Question Mark Town Roundup for the week of 8/21-8/27
Town Announcements
Missing boy update
To the public,
I wish I had better news. Never before in my 32 years as an officer of the law have I been confounded by such an event, personal or professional.
After six weeks of exhaustive searching for Quentin Quinn, 6, who has been missing since July 9, I am saddened to say I have little to report other than his backpack was recovered from an out-of-use pyrite mine on July 23. The backpack contained some of his personal effects.
With the FBI’s help, we examined the cave and found no other evidence other than a note, written in what appears to be Morse Code inside the boy’s backpack: .. / .... .- ...- . / .- / .--. .-.. .- -. / - --- / . ... -.-. .- .--. . / ..-. .-. --- -- / -- -.-- / -... .-. --- - .... . .-.
I am embarrassed to admit the whole case has left many of us completely confounded and questioning our abilities as police. But we remain steadfast in our search, even as we have resumed regular police duties.
Now, it has come to my attention that there is a fringe element that is suggesting otherworldly or supernatural elements are responsible for the boy’s disappearance. Let me put an end to that kind of talk right now: This is a disappearance of an entirely terrestrial nature. And remember: this is a boy whose parents are distraught, and public speculation as to the nature of his disappearance is unhelpful and unwelcome.
In addition to the boy—who really shouldn't have been exploring condemned structures in the first place—the Mr. Freeze-E Ice Cream cone is still missing, as is the Question Mark Foods sign, and the many other items, things, and domesticated animals that have been reported over the last many months. While some might see this as a failure of policework, we assure you that we are working diligently and carefully. After some staffing issues over the last three weeks, we are now back up to a full force again and simply ask the public to respect the badge and allow us to do our jobs.
Although six weeks have passed, we are committed to finding Quentin Quinn alive. Once again, we are relying on you, the ordinary citizen, to pass any information you may have on to us. Please contact QM Police at (740) 647-4807, ext. 1.
Posted by Gus Holt, Question Mark Chief of Police on August 21, 2023
Missing–an important historical document from the Question Mark Public Library
As many of you know, the Question Mark Public Library is honored to host town founder Reginald Willey’s archive, an indexed repository of his papers, published works, and correspondence.
As a citizen, business owner, and scholar, Mr. Willey’s impact on the town of Question Mark cannot be understated. And yet, we are disappointed to admit some unnamed patron saw fit to “borrow” several pages from his second biography, I Have Most Often Been Wrong. Completed near the very end of Willey’s life, these missing pages provide an invaluable insight into his complex mind, examining his interests in philanthropy, linguistics, and amateur clockwork.
In place of the missing pages, librarians found a very perplexing note: hs hr shld sn kdzqm sgd sqtsg zants sghr snvm.
As an institution founded on curiosity and an openness towards learning, we implore the overenthusiastic reader to please return these pages at once. No charges will be filed as long as the pages are returned intact. If you have any information, please phone (740) 693-2495 or email reference@questionmarklibrary.info.
Posted by Greta Twombley, Town Librarian on August 25, 2023
Read all our Town Announcements.
Community Notes
Attention school-age children and your caregivers: please be on-time and prepared to start a new year of personal growth and learning this morning.
I am very much looking forward to being your assistant principal at Question Mark High School this year. As many of you may or may not know, this is my first year as Assistant Principal. Formerly I was director of athletics and a physical education teacher in the town of Elyria. With this in mind, I'd like to share some definitions that might be helpful for us as we start this new school year.
The first definition is focus. A lot of you may be distracted starting the new school year which can be dangerous, especially during P.E. (can get hit with ball) or cause us to not make the right play on the field. This year we will train ourselves to pay attention in class and in P.E. to have better focus.
The second definition is also focus, but in this case, it is the feeling of trusting one's abilities and being in the moment and not worrying about the past or future. I'd like for you to think about this as we proceed forward with this year. Do you believe you can accomplish the task of becoming a better version of yourself? I hope so.
Go Fighting Question Marks!
Posted by Mr. Owen Brandt
QM High School Assistant Principal
Crime Reports
Please continue to distribute missing persons fliers to help notify the public about the disappearance of Quentin Quinn.
Read all our Crime Reports.
Upcoming Events
September 4, 2023
Labor Day Paper Airplane Race, sponsored by Willey Envelope. 1pm
Willey Way
September 9, 2023
Question Mark Punctuation Carnival. Saturday and Sunday, 10am-10pm.
Town Square
See all our Upcoming Events
Did You Know?
The first Question Mark Town School opened in 1857 in the storage room of the Willey Envelope Factory with a class of twelve students of various ages and subjects such as punctuation, glue-mixing, and field dressing.