Most people take pictures to mark a memorable occasion:  graduations, holiday parties, special events … but a burglary?  Travis County detectives have found some unusual evidence at a crime scene that they want the public to see.

What looks like scenes from a typical high school or college party, investigators say is actually photos from a crime scene.

Last month, at least nine people broke into private property at the end of Coldwater Canyon, near 360 and 2222.  Police say pictures documented a party and crime in which $5,000 worth of expensive alcohol, including $800 bottles of wine and high-dollar scotch, were stolen.

Travis Co. Sheriff's Office

Pictures found on a digital camera left behind at the scene of a burglary

But what the group left behind at the party left quite an impression.

“During the investigation, we found a digital camera that didn't belong to the victim,” said Roger Wade, with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office.

On that camera, investigators found a clear picture of their suspects.  Now, they need help in identifying who they are.

Legendary game designer Richard Garriott actually owns the property.  He says it’s made up of a series of cabins and other buildings for special events.

“We were debating whether we would even report this to police until we discovered the digital camera sitting on the porch of one of the cabins broken into,” he said.

As Garriott looked through the pictures, they were even better than he could have hoped.

“We we're joking to ourselves about tomorrow morning, when they wake up with a hangover, they're going to wonder where that camera is,” he said.  “This is one of those Darwin-style kind of awards, where people leave the self-incriminating evidence behind at the scene.”

This is the second break-in on Garriott’s property in two years.  Now, he just wants people to leave his property alone.

“We have now stepped up and realize that we have to have electronic security and surveillance equipment around the site just to insure people don't come onto it in the future,” he said.

Travis County investigators say this ranks pretty high on their list of dumb criminals, nearly on par with leaving a wallet or driver’s license on the scene.

If you can identify any of the people in the pictures, call Crimestoppers at 472-TIPS.  You can receive a reward of up to $1,000.