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Report No: GT/RT-160825-012240530

Location: Zion Correctional Facility, Cecil County, Maryland

Agents:

• Cortez (Michael Moreno)
• Drummond (Alistair Russel Whitehead)
• McCarter (Connor Murphy)
• Monroe (Frank Mason)

Summary:

Working Group MASTICATE continues their investigation into the mass grave discovered at the former site of Cornucopia House children’s residential facility. The agents review disturbing security camera footage related to the recent murder of Kerry Houghton, a former caseworker responsible for monitoring Cornucopia House. They liaise with local law enforcement to gather additional evidence and plan their next steps.

Operation Report:

• Agents Cortez, Drummond, McCarter, and Monroe meet with Detective Sergeant Almudena Velazquez (Maryland State Police) and Deputy Michael Costa (Cecil County Sheriff’s Department) to review evidence.
• Velazquez provides security camera footage from Houghton’s apartment complex the night of her murder. The footage shows:
  • Three assailants, including Elle Gable, coordinate their arrival on foot.
  • Two male suspects wait by Houghton’s door while Gable faces the unit across the hall.
  • At midnight, Houghton exits with garbage and is immediately attacked and beaten unconscious by the men.
  • Gable enters Houghton’s apartment briefly, exiting with a keychain.
  • The men drag Houghton to a red 1997 Toyota Corolla. Gable opens the trunk with a key and they put Houghton inside.
  • The suspects flee in the Corolla within 60 seconds of the attack. Houghton’s door slowly closes after they leave.
  • A neighbor later disposes of Houghton’s garbage, making it appear she left trash outside.
• Fingerprints matching Elle Gable were found at the scene. Better prints from inside the apartment could identify the other suspects.
• Cortez verifies the footage is authentic using FBI tools. He believes clear facial images can be pulled for recognition software.
• McCarter recalls seeing the name “Elle” on an animal cage at Cornucopia House in 2001, connecting Gable to the facility.
• Velazquez reveals limited details of the original 2001 Cornucopia House investigation, expressing shock at the extent of remains currently being found.
• In 2007, the FBI inquired about a kidnapped child adopted from Cornucopia House after the agents’ 2001 operation.
• As the meeting ends, a rabid bat attacks the group. Animal control is called to handle it as potential evidence.
• The agents plan to provide vehicle information to the sheriff to track the assailants’ movements and investigate Houghton’s apartment.

Analysis and Recommendations:

• The brazen and coordinated nature of the attack on Kerry Houghton, conducted in full view of security cameras, suggests the assailants were confident they would evade capture. This may indicate high-level protection or support from an unknown entity. Investigate potential connections to corrupt law enforcement or government officials.
• Elle Gable’s apparent connection to Cornucopia House, both in the past and in the recent murder, raises questions about the true nature and scope of the facility’s operations. The surfacing of her name after 15 years implies a persistent and far-reaching conspiracy. Prioritize uncovering Gable’s background and any links to other Cornucopia House residents or staff.
• The 2007 FBI inquiry into a kidnapped child adopted from Cornucopia House points to ongoing criminal activity extending beyond the 2001 raid. This warrants a thorough review of adoption records and tracking of children who passed through the facility. Crosscheck any missing children reports against Cornucopia House residents.
• The sudden appearance of a rabid bat during the meeting with law enforcement is highly suspicious and may constitute a deliberate attack or warning. Conduct a full analysis of the animal once captured, searching for signs of unnatural tampering or enhancement. Increase security measures for all agents and maintain heightened vigilance against further unconventional threats.
• Agent Drummond’s reluctance to disclose full operational details to Detective Velazquez, while understandable, risks damaging a potentially valuable local partnership. Consider a limited information exchange to foster trust and cooperation, while still maintaining operational security. Monitor Velazquez closely for any signs of compromise or hidden allegiances.
• The resurfacing of the Cornucopia House case is taking a severe psychological toll on the agents, some of whom bear deep scars from the original 2001 operation. Provide enhanced mental health support and consider temporary leave or reduced duties for the most affected individuals. The assignment of additional personnel to Working Group MASTICATE may alleviate the burden and introduce fresh perspectives.

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Session Notes

• The players discuss a show where two actors try to rehearse a play during COVID, but end up bickering instead of actually rehearsing.
• Luke has been editing the episode where they first started using a new recording app. The raw recording quality is notably better but more variable. He plans to reprocess it with a different volume equalization algorithm.
• Luke reminds the group that some characters have had weird experiences with smells. Monroe smelled delicious barbecue, Drummond smelled a meatball parmesan sandwich, and McCarter hasn’t had any unusual smell experiences.
• Brian’s original goal was to not get bit by an animal, which he failed. His new goal is to not get obsessed with a food smell.
• The players discuss critical failures from watching a disturbing video, resulting in max mental damage. Drummond and Monroe lost 6 sanity each.
• McCarter projected onto a bond but did not repress insanity due to running low on bond points and willpower.
• Luke clarifies that willpower is regained after sleeping. Insomnia disorders can complicate this.
• The players discuss the rules for generating fellow Delta Green agents as bonds. It’s mostly a roleplay element to represent trauma bonding between teammates who’ve been through catastrophic events together.
• The Handler considers which past events qualified as severe enough stresses to potentially generate Delta Green bonds between the PCs. Drummond hitting his breaking point alone and McCarter’s seizure-inducing nightmare didn’t count.
• Drummond makes a roll to reduce his Charisma and bonds after a breakdown. His brother bond drops to 6, which Luke notes is about as good as Drummond’s transactional relationship with a suspicious FBI agent.
• Cortez got his paranoia disorder from the Moscow on the Chesapeake events where the whole group was together.
• The agents gained new bonds with each other due to the traumatic events at Cornucopia House, with Cortez gaining a bond with Steel Monroe. Cortez lost 1d4 points from another non-Delta Green bond as a result.
• In the previous session, the agents investigated the murder of Kerry Houghton. Monroe attended the autopsy while the others reviewed security camera footage showing 40 minutes of Houghton’s torture.
• The footage revealed three young assailants, around 20 years old, who brought Houghton to the site in her pajamas and used implements found there to torture her. One assailant, Elle Gable, left fingerprints. Another was an extremely thin white man. The third man never fully came into frame.
• The security camera took photos at the same time each day for three weeks, with some inconsistencies in the timestamps that Cortez finds suspicious.
• Cortez has an obsession with the old Delta Green and understanding what happened during the years it went dormant before being reformed.
• The agents take a break from reviewing the disturbing footage. It is now late afternoon.
• The agents meet with liaisons from local law enforcement - Detective Sergeant Almudena Velazquez from the Maryland State Police, a Latina woman around 40, and Deputy Michael Costa from the Cecil County Sheriff’s Department, a man in his early 30s with a thick mustache.
• Drummond approaches Detective Velazquez, who stands and acknowledges him as he gets close, glancing at his badge.
• Detective Sergeant Velasquez introduces herself to the agents and shakes their hands.
• Drummond stands on a chair to look down at Velasquez in a “power move”.
• Drummond says his specialty is intelligence gathering and analysis.
• Drummond asks Velasquez if she has seen the video of the murder. She saw it on VHS a few days ago but not the cleaned up digitized version from the FBI lab.
• Drummond asks if anyone has followed up on the whereabouts of the van seen off-camera in the video.
• Velasquez says they questioned Kim Sun-hoo about the Maryland State Penitentiary van and verified his alibi.
• There are no traffic cameras in the area to track the vehicle.
• Velasquez was processing victim Kerry Houghton’s apartment when the DOJ took over the investigation.
• Velasquez obtained security camera footage from Houghton’s apartment complex the night of the murder on a USB drive. She hands it to Drummond to review.
• Drummond introduces Cortez to Velasquez. They agree to go to the FBI trailer to review the apartment footage.
• McCarter overhears and insists on joining them to view the video as well, suspicious about being excluded.
• Monroe also decides to go with them to watch the footage.
• As they leave, Deputy Michael Costa from the Cecil County Sheriff’s department introduces himself as their local police liaison.
• The agents brush him off, saying they need to attend to important business. Costa lists the resources the local police can provide.
• The agents ask about any leads on the vehicle the attackers arrived in, but there is no information beyond headlights seen in the video.
• Velasquez says there are BOLOs out on Gable and the man identified in the murder video.
• Velasquez guides the agents through the video footage from August 17th and 18th, focusing on the cameras showing Kerry Houghton’s apartment door.
• The footage shows that Houghton does not enter or leave her apartment until her assailants arrive around midnight on the 17th/early morning of the 18th.
• At 12:09 AM on the 18th, Velasquez slows down the footage to show the assailants approaching Houghton’s door.
• Velasquez analyzes footage from other cameras to track how the assailants arrived at the apartment complex.
• Male assailant #1, described as a thin white man, is seen hopping over the front gate of the apartment complex to gain entry.
• The front gate appears to be a privacy gate meant to restrict access to the apartment complex from the street.
• Velasquez flags the relevant camera angles showing the first assailant’s approach for the agents to review.
• The agents had the FBI technicians leave the room before viewing the sensitive video evidence.
• Deputy Costa is disappointed and frustrated at being excluded from viewing the video, but is pacified when told Trooper Velasquez had already seen it against protocol.
• Detective Velasquez shows the agents security camera footage from the apartment complex where Kerry Houghton lived
• The footage shows the three suspects, including Elle Gable, arriving on foot from different directions at roughly the same time, indicating coordination
• The two male suspects wait by Houghton’s door while Gable faces the unit across the hall
• At midnight, Houghton exits her apartment with a garbage bag and is immediately attacked by the two men, who beat her unconscious
• Gable enters Houghton’s apartment briefly and exits with a keychain
• The men drag Houghton to a red 1997 Toyota Corolla in the parking lot
• Gable uses a key to open the trunk and they put Houghton inside
• The suspects drive away in the Corolla within about 60 seconds of Houghton exiting her apartment
• Houghton’s apartment door slowly swings closed about 30 seconds after the suspects leave
• A neighbor later throws Houghton’s garbage bag in a dumpster, making it appear she just left trash outside
• The suspects were not wearing gloves during the attack
• Fingerprints were lifted from the scene but only matched Elle Gable so far
• Better quality prints from inside the apartment could potentially identify the other suspects
• Velasquez is eager for the agents to investigate inside Houghton’s apartment
• Velazquez suggests using facial recognition software on the high-quality footage to identify the assailants. Cortez agrees it’s a good idea and believes he can pull clear enough images of their faces to run through the system.
• Cortez verifies the footage is authentic and unaltered using specialized FBI hardware. The cameras at the site are always running with a large buffer of past footage.
• The agents discuss the assailants’ brazenness in attacking in full view of the cameras, speculating they either didn’t care about being seen or knew they wouldn’t get caught.
• McCarter recalls seeing the name “Elle” on one of the animal cages at Cornucopia House 15 years ago, connecting Elle Gable to the facility. Cortez reveals they believe Gable was in the foster system there.
• Drummond maintains Velazquez doesn’t have a “need to know” about the agents’ full affiliations when she questions their credentials.
• The agents learn the two lead detectives on the original 2001 Cornucopia House case died under mysterious circumstances in subsequent years, making Velazquez the most senior remaining officer.
• Velazquez provides a verbal summary of the conclusions from the 2001 investigation. The agents press her on whether she was influenced from above to limit the investigation.
• Velazquez expresses shock at the extent of the remains currently being found, far outweighing what was suspected in 2001. The agents remind her she previously mentioned evidence of a pedophile ring “pipeline” connected to Cornucopia House.
• The agents continue questioning the woman, who reveals that in 2007 the FBI came asking about a kidnapped child who had been adopted from Cornucopia House after the agents’ operation there in 2001.
• The agents decide to head directly to the apartment, with Drummond giving the woman his business card with a burner phone number.
• As they prepare to leave, a rabid bat attacks the group. Drummond dodges out of the way, hiding behind Agent Vasquez. The agents discuss what to do with the bat, deciding to have animal control deal with it and verify if it has rabies.
• Inside, Cortez emphasizes that the bat is evidence, even if they don’t keep it. Drummond suggests getting the deputy sheriff to help with the investigation.
• The agents have high-quality photos of the perpetrators and the victim’s car, including the license plate. They plan to give this information to the sheriff to aid in tracking the vehicle’s movements, possibly through toll road records.
• The group discusses the disturbing nature of the case and its connections to their past operation at Cornucopia House. They reflect on the long-lasting trauma experienced by the characters in the universe they are creating.
• The session ends with plans to continue the investigation next week.

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