'True Detective' Season 3 Finale Theories: Who Is The Killer?

Sunday night is when answers are finally revealed for Season 3 of True Detective, which airs tonight, and ahead of its premiere. One huge question still remains: Who is behind of what happened to the Purcell kids?

While the answer will not be confirmed until the season's finale, it hasn't stopped Reddit users from creating their own theories of who the killer is. From the punk teens in the Volkswagen to someone already out of the picture, here are the most likely of theories, according to a Refinery29 report.

The punk teens introduced in the first episode

Reddit user toppalini proposed that Season 3's killer could've been introduced in the very first episode. Played by Rhys Wakefield, Frankie Boyle, and 13 Reasons Why's Brandon Flynn, the teens were first put on this Redditor's radar after their odd encounter with the kids on their bikes and staring at them "menacingly."

"If they were just on their way to a party, why would they pull over like that, just to stare at the kids? And then a little later, it cuts to him messing around on the girl's bike," toppalini wrote. "During the older guy's interrogation, his story doesn't make too much sense, and he certainly gets emotional over something he knows he didn't do."

"What I'm getting to here is, what if the killer was basically revealed in the very first episode? They were certainly creeping on those kids, they didn't just pass them by," the Redditor added. "They pulled over just to watch them, maybe to follow them. And then, he's riding the bike that night."

Isabel and Watts

Unhinged by the death of her husband and young daughter, Isabel and her caretaker Watts hatch a plan to kidnap Julie in an effort to lessen Isabel's grief, according to one theory presented by The Ringer. After the kidnapping, Isabel and Watts take Julie to the "pink room," referenced in episode 6 "Hunters in the Dark."

This theory looks to be one of the more "obvious" theories, so if true, it's possible there is going to be a twist in the finale. Another Redditor also theorized that Isabel and Watts could also have worked along the punk teens, referenced above.

"My theory is this, Julie and Will want to go meet this 'Aunt' in their usual spot in Devil's Den. When they get there, two people are waiting for them. The 'Aunt' is Isabel (Hoyt's Daughter) and Watts (or Mr. June). The plan has been in place for several months," Redditor PillowFighterXO wrote. "Watts and Isabel have been gaining the trust of these two children. I am sure Isabel likes being around Julie especially. It sounds as if she went a little crazy after losing both her husband and daughter in that car crash."

The Redditor continued to hypothesize that Freddy Burns killed Will, but not intentionally. In this particular theory, Will was able to get away from Isabel and Watts; however, in the midst of his escape, runs into Freddy. As Will tries to escape a second time "he trips running full speed and his head hits a rock and it kills him due to the impact."

Someone who is already dead

Due to a common theme presented in the series of "history repeating itself," one Redditor hypothesized that the killer will be convicted in absentia.

"Following the theme of Woodard and Tom Purcell, new evidence gathered in 2015 will result in the conviction of someone who has already died," Redditor MitchReinhardt wrote. "A major theme in True Detective has always been history repeating itself. The third time around, they'll finally get their man (or woman) leading to a posthumous conviction for the crimes."

Refinery 29 noted that this theory could fit with the theory mentioned earlier involving Isabel's caretaker: "It's worth noting that Watts, who was an old man all the way back in the 1990 timeline, is probably dead in the present."

While Reddit is a goldmine for True Detective theories, find out the truth when the Season 3 finale airs on HBO Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.