Incognito- Seek and never be found

PEOPLE BEHIND THE SCENES Kimberly Givens is an alias for the team who worked on this project. The book is about the investigation of the case of Eileen Taylor and an infamous online game called “Incognito”.

Alekya Malladi Gesthimani Roumpani Yanrong Yang

CONTENTS PREFACE How this book came to be

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AUGMENTED VIRTUAL ASSISTANT AI in criminal investigation

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MISSING: EILEEN TAYLOR Who she is and what we know

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DOCUMENTING A CRIME SCENE Evidence and deductions

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THE PROBLEM WITH NOWHERE The gas station

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CONTRADICTING MEMORIES The Laundromat

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OBJECT IMPRINTED MEMORIES The totem

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MEMORY IN DIGITAL ERA Technological ambiguity

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MEMORY RETRIEVAL Speculations

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Acknowledgements

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PREFACE HOW THIS BOOK CAME TO BE

I. About authorship and interest in memory II. Where it all happened

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I. About authorship & interest in memory (an introduction by Alan Nighan) Inspired by Nellie Blye‘s hands-on approach to stories which developed into the practice we now know as investigative journalism, Kimberly Givens has been deeply invested in the influence of subjectivity, ambiguity, and corrupted data of memory recollection for criminal cases.

She has been working for the Imperial Valley Times since 2015. Her early pieces include popular cases she followed alongside the Police, such as the murder of Ralph Mondo (2016) and the robbery at the Hilton House (2020).

Kimberly Givens

PREFACE

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above: The murder of Ralph Mondo, 2016. left: Robbery at the Hilton House, 2020.

This book, presenting the case of missing Eileen Taylor (2023), is her most mature work yet. Unraveling the ways criminal investigations rely on memory as manifested through different forms of media, Kim walks us through the stages of Eileen’s story through the eyes of Police investigators. In the end, even readers themselves will wonder whether things they considered infallible memories are indeed true.

“The thing is, all memory is fiction.”

- Robert Goolrick

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II. Where it all happened: Bombay Beach, Salton Sea, CA

PREFACE

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above: Somewhere near Salton Sea, CA. left: 2nd street, Avenue G, Bombay Beach, CA.

In the 1950s and ‘60s, Bombay Beach was a thriving resort. Guests swam, water-skied, and golfed during the day, then headed to the yacht club to party into the night.

Now, Bombay Beach is a bleached, rusted, abandoned wasteland. The water smells of salt, petrol, and rotting fish.

The shores, once lined with sunbathers, are covered in green sludge and desiccated fish carcasses. It’s an apocalyptic landscape.

The ruins of Bombay Beach now attract many photographers and artists. The town is one of the lowest settlements in elevation in North America.

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Map marked with the gas stations nearest to where Eileen’s car was found.

PREFACE

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Map of Bombay Beach

Map of Durmid Courtesy: Department of Cartography

01 AUGMENTED VIRTUAL ASSISTANT AI IN POLICE INVESTIGATION

I. Who is AVA? II. Officer Cullen and AVA

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I. Who is AVA?

AVA (Augmented Virtual Assistant) is an Artificial Intelligence analyst developed by the State in 2020. The first criminal investigation in which the Police collaborated with AVA was the national High School admissions scandal in November 2020. AVA’s ability to run through data and rapidly extrapolate information, in conjunction with her speed in developing image classification algorithms, helped solve the case in just 6 days. It was calculated that without her, the case would be solved about 7 times slower.

bottom: Real-time visualization of AVA processing 2.5 quintillion bytes of data generated in one day.

CHAPTER 01

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top: The archive room of the High School admissions scandal was full of evidentiary paperwork in just 4 days.

The developers of AVA aimed at faster and less biased resolutions of complex cases. Alleviating much of the police officers’ cognitive labor would also allow them to approach cases in a more efficient manner, putting most of their energy in tasks requiring human contact.

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II. Officer Cullen and AVA bottom: The evidence room from the case of Eileen Taylor.

CHAPTER 01

For the investigation into the disappearance of Eileen Taylor, AVA collaborated with Officer Stephanie Cullen, of the Calipatria Police Department. Officer Cullen was deemed as an ideal candidate, due to her

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established interest in engaging with experimental technologies in numerous successful cases. In this type of investigation, success depends on the accuracy and balance between human, digital, and object-imprinted memories.

02 MISSING: EILEEN TAYLOR WHO SHE IS AND WHAT WE KNOW

I. Missing persons report II. Following an insidious game III. Incognito: Seek and never be found

a. How to play

b. Checkpoint totems

c. Speculations & disappearances

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I. Missing persons report

Eileen Taylor Born: July 1, 2002 (aged 21 at time of disappearance) Last Seen: Calipatria PEMEX gas station CCTV records, September 25, 2023 Resident of Bombay Beach, CA. She was reported missing by her mother on September 27, 2023. Her car was found three days later near the water, in an isolated area of Imperial Valley.

Eileen Taylor Picture clicked on August 17, 2023

CHAPTER 02

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Eileen’s residence in Bombay Beach, CA.

Niland, CA.

Eileen lived in Bombay Beach by herself, while her family lived in Durmid, 8.8 miles away. She was about to begin her studies at the Imperial Valley Community College before she went missing. According to her acquaintances, she was always into puzzle games and dark web riddles; she had previously solved numerous riddles for Cicada 3301.

Hence the Police were led to believe that another game, Incognito, might have abetted her disappearance.

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Eileen’s Bedroom in Bombay Beach, CA.

CHAPTER 02

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The Police noticed that Eileen’s last social media post, a picture of her in her bedroom, was dated a day before she went missing; September 25, 2023.

Examining her bedroom gave a series of clues and red herrings.

CHAPTER 02

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above: Eileen’s last instagram post before her disappearance.

left: Eileen’s desk window.

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II. Following an insidious game below: A recurring diamond shape was noticed in Eileen’s bedroom.

CHAPTER 02

One thing that became clear through various pointers in her room, was that Eileen seemed to have developed a recent obsession with an online game; Incognito. A billboard of the game was directly outside Eileen’s bedroom

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window, and she had also printed an email with the game’s logo alongside cryptic instructions. Scribbles resembling the logo were also spotted on a laundromat business card on her wall.

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III. Incognito: Seek and never be found

a. How to play

After a thorough search on reddit and later, the dark web, more information about Incognito was revealed.

Incognito is an organization that occassionally posts sets of puzzles on the dark web, which followers attempt to solve in hopes of a reward. The first riddle was posted on October 13, 2022, and many locals were known to have taken part in the game but were not able to finish it.

below: The game advertised on a billboard.

CHAPTER 02

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left: An email with cryptic instructions & the Incognito logo, printed and pinned on Eileen’s bedroom wall.

above: Lavanderia business card with a scribble of the game’s logo on it.

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b. Checkpoint totems

The organization never reveals the number of game participants. Since the game is designed to be solved linearly, like a blockchain works, a person not following all steps as indicated, would make no sense of it. A series of diamondshaped totems seem to be checkpoints for the different game stages. The most common totem in the area of Salton Sea is a wooden pole.

CHAPTER 02

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above: As soon as Incognito was posted on the dark web, speculations started on reddit.

left: A wooden diamond-shaped totem near Calipatria.

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III. Incognito: Seek and never be found

c. Speculations & disappearances

CHAPTER 02

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Although sporadic game clues have been given away on reddit, nobody has come forth to prove they have completed the game successfully. Based on the logo, some speculate the organization is actually a cult, recruiting those who reach the end of their puzzles, and helping them disappear. top: Reddit users speculate that the installation in Salton Sea, CA, exists in lieu of a more direct checkpoint; the resemblance of its reflection to Incognito’s logo is uncanny.

Even if these speculations were true, there is a major contradiction; the location where Eileen’s car was found, cannot be directly associated with the game’s checkpoints, indicating that something else, unrelated to the game, might have gone wrong. This has been the biggest point of dispute, as the Police cannot reach consensus as to whether the game is indeed a lead or a red herring.

bottom: The wooden pole totem outside Lavanderia in Bombay Beach.

03 DOCUMENTING A CRIME SCENE EVIDENCE AND DEDUCTIONS

I. Site documentation techniques

a. LIDAR camera

b. Photogrammetry II. Do you want a receipt? No, thank you

a. Next time pay cash

b. Crypto = the future of staying hidden III. Timeline backtracking

Eileen’s abandoned car as found by Officer Cullen.

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I. Site documentation techniques

a. LIDAR camera LIDAR, used as an acronym of light detection and ranging, is a surveying method that measures distance to a target by illuminating the target (a tree, the ground itself, a cliff face) with laser light, and measuring the reflected light with a sensor.

Differences in laser return times and wavelengths can then be used to make digital 3-D representations of the target.

It has terrestrial, airborne, and mobile applications.

CHAPTER 03

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top: Lidar data visualization developed by K/ZNY V/SUALS for a short film called rebirth. bottom: This graphic from Ouster shows an example of the three-layer image captured by its camera feature. The top image shows ambient light, the middle one shows reflected laser light, and the bottom one provides depth readings.

In most cases, LIDAR uses infrared light.

Its hardware can be mounted on a plane, tripod, or automobile, as well as a drone.

It’s sometimes called 3D laser scanning.

In a thorough investigation, the Police can use LIDAR to efficiently reconstruct the scene in the lab, if needed. This method has 2 major downsides: i. The equipment is very costly. ii. The equipment needs to be carried to the crime scene, which makes it hard for impromptu cases. iii. It requires specialization to use properly.

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b. Photogrammetry

CHAPTER 03

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Photogrammetry is the art, science and technology of obtaining reliable information about physical objects and the environment through the process of recording, measuring and interpreting photographic images and patterns of electromagnetic radiant imagery and other phenomena.

top: Photogrammetry test #1; Accurate pebble texture with 10 images.

The main difference between LIDAR and photogrammetry as surveying methods is how they capture their data. The former immediatelly produces a point cloud-like image by collecting data on site, whereas photogrammetry uses photos that can then be used to make a fully 3D, visual model of the real world.

Although the highest quality result can be achieved with LIDAR, photogrammetry has the advantage that it can be used after-the-fact; as long as the crime scene has been thoroughly photographed. Even if the resulting geometries are not as high a quality, photogrammetry can still be very reliable with textures, which can be useful for the forensic process. Moreover, it requires minimal training to achieve.

bottom: Photogrammetry test #2; Exterior documentation in extreme light contrasts.

Courtesy: Calipatria Police Department

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II. Do you want a receipt? No thank you!

a. Next time pay cash

right: An old grocery receipt from January 26, 2015. bottom left: A handwritten parking receipt .

All of our daily transactions are documented by the seller, the buyer, and oftentimes a third party (register, bank, etc). These digitally documented memories leave a trace that narrates its own storyline. What if this is someone else’s receipt? Can the data recorded on the receipts be corrupted or inaccurate?

Credit card logs and receipts issued on the date that Eileen was last seen allowed Cullen and AVA to locate numerous witnesses that testified on the case. One of the witnesses, noted that Eileen was not carrying a laundry basket when she was seen at the laundromat; it was later confirmed that a pile of dirty clothes was still in her bedroom.

CHAPTER 03

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right: A receipt from Lavanderia, as provided by a witness on Eileen’s case. left: A receipt from Lavanderia, as provided by a witness on Eileen’s case.

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b. Crypto currency = the future of staying hidden

left: Cash transactions are documented in varying ways, often loose. right: Artistic illustration of the blockchain structure. bottom: Diagram of tracking bitcoin transactions using live data.

CHAPTER 03

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If the usual transaction methods are not trustworthy memories due to their corruption vulnerability, what will happen if the world fully transitions to cryptocurrency? Blockchain, the system cryptocurrency is based on, constitutes the perfect collective memory, and altering its recorded information is as hard as changing a part of human history. And yet, they would most likely be useless for criminal investigations; the decentralized system they operate on establishes user anonymity, hence the popular use of cryptocurrency for illegal transactions on the dark web.

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III. Timeline backtracking

CHAPTER 03

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top: Mapping the documented gas stations near the abandoned car site. left: Eileen’s car was found with a full tank of gas, indicating she must have recently visited a gas station.

Upon investigation, Eileen’s car gas tank was found full. The Police mapped out the gas stations which would meet this condition based on fuel consumption and the time taken to reach the place the car was found.

04 THE PROBLEM WITH NOWHERE THE GAS STATION

I. Doubting digital data II. Witnesslessness III. CCTV footage and enhancement

The old Conoco gas station.

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I. Doubting digital data

The Conoco gas station was the only one close enough to have allowed Eileen to get gas there. However, according to AVA’s records, the gas station had been closed since August 2022. Officer Cullen performed an on-site inspection, only to confirm AVA’s information.

CHAPTER 04

right: The Conoco gas station was at the closest proximity to where the car was found. bottom: The Conoco gas station.

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PEMEX gas station in Calipatria, CA.

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II. Witnesslessness

Officer Cullen remembered having seen a new gas station under construction nearby. AVA could not retrieve any information about that. On-site inspection revealed a PEMEX gas station a few miles from Calipatria, in the middle of nowhere. The problem with nowhere?

There are no witnesses. In this scenario,

PEMEX gas station in Calipatria, CA.

even the digital memory of the place was no witness as it had not yet been updated on any online database.

CHAPTER 04

59 below: The PEMEX gas station.

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III. CCTV Footage

The new PEMEX gas station did have an independent, off-grid CCTV network, to which Cullen connected AVA. After hours of footage, a car similar to Eileen’s appeared on the screen. Upon enhancing the frame, the Police matched the license plate to that of Eileen’s. The timestamp on the footage was pointing at September 25, 2023.

below: AVA scanned a total of 192 hours of footage captured through Camera 01, which covered both pumps.

CHAPTER 04

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top: The number plate from the CCTV footage was enhanced.

bottom: The license plate of Eileen’s car from the Police documents.

05 CONTRADICTING MEMORIES THE LAUNDROMAT

I. Types of human memory & triggers II. Witness testimonies

a. Unreliability

b. When even the weather is in question

c. What was she doing there?

III. Digital recordings for spatial reconstruction IV. Data-driven bias & archived memories V. Laundromat reconstruction

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The laundromat in Bombay Beach, CA.

CHAPTER 05

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I. Types of human memory & triggers

bottom: Care for a seat... outside the laundromat?

CHAPTER 05

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Sight, sound, smell, touch and taste are considered to be the primary memory triggers that help humans recall things from the past. Research says that associating an incident to an object or event can help us recall the memory more accurately and descriptively.

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II. Witness testimonies

a. Unreliability

Witness Testimony #03: I remember a white car parked outside.

But I couldn’t see it very clearly, ‘cause of the rain that day. Must’ve been around 6:30 ‘cause the cleaner was there. Yeah, and he was complaining about having to scrub all the mud off the floors or… something like that. above: A sketch by a witness marking Eileen’s movement within the laundromat.

The police interviewed some witnesses at the Laundromat. There were many inconsistencies in their recollection, like the Scanned with CamScanner time of the day when they saw Eileen, or the weather conditions.

CHAPTER 05

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b. When even weather is in question

Despite the inconsistencies, upon questioned about very specific things, the witnessses seemed to be recollecting somewhat similar things. Three out of the four witnesses remember Eileen NOT bringing her Laundry basket to the laundromat. Witness #01 was able to recall the date and time most accurately because it was his wife’s birthday when he saw Eileen. Since the Laundromat had a CCTV, the Police requested access to the footage to corroborate the testimonies.

top right: Witness #02: “I had dinner, and I put the kids to bed first... and then I went out to do laundry.”

bottom left: Witness Testimony #01: “I think I saw her come by car on the 25th, right before 5pm.” bottom right: Witness Testimony #01: “Yeah, I remember because it was pouring rain and I was late for my wife’s birthday.”

Screen shots are derived from the reconstrcution of the witness testimonies by the Calipatria Police department.

CHAPTER 05

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c. What was she doing there?

Some of the witnesses, who were using the machines around the same time that Eileen was reportedly inside the Laundromat, had different recollections of her actions.

Witness Testimony #05: “She went to the lost and found and started ruffling through, but didn’t take anything. [...] Then she went to the machines over there, but she didn’t even have a laundry basket, so I have no idea what she was washing”

top: Machines 01-04, one of which Eileen might have used. bottom left: POV of Witness #05. bottom right: POV of Witness #05.

CHAPTER 05

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III. Digital recordings for spatial reconstruction

There were two CCTV cameras at the laundromat. The exterior camera captured Eileen’s car arriving at the laundromat, and the interior camera did not capture her at all, due to the large blind spots as a result of their installation.

CHAPTER 05

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How accurate are these data-driven memories? top: The exterior CCTV camera at the laundromat captured Eileen’s car arriving. bottom left: CCTV inside the laundromat did not record Eileen’s presence.

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IV. Data-driven bias & archived memories

We often take official documentation for granted, due to its authoritarian nature.

However, when the Police looked into the CCTV footage approved plan, they discovered that the security company had recommended the placement of three cameras in total, though in reality only two were hooked up. Moreover, the lens used were much less narrower than usual.

Was something being deliberately concealed? bottom left: The plan of the Laundromat, as approved by the Planning and Building department.

top right: The recommended CCTV camera locations, as approved by the security company. bottom right: The actual locations and lenses of the CCTV cameras at the Laundromat.

CHAPTER 05

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above: Approved plan of the CCTV placemenets of the Laundromat

below: Discrepencies found by the officer upon inspection and comparison.

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V. Laundromat reconstruction bottom: How does a photogrammetry model compare to someone’s memory?

CHAPTER 05

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The aforementioned inconsistencies led Officer Cullen and AVA to digitally reconstruct the space, based on all types of direct and indirect evidence & testimonies. The goal was to figure out what Eileen might have done in these blind spots, especially without her laundry basket. Gradually added information enabled them to build dense point clouds and make more deductions about the space.

However, the model indicated an error; there seemed to be some undocumented space behind the machine Eileen reportedly used, a machine that was marked as broken by the administration and was drawing no current from Mains power.

top right: The reconstruction of the laundromat based on photographic evidence. bottom left: Photographs clicked by the police department which helped in the reconstruction process. bottom right: The point cloud generated from the photogrammetry.

CHAPTER 05

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The reconstruction of the laundromat overlaid with the plan and other photographic evidence.

CHAPTER 05

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06 OBJECT IMPRINTED MEMORIES THE TOTEM

I. Technical analysis of materiality II. Cullen permission protocol III. Collective memory & cultural bias for recollection/ recognition IV. Significant and suspected objects with memories

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The error in the photogrammetry model and 3D reconstruction revealed a secret room within the laundromat’s plan.

CHAPTER 06

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I. Technical analysis of materiality

The secret room revealed via the photogrammetry reconstruction was almost empty, but with rich textures on the walls and floor. AVA’s diamond classification algorithm was by that time trained to recognize the Incognito diamond, leading her to the identification of a patina on the wall as the wooden checkpoint pole for Incognito.

top right: The reconstruction of the pole. bottom left: The patina of the pole on the walls and floor. bottom right: The secret compartment behind the machine marked as broken.

CHAPTER 06

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II. Cullen permission protocol

To avoid AVA gaining agency of her own, the Police always code a permission protocol on her, tailored to the officer she is working with per case. The Cullen permission protocol was particularly strict, due to Cullen’s tech-savvy background and intent to lead the investigation. However, AVA’s algorithm advanced faster than anticipated.

Therefore, when she extrapolated that the whole area should be scanned for the Incognito symbol, she had developed enough agency to successfully bypass the Cullen permission protocol and initiate a deep AI scanning of the area. AVA’s developers claim that it was the amount of heavily textured and detailed objects related to the case that allowed AVA to progress that rapidly, using this influx of information.

AVA is still running her deep AI scan and looking to establish connections that reveal Incognito’s inner workings.

top: The machine marked as broken by administration. bottom: The broken machine was connected to the concealed secret room through its drum.

CHAPTER 06

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II. Collective memory & cultural bias for recollection/recognition

CHAPTER 06

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For AVA, scanning for the Incognito symbol became part of her classification algorithm. For humans, collective memory and bias determine this process. Those who are familiar with the existence of the game, are more likely to remember seeing the logo somewhere.

Incognito billboard in Bombay Beach, CA.

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III. Significant and suspected objects with memories

A necklace with a charm was collected as evidence from Eileen’s car. As the case revealed her connection to the game, the police also thought the charm resembled the logo of the game. The object is made of gold, something unusual for local girls at the age of Eileen to own. There were only a few scratches on the charm, so she must have had it in her possession for only a brief amount of time. The Police traced the manufacturer based on a particular engraving on the chain, but got no further leads on the girl’s whereabouts.

top: The charm was hung on the rear view mirror of Eileen’s car. bottom left: The recurring wooden pole. bottom center: A diamond graffiti found near the PEMEX gas station. bottom right: Another graffiti in Bombay Beach.

CHAPTER 06

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07 MEMORY IN THE DIGITAL ERA TECHNOLOGICAL AMBIGUITY

I. Missing persons saga II. GAN-based face aging VS witness sketches

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I. Missing persons saga

Satellite view with markers indicating missing persons cases since 2023.

CHAPTER 07

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Since this case in 2023, more conspiracists have unraveled their theories. A map extracted from Google Earth circulates reddit, pinpointing the locations of more missing persons cases in the broader area, since Eileen’s disappearance. Do you also think the pins make up multiple Incognito logos?

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II. GAN-based face aging VS witness sketches

For decades, police sketch artists have tried to translate human memories into pictures by interviewing victims and drawing until the victims are satisfied with the likeness. In some cases, the sketches turn out to be quite accurate.

But more frequently, the sketch doesn’t end up resembling the person of interest at all. And that’s because people are generally terrible at describing faces from memory.

However, it has been recently shown that Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) can produce synthetic images of exceptional visual fidelity. GAN-based systems for automatic face aging are able to produce aged versions of faces while preserving the original person’s identity. This technique is considered instrumental in being able to indentify Eileen in the future.

bottom left: GAN-generated face aging.

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top: Eileen’s most recent picture, in September 2023. bottom: Sketches based on a testimony claiming Eileen was seen in Durmid on September 28, 2023. The claims are yet to be confirmed.

08 MEMORY RETRIEVAL SPECULATIONS

I. Does “objective memory” exist?

II. Evidentiary & reconstructed memories distinction.

III. The aphantasic approach.

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I. Does “objective memory” exist?

In scientific terms, “objective” memory refers to one’s ability to accurately recall specific data that can be fact-checked. A study by Shaozheng Qin, Hein J. F. van Marle, Erno J. Hermans, and Guillén Fernández (2011) revealed that the areas of the brain triggered when we are using subjective confidence (self-assessing how much data we think we remember) and when using objective detail memory (actually recording and fact-checking the data we remember), are completely separate.

AI-generated reconstructed memories.

Another paper by Guohua Shen, Tomoyasu Horikawa1, Kei Majima, and Yukiyasu Kamitani (2017) presented the results of their study, in which they developed a neural network that can decode and reconstruct the images people have in their brains when looking at something. Although not yet clear, it is probably a matter of time until this technology is developed enough to produce accurate representations of what people remember.

CHAPTER 07

REAL

Objectivity in the form of data-driven memories is expressed by limitations inerent to the software, its developers, and its users.

RECONSTRUCTED

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REAL

RECONSTRUCTED

Overall, subjectivity is so inherent in memories, that even if we could remove it, it might entirely corrupt human perception as we know it.

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II. Evidentiary & reconstructed memories distinction

A space, event, or environment, recreated from various media sources in an attempt to reconstruct past reality as remembered, largely depends on the narrative it is associated with. If we accept the suggestion that objective or infallible memories do not exist, then the memories closest to the truth are those delivered within the most detailed, attention grabbing, and well-strung story. top: Reconstruction of Lavanderia to retrace Eileen’s timeline inside it. bottom left: A speculative reconstructed memory of Eileen’s route before she went missing. bottom right: Outside Lavanderia in Bombay Beach.

CHAPTER 07

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Evidentiary memories are usually isolated from context and re-assembled together. Although this is seen by many as a way to remove bias, by extracting the memory from its associated narrative, in reality it leads to evidence being affected by personal biases from prior experiences. Humans naturally gravitate towards story, and there exists no way to take their interest from them.

top: Eileen’s Driver License was one of the first pieces of evidence extracted about her. bottom left: Evidence related to Eileen is stored inside the evidence room’s cage. bottom right: Officer Cullen’s desk inside the evidence room.

CHAPTER 07

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Information is added to the evidence board as the case progresses.

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III. The aphantasic approach

CHAPTER 07

Through this book, it is established that data-driven media, which we consider more powerful or “objective” compared to witness testimonies and human memories, end up being equally unreliable. AVA, in all her AI glory, is still subject to the biases of her core code, and the way she has been programmed to process information.

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In lieu of conclusion, I wonder whether a condition called “aphantasia”, that renders those who have it unable to visualize anything, including memories, actually constitutes an ability at processing visual information in a more rigorous and analytical manner.

LIST OF FIGURES [Pg 07, Fig 01] Gabriele Maiocco, Art Station, 2016. Detective Office asset.

Retrieved from https://www.artstation. com/artwork/g94xx [Pg 07, Fig 02] Eimer, CGSociety, September 28, 2011.

Ancient Area Network.

Retrieved from https://eimer.cgsociety.org/ bjww/ancient-area-network [Pg 88-89] frankie's, Shutterstock. Head in the clouds minimalist concept.

Retrieved from https://www.shutterstock. com/g/frankies?searchterm=men%20clouds [Pg 34-33, Fig 01] Timothy B. Lee, ars Technica, 2018. Why a lidar-camera could be useful.

Retrieved from https://arstechnica. com/cars/2018/09/this-lidarcamera-hybrid-could-be-a-powerful-addition-to-driverless-cars/ [Pg 34-33, Fig 02] K/ZNYV/SUALS. LiDAR Data Visualization.

Retrieved from https://kizny.com/services/ lidar-data-visualization-vfx/

MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF KIMBERLY GIVENS On Friday 16 December 2025, only weeks after she submitted this book to her publisher, Kimberly Givens vanished from her home in California. She was 46 at the time.

Close friends and family report that she was about to reveal new clues related to the game, which she was still following closely.

Her car was found on December 26, 2025, near Calipatria, CA. Her case is still being investigated by the Imperial Valley Police.

To all of us, Kim is a dedicated journalist, loving friend, and an amazing human being, and we cannot wait to have her back. We miss you, Kim. Alan Nighan

Friend and colleague

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS THIS BOOK IS A WORK OF FICTION! Kimberly Givens is an alias for the team of Alekya Malladi, Gesthimani Roumpani, and Yanrong Yang, who worked on this project. The book exists within the fictional narrative of our film “Incognito�, created during our graduate studies at the UCLA AUD Entertainment Suprastudio 20192020.

Both the book and movie would not have been possible without the guidance, support, and assistance of our instructors Natasha Sandmeier and Nathan Su. Alekya Malladi Gesthimani Roumpani Yanrong Yang June 08, 2020

Alekya Malladi

Gesthimani Roumpani

Yanrong Yang