Case Reference: GM–FIR–002
Report by: Insp. Tomas Reed
Rank: City Watch, Foundry Ward Detail
Assigned Under: Senior Investigator (Protagonist)
Date: 3rd Day of Ashwane, 7:15 a.m.
Primary Location: Grimshank’s Meats – Main Shop, Killing Room, Animal Storage House
Secondary Locations: Grimshank’s Meats Garbage Zone, Iron Loom Complex Security Shed
Incident Classification: Mass Food Poisoning / Unlawful Sale of Contaminated Goods / Multiple Fatalities
Between the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. on the 2nd Day of Ashwane, Foundry Ward Watch received twelve separate reports of acute illness following consumption of meat purchased from Grimshank’s Meats, a licensed butcher servicing the Boiler Rows and surrounding labor districts.
Three fatalities were confirmed within twenty-four hours. Additional cases were treated at Saint Brigid’s Hospital and various unofficial care sites.
At 5:10 a.m., following confirmation of a common source, Garron Grimshank, proprietor, was detained without resistance. The premises were sealed pending investigation.
The shop is narrow, dimly lit, and heavily trafficked. Wooden counters are scarred with years of cuts and scrapes. Hooks line the walls, some empty, others bearing wrapped cuts of meat of indeterminate origin. The air is thick with salt, old blood, and animal fat.
No overt attempt at concealment was evident. The shop presented as it always had: functional, unsanitary, and tolerated due to necessity.
Customers had continued to purchase meat until Watch intervention.
Located behind the shop, separated by a warped wooden door. The room contains a central butchering block, cleavers, saws, and drainage channels leading toward the rear waste chute.
The floor is permanently stained dark. Sawdust had been recently spread, partially masking fresher discolorations. No signs of unusual struggle or recent cleaning beyond routine practices.
The space is designed for efficiency, not inspection.
A cramped annex housing live livestock and carcasses awaiting processing. Poor ventilation. The smell here differs from the shop—hay, rot, animal waste, and a persistent coppery tang that does not fully dissipate.
Several carcasses showed advanced spoilage inconsistent with recent delivery schedules.
A rear dumping area used for offal and unusable remains. Heavily scavenged. Waste removal logs indicate irregular collection timing during the preceding week.
Early assumptions of bacterial contamination were revised following hospital autopsy reports and laboratory examination.
Doctors at Saint Brigid’s Hospital confirm the following:
Cause of death in all three fatalities: acute poisoning
Toxins identified were organic, protein-based, and resistant to standard cooking temperatures
Microscopic analysis revealed human cellular material intermingled with processed meat fibers
The conclusion is unavoidable:
The meat sold was contaminated with processed human remains.
This contamination was sufficient to cause systemic failure and death.
There is no evidence of ritualization, symbolic marking, or deliberate presentation. The contamination appears industrial in nature.
Deceased:
Jasek Holt – Shop helper (first casualty)
Bram Vetch – Retired rail clerk
[Third victim name redacted pending family notification]
Survivors:
Multiple laborers and residents of the Boiler Rows, including Linna Marr and Ressa Coaldrift
Role: Proprietor, Grimshank’s Meats
Status: In custody
Grimshank was informed of the findings. He displayed no visible shock, protest, or denial. When presented with the medical conclusion regarding human remains, he responded only:
“I sell what arrives.”
He has refused to elaborate further.
He denies:
Knowledge of the origin of the contaminated meat
Intent to harm
Responsibility beyond preparation and sale
He has not named suppliers, intermediaries, or routes.
Repeated questioning yielded no additional statements.
Delivery schedules to Grimshank’s Meats show disruption during the relevant period, attributed officially to rail delays.
Emergency substitutions were authorized through nonstandard channels.
Inspection stamps were present and valid.
No inspection officer is currently assigned direct responsibility.
The contaminated product entered circulation through approved systems.
No alarms were triggered prior to civilian deaths.
There is no evidence that Grimshank knowingly butchered or sold human flesh.
There is also no evidence that he questioned its source.
The contamination moved through logistical pathways designed to prevent scrutiny during shortage windows. Once delivered, responsibility transferred cleanly and completely.
The system functioned as intended.
This incident constitutes mass poisoning resulting in multiple deaths. While Grimshank bears legal responsibility for sale, the origin of the contamination lies upstream, within sanctioned supply and disposal networks.
The presence of human remains within foodstock suggests a failure—or redirection—of waste handling, body disposal, and distribution protocols.
Whether this constitutes negligence or design remains unresolved.
Grimshank did not scream.
He did not beg.
He did not confess.
He behaved like a man who understands that knowing more would only make things worse.
People died because meat was cheap, inspections were timely, and nothing unusual occurred on paper.
The city will record this as a crime.
The schedules will record it as a correction.
Respectfully submitted,
Inspector Tomas Reed
City Watch, Foundry Ward