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 troughout 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's 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 killer?
The garden behind Olive Specter's house is filled with dead people. They range from NPCs to her many husbands. Her memories show that she may have fallen in love with the Grim Reaper, and killed Sims so that she could see him more often. She may have also killed some Sims out of anger or revenge. 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. People believe that she is a murderer, as to the names that are given to her dead husbands, excluding Ichabod. The names given, are Earl E. DeMise (Early Demise), Rigger Mortis (Rigor mortis), and Hugh Thanasia (Euthanasia), which are all death-related.

Skip Broke's Death
Skip Broke is said to have died in a "suspicious pool ladder accident". However it is hinted that his death wasn't accidental, but premeditated by someone. Prior to The Sims 3, many players would intentionally drown their Sims by removing the ladders while sims were swimming in the pool, making them unable to get out, so they would eventually die as the Energy bar drops out entirely. It's possible Skip's death is a play on this popular practice to quickly get rid of unwanted Sims.

The Tricou Family
The Tricou Family is the mysterious family who resided at House of Fallen Trees. All of them are deceased except for the Teenage, DownTownie relatives of Jon Smith Tricou. All of them died of starvation, except Fricorith and Gvaudoin (Who died by satellite and fire, respectively). Coincidentally, The Gray Woman of SimCity also died from fire, and her statue was later placed in the backyard of the house. The house also experiences strange haunting effects during the night. Fricorith Tricou was buried in the town graveyard in Moonlight Falls, hinting that the Tricou Family has been dead for a long time, possibly before The Sims 3 timeline. A non-Tricou sim called Rainelle Neengia moved to the old House of Fallen Trees and died of fright shortly after she moved in. She is currently the last sim to live in the House of Fallen Trees. The children are buried in the backyard of the house, while the rest of the Tricou Family is buried in the Gothier Green Lawns graveyard.

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 they 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
Don Lothario appears in Riverview. His family bio states "Don woke up one morning in a whole new world. He remembers stepping onto a teleporter, several women laughing, then nothing else until he found himself here...". "Here" refers to an old granary, abandoned for years and waiting for nature to demolish it, that is, until Don showed up. Don's personal bio reads "Don Lothario was facing a big choice between marriage and continuing to be a man about town. Will his "accidental" teleportation to a new town change his old ways?" It's possible that the laughing women are (some of) his lovers, though that is unconfirmed. The marriage was highly likely to Cassandra Goth, as the two are engaged at the start of The Sims 2. However, that is also unconfirmed. It's also interesting to note that there are both teleportation pads and Time Machines in The Sims 3, and that Don looks like he did in The Sims 2, meaning that in the 50 years between the two games, a cross-over between the two may have been invented.

Who is Lolita Goth?
Lolita Goth is a member of the Goth family in The Sims 3. She doesn't appear at all in The Sims, or The Sims 2. It is assumed her grave was eventually lost or moved, as she probably wasn't a true Goth in the first place. Her ghost indicates that she died by electrocution; interestingly, there are few electrical items in the Goth's home, where she is buried and presumably lived in life. As she died a Young Adult, she could've been the first wife of Gunther Goth, or even Victor Goth. A theory suggested that Lolita is a replacement for Frida Goth as she didn't appear in The Sims and The Sims 3. Frida, however, returned in The Sims 3: Supernatural, hinting that Lolita has nothing to do with Frida. Some people have also put forward the theory that Lolita was Gunther's mistress, which is why Gunther and Cornelia have such a rocky relationship. But it could also be because Cornelia has the unflirty trait. Lolita and Gunther also have similar hair coloring, so it is possible they are related somehow, though this is not indicated in her family tree. One likely explanation is that Lolita is very distantly related to the Goths. Another interesting thing to note is that her grave is found in the Goth's garden, not the cemetery. This could indicate that Lolita's death may not have been an accident after all. Also if Lolita Goth was the first wife of Victor Goth she would not be Gunther's step-mother because Victor would marry Lolita before Gertle Goth which is probably why when Gunther or Mortimer talk to her ghost a family link doesn't pop up. Also she can't be Gunther's mistress because she has the Goth last name. Lolita could be Gunther and Frida Goths sister because her and Gunther both have red hair Actually making her Victors dead daughter. But she probably is the first wife if Victor because her everyday outfit is old-fashioned and if she has no relation to Gunther Or Mortimer.

The Remington Family
Hannah and Aiden Jones are currently living in a large house located in Riverview. The house is large and comfortable and has much more furniture than what they really need, and it is the ideal place to raise up many children. What they did not know is that the house is haunted by her uncle's family, who believed if he kept adding on to it, it would last forever. He did fulfill his wish but died painfully by electrocution. His family also died painfully—his wife starved, his son burnt to death, and his sister and daughter drowned—so this means they were very unlucky with destiny. What's very odd is that Lydia was buried not in the home, but in the cemetery. Hannah did not know about this, but how could she come to the house, if all of her family is dead? Was she invited by deceased people to live there? Does she want to live in a haunted place? How could these people be so rich?

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.