliest known ancestors of the Landgraab family, the infamous Admiral Landgraab, was known for "mercantile ventures, gunboat diplomacy and inevitable treaty breaking that became synonymous with the Landgraab family to this day". The name Landgraab is also a reference to the illegal activity of "land grabbing".

It can't be known for certain how the Landgraab family made their fortune but throughout the series it mentioned that they took control of all the land through sheer force and bribery and that Malcolm Landgraab is involved in some tax shelter schemes.

Don in Riverview
Even though The Sims 3 is set years before the events of previous games, Don Lothario appears in Riverview. His family bio states that he woke up one morning in a whole new world after stepping onto a teleporter and that he remembers several women laughing, then nothing else until he found himself there.

Don's personal bio references his story from The Sims 2 stating that he was facing a big choice between marriage to Cassandra Goth and continuing to be a man about town. It's also implied that the teleportation was not an accident.

A popular theory is that the laughing women are (some of) his lovers. They may have teleported Don back in time from Pleasantview to Riverview using a teleportation pad or Time Machine.

Don appears on a lot with an old granary, abandoned for years and waiting for nature to demolish it. There is a scarecrow that vaguely resembles him close to where he's teleported. It's also wearing an orange shirt and blue jeans.

Strange Deaths in Twinbrook
Many of the deceased Sims in Twinbrook died under mysterious circumstances. They all have pale green skin, grey hair and walk barefoot. Some of them are buried on the Ivy Hill Graveyard but many are buried elsewhere. Steward Curious is notable for being the only pre-made Sim to have died by Meteor. He is an ancestor of the Curious family who have an unusual interest in aliens.

The twin sisters Lacy and Macy were married to Juan Darer and Harwood Clay respectively. Both of the died as young adults in a fire, that may or may not have been caused by one of Juan's many inventions. Lacy is buried in Juan's Pick'n Pull junkyard and Macy's gravestone is outside the Cleanesque Laundromat.

Pixie Carlton died of electrocution and her urn can be found in the home of the Racket family, which led some players to speculate that Pixie was in fact murdered by the Rackets who are criminals. Some believe that she is Sofia Carlton's mother or older sister. It is stated that nobody knows where Sofia's wealth came from, so it is possible that she inherited it from Pixie. It is also possible that Bill Racket, who's Lifetime Wish is to become a Gold Digger, killed Pixie in order to steal the inheritance from Sofia.

Who is Lolita Goth?
Lolita Goth is a member of the Goth family in The Sims 3, but she doesn't appear in any other games. She died as a young adult and is therefore the only Sim in the Goth family's cemetery that did not die of old age.

Lolita's ghost indicates that she died by electrocution. Interestingly, there are hardly ever any electrical items in the Goth home. It is possible that her death is the reason the old-fashioned family is suspicious of electricity and therefore doesn't own any electronic devices despite their wealth.

There have been many theories among players about how Lolita is related to the Goth family. Some think that she may be Gunther Goth's first wife and true love. When Gunther's sister Frida didn't appear in the base game, others have speculated that Lolita could be a replacement for her. However, Frida returned in Moonlight Falls.

The Sims 3: Supernatural also introduced Samuel Goth, Gunther and Frida's eccentric uncle, who married Olivia, a woman much younger and poorer than he. They are both technophobes and have the same favorites as Lolita which means that she may be their daughter who went to live with her relatives in Sunset Valley after her parents died. It is also possible that her relation to the family is even more distant.

The Remington Family
Hannah and Aiden Jones inherited the Remington Estate in Riverview. The house is large and comfortable with much more furniture than they really need, and it is the ideal place to raise children. What they did not know is that the house is haunted by her uncle's family.

The entire Remington family died untimely deaths. Jasper died by electrocution. His wife Eileen died from starvation, his son Cody died in a fire, and his daughter Kirsten died by drowning. Lydia Remington, Hannah's mother and Jason's sister, met the same destiny. Hannah is the only member of her family who is still alive but her new home is haunted by their restless ghosts.

The Fire at the Von Haunt Estate
The Von Haunt Estate is a historic mansion in Windenburg that was restored after a fire in which its owners, Lord Bernard Escargot Shallot IV and Lady Mimsy Alcorn Shallot perished. Their ghosts still haunt the estate and its gardens. After a regrettable incident dubbed the "honeymoon of horror", no living person should sleep in the Von Haunt Estate.

The Late Lord Shallot was a troubled artist, who would often burn his paintings. It's said he accidently started the deadly blaze of 1898 by hurling an oversized water colour into the fireplace. However, the exact cause of the fire is still a mystery.

The Sugar Skulls and The Chupacabra
To complete the Day of The Dead challenge, a Sim must find 10 Sugar Skulls and put them on a shelf. Each one has a description, that when put together, say this:

''Oasis Springs residents were reporting sightings of a mysterious creature. Descriptions claimed it was the size of a hog, with the skin of a rat, and spines along its back from head to tail. As complaints mounted, ten intrepid adventurers set across the desert in search of the beast. Members of the group reported a sense of unease at night, with the distinct impression they were being watched. During the eighth night, the group awoke to screams in the distance, someone had disappeared from their tent. At dawn, two members agreed to remain behind in the hopes their lost teammate would return. They were never heard from again. With hope dwindling, the remaining members of the group split up upon discovering diverging tracks in the sand. Half the team descended into a long abandoned mine tunnel. It would be their last glimpse of sunlight as they lowered themselves into the depths. The other half explored a nearby canyon. Some say the river there simple swept away. Others say they were taken. A lone survivor stumbled back into town. She was the first member of the team that had disappeared, desert madness had overtaken her. She could only repeatedly mutter one name... El Chupacabra!''

StrangerVille
The mystery of StrangerVille is central to the game pack of the same name. As soon as a Sim enters the town, the player will notice some strange stuff going on such as bizarre plants growing everywhere and possessed Sims wandering around.

In order to find out more, the player's Sim has to talk about StrangerVille to locals, military personnel, scientists, and conspiracy theorists around town.

After examining the secret lab, the player's Sim has to gather enough evidence to compile a secret dossier which will allow them to obtain a key card that can open the sealed door in the secret lab. Opening the door will release spores into the air.

The play then has to assemble a hazmat suit to protect their Sim and enable them to traverse to the deepest part of the secret lab where they mystery of StrangerVille will be revealed.