Calling all armchair detectives: You're hired.

Occasionally, we meet people with a seemingly endless capacity for compassion and patience with the most vulnerable among us. Sheryl McCollum is one of those people, and those who attend her Wine & Crime session during CrimeCon: House Arrest presented by Oxygenwill witness the power of that compassion firsthand.

What’s Wine & Crime, you ask? “This event is tailor-made for true crime junkies,” says Sheryl (“Mac” to her friends, which includes you!). “We’ll treat you just like we would any rookie police officer or rookie detective in the war room of the homicide unit.”

The details of the case have, by necessity, been shrouded in mystery. That’s because participants are about to lend their amateur investigation skills to a real cold case. While our knowledge of the case at this point may be limited, there’s one thing Sheryl can tell us now: “ Anyone can solve a case,” she says, “so it’s important that everyone who attends this session really tries.”

Here’s a brief rundown of what we do know:

• The case includes many twists & turns. “There are twists, there are turns, then there are tornadoes,” says Mac. “This case is a double tornado. Just when we think we have it figured out, a new twist comes in.”
• There’s a distinct format to the event , and for good reason:
  • First, Mac will give participants an overview of the case and provide all available assets. Participants will have access to police reports, statements, and other documents. “They’ll receive the same thing I’d give to a room full of cops,” Mac says.
  • Next, news correspondent Karyn Greer will talk about the case as it appeared in the news, the community dynamic, the rumors that circulated about the case, and how the case is perceived today.
  • Karyn will turn over the stage to the police Sergeant overseeing the case. He’ll talk about the investigation up to this point, different tactics investigators have used, who they’ve ruled out (if anyone), where the case stands today, and more.
  • The Sergeant will then welcome the victim’s sister to the stage so that participants can get to know the victim -- who she was as a person, her life circumstances and behaviors, what she liked and disliked, and more.

• This session is NOT entertainment -- and Mac intends to keep it that way. “This is a real victim, a real family that’s grieving, and these are real people we’re welcoming into the investigation,” she says.