Ernest Emerson

Dr. Ernest Emerson was a suspect in the murder investigations of climate change activist Julia Lloyd in Ice Rage (Case #43 of World Edition) and landlord Joshua Gibson in Dead Men Tell No Tales (Case #28 of The Conspiracy).

Profile
In his first appearance, Ernest is a 63-year-old archaeologist researching at Antarctica. He has gray hair and green eyes. He wears an iguana green winter cap lined with animal fur, and frostbite on his cheeks. He also dons a red and blue coat over a brown sweater, and is usually seen carrying around a pickaxe.

In his second appearance, Ernest is now a 65-year-old scientist. He is seen wearing a brown t-shirt underneath a peach checked jacket. He also has a notepad and a red pen on the right side of the jacket. He is also seen carrying a backpack with a water bottle tied to it. Furthermore, he wears a binocular around his neck and a hat. It is discovered that he collects antique guns, eats lobster bisque and has traveled to the Caribbean.

Ice Rage
Ernest first came in, telling Jack, Grace, and the player that Julia had been attacked by a saber-toothed tiger outside the station. Initially disbelieving, Jack and the player investigated and found her dead.

Ernest was then interrogated, where Jack had trouble believing it was the work of a saber-toothed tiger, but Ernest was convinced it was an attack by an ancient creature. He believed due to global warming, ancient creatures beneath the ice are starting to surface. Ernest also pointed out the irony of a climate change activist being attacked by a prehistoric creature because of global warming, but Jack still did not believe him.

Ernest was spoken to again regarding his overdrawn bank accounts, which were due to the lack of results in his research. He confirmed their suspicions, and said his funding would be cut entirely if he could not produce results soon. When Jack suggested he deliberately made up the story about the saber tooth attack and killed Julia himself, he was outraged saying he was a man of science, not a killer.

Despite his ramblings, Ernest was found innocent after the team incarcerated Blair Carpenter for Julia's murder. He was spoken to by Michelle and the player about information regarding a SOMBRA agent who was in Antarctica by the name of Eduardo Ruiz. He was relieved that Julia's murder was not caused by a saber-toothed tiger, and remembered that Eduardo came by in the 1950s from South America. Michelle was shocked, since the data they picked up on him dated back to the 1970s. Ernest explained that was the digital records, and suggested they look through the hard copy archives to find any South Pole activity prior to then. Michelle and the player decided to look through the research lab to find the info they needed.

Dead Men Tell No Tales
Ernest became a suspect again after Jones and the player found his diving mask underneath the seaweed. Ernest then came and thanked them for recovering his mask, and immediately recognized the player after 2 years. After a short reunion, Ernest revealed that he returned to Grimsborough, his hometown, to investigate about the Demon Fish. The team then asked him if he had known the victim, Joshua Gibson. But he said he didn't know about him.

Ernest was spoken to again after the team (per Gabriel) found out that he and Joshua were classmates and they went to the same elementary school with each others, which means Ernest lied about not knowing the victim earlier. The team then asked Ernest why he denied knowing the victim. Answering about this, Ernest revealed that Joshua was a bully at school and he often teased him for many things. Even after Ernest was a renowned scientist due to a successful research expedition to the Caribbean island, the victim still mocked him, laughed at his antique firearms collection. Then, Ernest said that he had finally been vindicated with the discovery of the Demon Fish.

Ernest was found innocent after the team incarcerated Carl Rossa for Joshua's murder. Later, the team called him to the station to help Rupert find a cure to the fish's neurotoxin and save Martine as she was bitten by one of the Demon Fish. Rupert then suggested that he and Ernest combine the research so that they can come up with an antidote. After Rupert and the player found Ernest's serum vials in Doreo Drive and some Demon Fish eggs in the flooded street, Ernest helped Rupert finish the antidote.

Trivia

 * Ernest is one of the characters to physically appear in two different seasons.
 * Ernest is one of the characters to appear as a suspect in two cases.

Case appearances

 * Ice Rage (Case #43 of World Edition)
 * Dead Men Tell No Tales (Case #28 of The Conspiracy)