Sarah Maynard -- Found Alive 11/14/10; Kody Maynard, Tina Herrmann and Stephanie Sprang -- Found Deceased 11/18/10

Yesterday's 2pm presser:

Families Still Hopeful 3 Will Be Found Alive

Tuesday, November 16, 2010 6:23 AM
Updated: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 7:02 AM
WBNS-10TV


Stephen Thompson, Stephanie Sprang's father

~Snipped~
"I know that that time frame has been long between when they disappeared," Thompson said. "But we have hope that we will see our loved ones soon."

Authorities spent much of Monday searching Foundation Park in Mount Vernon for any sign of the three missing people. Officers and deputies used boats and helicopters to search the area, and investigators were seen leaving with bags of evidence.

Authorities downplayed any discovery on Monday night, saying they found nothing related to the case, Mallett reported.

"Your kids, your mom, me, your whole family, we're all looking for you," Thompson said. "We'll be with you until we find you."

Barber said investigators searched the park because of its proximity to the home of Matthew Hoffman, who is accused of kidnapping a fourth person in the case. Authorities raided Hoffman's home on Sunday morning and found Sarah Maynard, 13, bound and gagged in the basement, 10TV News reported.

Maynard is doing well and is with family members, Barber said. He also said the girl is helping investigators, but he would not say whether Hoffman was cooperating.

"Not only is she assisting the investigation, under the circumstances a 13-year-old girl being held captive for four days by a total stranger, I would call her the epitome of bravery," Barber said.

Investigators tracked Hoffman down with the help of a receipt for a tarp that was purchased at a Walmart store in Mount Vernon, Mallett reported.

Investigators were reviewing surveillance footage from inside the store.

Read more:
http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2010/11/16/story-mount-vernon-missing-people-search-hope.html?sid=102

~Snipped~
Hoffman was allowed to move to Ohio in 2007 after being released on parole, which ended about a month ago. He had paid about $4,800 toward $2.06 million in restitution, Colorado court system spokesman Jon Sarche said.

Wow, his parole had just ended a month ago!

Authorities searching for three missing people in Knox County are closing a road after searchers found duct-taped trash bags and a tarp.

Tina Herrmann, 32; her 11-year-old son, Kody Maynard; and a family friend, Stephanie Sprang, 42, have be...en missing since Wednesday. Herrmann's 13-year-old daughter, Sarah Maynard, was found alive but bound and gagged in the basement of an area man Sunday. That man, Matthew J. Hoffman, is charged with kidnapping and will appear in court today.

The bags are on the side of Lower Gambier Road near Rt. 229, about a half mile from where Tina Herrmann's car was found abandoned on Thursday. The silver-and-black tarp is about 20 feet off the road near the edge of a woods.

Agents with the Ohio Bureau of Identification and Investigation are on the way to check out the bags, a Franklin County deputy said.

Scanner:
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/11/16/hope-fading.html?sid=101

They also have 8 cadaver dogs out searching, two different areas.

$1 Million Bond For Suspected Knox Co. Kidnapper

Tuesday, November 16, 2010 1:58 PM
WBNS-10TV

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — A judge set bond on Tuesday at $1 million for a man suspected of kidnapping a Knox County teenager.

A judge ordered that Matthew Hoffman, 30, post the full bond in order to be released from custody, 10TV's Maureen Kocot reported.

In most cases, people held on charges are required to pay 10 percent of the bond total.

Hoffman was scheduled to be back in court on Nov. 23 at 2:30 p.m.

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2010/11/16/story-mount-vernon-hoffman-court-hearing-bond.html?sid=102

Thanks Piper, those duct taped bags don't sound good! Thanks for keeping us posted.

And the tarp! They found a Walmart receipt and found him on video buying a tarp.......

Here he is via video feed at his court hearing this afternoon, sporting a suicide gown:


Matthew Hoffman appeared before a judge via a video camera at the Knox County Jail.

Sheriff giving a presser live right now......won't discuss the tarp or duct taped bags but say they are significant to the investigation. 10TV stated he bought tarp, trash bags and a t-shirt at the same time....

Knox Co. Search Enters Seventh Day

Wednesday, November 17, 2010 7:50 AM
Updated: Wednesday, November 17, 2010 12:50 PM
WBNS-10TV

~Snipped~
The mother of Matthew Hoffman said on Tuesday that she was hopeful that her son would include her on his jail visitation list and open up to her, 10TV's Ashleigh Barry reported.

Later in the day, Hoffman's mother said that her son has always been extremely smart but often had difficulty connecting with others, including his older siblings. She said she had no knowledge of the case, nor any information about her son's relationship with Maynard or the three missing people, Barry reported.

10 Investigates on Tuesday obtained a police report that centered around an incident at Hoffman's home on Oct. 24.

Earlier this week, Hoffman's ex-girlfriend told 10TV News that he put his hand around her throat and choked her after she broke up with him.

"I went to my ex-boyfriend's house to pick up my car," the woman said in the report. "We were in his living room talking and he got upset and he pushed me against the wall. He grabbed his forearm up against my neck and was choking me. I (kind of) got loose, then he grabbed me and we fell over his chair and onto the floor.

I was fighting to try and get him off me, but he proceeded to choke me on the ground. He probably had me pinned down on the ground for about a minute or two. Finally, he let me up and we talked for a few minutes, and then I left."

Hoffman's ex-girlfriend requested anonymity to 10TV News.

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2010/11/17/story-mount-vernon-search-day-seven.html?sid=102

New information added into missing persons timeline

By Melissa Raines
November 17, 2010 4:48 pm EST

MOUNT VERNON — Knox County Sheriff David Barber talked to the media this afternoon, requesting continued help from the community to fill in the timeline of the activities which unfolded last Wednesday when 13-year-old Sarah Maynard was abducted from her Apple Valley home. The same day, Sarah’s mother Tina Herrmann, 31; brother, Kody Maynard, 11; and family friend Stephanie Sprang, 41, vanished.

Describing the clothing the three missing people were last seen in, Barber asked anyone in the community who had contact with the three last Wednesday, or anyone who saw any of the four, to contact the sheriff’s office.

Hermann was last seen wearing a white baseball cap, tan hoodie, dark colored sweatpants, and tennis shoes.

Kody was wearing jeans, a gray T-shirt, a blue hoodie and black shoes.

Sprang is reported to have been last seen early Wednesday afternoon, but it is not clear what she was wearing.

Barber said the photos of the three vehicles associated with the case belonging to Sprang, Hermann, and Hoffman, have yielded new tips.

Read more: http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/10/11/17/new-information-added-into-missing-persons-timeline

The details I haven't heard yet is who arrived home first that Wednesday afternoon. Was it Sarah, Kody? This perp seems to have had many hours to carry out this crime. At first, I thought it was a narrow timeline. But, since they weren't reported missing until Thursday, I'm wondering just how much time he had.

Sweatshirt Among Newly-Recovered Knox Co. Evidence

Thursday, November 18, 2010 6:33 AM
Updated: Thursday, November 18, 2010 6:33 AM
WBNS-10TV



HOWARD, Ohio — Search efforts for three missing people continued in Knox County late Wednesday night, and investigators were examining new pieces of recovered evidence, including a blue sweatshirt.
One of the missing, Kody Maynard, was last seen wearing a similar piece of clothing, 10TV's Tino Ramos reported.

Authorities did not say if they believed the sweatshirt belonged to Maynard.

Read more and view video:
http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2010/11/18/story-mount-vernon-knox-county-missing-search.html? more:

Sources: Bodies Of Missing Boy, Women Found

Updated: November 18, 2010 - 2:33 PM

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio --

Eight days after being reported missing, sources confirm that the bodies of a missing boy and two women have been found in Knox County.

The bodies were found near Apple Valley Thursday, sources told NBC 4.

According to the Knox County Sheriff's Office, Thursday's regularly-scheduled news conference was rescheduled for 4 p.m. Watch the news conference live on nbc4i.com beginning at 4 p.m. Click Here.

Tina Herrmann, 32, her 10-year-old son, Kody, and Herrman's friend, 41-year-old Stephanie Sprang were reported missing Nov. 10.

Also reported missing was Herrmann's 13-year-old daughter, Sarah Maynard, who was found Sunday in the basement of a home on Columbus Street in Mount Vernon.

The resident of the home, 30-year-old Matthew J. Hoffman, was arrested and charged with kidnapping.

Read more: http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2010/nov/18/14/bodies-missing-boy-women-found-ar-295449/

This is so sad........

My heart goes out to their family, and especially for Sarah, the only survivor of this horrific crime.

This is very sad. I can only imagine why the creep kept Sarah alive. I hope they fry him.

I clicked the link to the press conference a few minutes ago, but all they are showing is a helicopter shot of a wooded area. It was either very short and I missed it, or it hasn't started yet.

LN is supposed to be holding a News Conference soon. This is such a sad case. I just don't get what a killer gets from this. The poor young girl that survived...omg, I can only imagine what he's done to her & what her life is going to be like now...knowing that the rest of her family were killed.

What a sick bastard!

The press conference hasn't started yet. You can watch live below when it starts.

Remains Of Women, 11-Year-Old, Found

Updated: Thursday, November 18, 2010 5:51 PM
WBNS-10TV



MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — The bodies of three people who were missing for more than a week were found on Thursday in garbage bags located inside a hollow tree.

The discovery of Tina Herrmann, 32; her son, Kody Maynard, 11; and a friend, Stephanie Sprang, 41; was made at about 2:30 p.m. near the North Branch of the Kokosing River Lake, near Waterford Road in Fredericktown, Ohio, 10TV news reported.

The three were reported missing last week, along with Kody's 13-year-old sister, Sarah Maynard. On Sunday, authorities found Sarah Maynard alive, bound and gagged, inside a Mount Vernon man's basement.

SLIDESHOWS: Bodies Found | Vehicles Connected With Case | Hoffman In Court | Case Timeline | Tuesday's Search | Park Search | Images From Mount Vernon Neighborhood | Four Missing | Search For Missing People | VIDEO EXTRAS: Sheriff David Barber's Nov. 17 News Conference

The man, Matthew Hoffman, 30, was arrested and charged with Sarah Maynard's kidnapping after authorities swarmed his Columbus Road home, 10TV News reported.

Knox County Sheriff David Barber said that Hoffman provided information to authorities on Thursday that led them to the bodies.

Read more: http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2010/11/18/story-howard-knox-county-missing-bodies-found.html?sid=102

Bodies Of Missing Boy, Women Found
Bodies Found In Garbage Bags In Hollow Tree

By Denise Yost
Published: November 18, 2010



MOUNT VERNON, Ohio --

Eight days after being reported missing, the bodies of a boy and two women have been found in a hollow tree in Knox County Thursday.

The bodies were found in the area of Yankee Street and Waterford Road northwest of Fredericktown, sources told NBC 4 Thursday.

Knox County Sheriff David Barber said at a news conference, "Today this investigation took a major turn. We have the discovered and recovered the remains of Kody Maynard, Stephanie Sprang and Tina Herrmann. The discovery of these bodies was as the result of information provided by Matthew Hoffman. The bodies were located in a wooded area inside garbage bags in a hollow tree off of Yankee Street, which is west of Fredericktown in Knox County. Mr. Hoffman remains in jail on a kidnapping charge."

When asked how the victims died, Barber said he couldn't answer the question and that it would be for the coroner to determine.

Barber said information obtained from Hoffman early Thursday led investigators to the location of the victims' remains. Barber said the general area had been searched before, but not the specific location of the hollow tree.

Barber said the victims' families were notified Thursday morning that remains had been found and later Thursday afternoon, they were notified that the remains were positively identified.

The sheriff added that crews cut part of the hollow tree in order to recover the bodies with sensitivity and dignity for the victims and the victims' families.

Barber said, "This is a homicide investigation now. What will happen next is the homicide investigation continues and as the investigation progresses, it will be turned over to Knox County Prosecutor John Thatcher's office."

Thatcher said he would not say if there was a confession or the content of any confession obtained from Hoffman.

Read more: http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2010/nov/18/39/bodies-missing-boy-women-found-ar-295449/

I am just heartbroken. J4A, thank you for all of the updates. I had to take my parents to an appt at 4pm and wasn't able to watch the broadcast.

I have followed this every moment since last Thursday. It has amazed me how this small community came together so quickly to assist in searches. So many agencies came into assist.
I've read all the prayers on the facebook thread for them, all the comments from the articles. There was a guy from Georgia that posted a comment on Ch 10 thread that said since the guy is a woods/nature type of person as they've stated, they should be checking hollow trees because that's where he'd stuff a dead body. It struck me last night when I read that just what a possible hiding place that could be. This is unreal.

And what has Sarah been through, I can only imagine. And why, why kill this family and their mother's friend. I am just so saddened. I'm surprised he gave up the location of Kody, Tina and Stephanie.

Evil walks among us, we just never know what's around the corner. Hug your kids and tell them you love them everyday before you leave. Make sure everyone else that you love knows how much you love them. You never know when some monster is going to just come in and take your world right out from underneath you.

Piper ~ what you said is true - you just never know what is around the corner. Life is short. Life is unpredictable, sometimes wonderful and sometimes woefully unfair. Every day we are confronted by grim reminders that evil exists and persists, unforseeable, undo-able ugly acts.

Hundreds Join Vigil For Slain Women, Boy

Friday, November 19, 2010 5:18 AM
Updated: Friday, November 19, 2010 5:46 AM
WBNS-10TV



MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — The remains of three people missing in Knox County for more than a week were found Thursday in garbage bags that were hidden inside of a hollow tree.

~Snipped~
Knox County Sheriff David Barber said that Hoffman provided information to authorities on Thursday that led them to the bodies. Barber would not speculate on how the bodies were placed in the trees but said Hoffman previously worked as a tree trimmer.

Hoffman's mother told 10TV News on Thursday night that she visited her son in jail for the first time on Wednesday night, and that the visit may have played a part in his decision to reveal the location of the bodies.

She said that her son told her that he was "relieved" when authorities raided his home because "Sarah would be able to go home."

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2010/11/19/story-howard-knox-county-missing-vigil-found.html?sid=102

She said that her son told her that he was "relieved" when authorities raided his home because "Sarah would be able to go home."

What an asinine statement to make, how could Sarah ever possibly go home, go home to what? He murdered her mother and her little brother in her home!!

I agree, that was a stuuuuuupid thing for him to say!!!!!

There's nobody to go home to anymore!!!!

The people she loved the most, the ones she used to go home to, were brutally taken away from her!!!!

There is also a facebook page set up for Stephanie Sprang

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Letters-and-Prayers-For-Stephanie-Sprangs-Family/169750149715919

I read this morning that Sarah had told police that he killed her little dog.

Oh my, Piper, I was wondering about the dog but in light of Sarah's witness to her mother and brother's murders...oh, she has such a tough row to hoe now. I pray her father and other family members do beyond their best for her.

New Details Released On Discovery Of Bodies

Friday, November 19, 2010 12:35 PM
Updated: Friday, November 19, 2010 1:15 PM
WBNS-10TV



~Snipped~
The bodies were found inside a hollow tree that was nearly one mile into the woods. Investigators said the area is so densely wooded that they believe Hoffman dragged the bodies to the tree.

Detectives believe that Hoffman, an experienced tree trimmer, used harnesses to haul the bodies up to a hole at the top of the tree and dropped them down to the base, Ramos reported.

The bodies were found lodged near the bottom of the tree and investigators had to cut a hole to remove them, Ramos reported.

Herrmann's dog was found stuffed in the tree, 10TV News reported.

Read more and see video:
http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2010/11/19/story-fredericktown-knox-county-missing-found-tree.html?sid=102

I don't know why I can't get the video centered from their news site.

These poor people would never have been found! It's hunting season, but this is on a nature preserve, no hunting permitted, and more than likely no one would be walking by there and smell decomposition. I have to wonder if he's done this before. Unreal.......

He spent a lot of time to prepare and dispose of them, including the dog. All the while Sarah was tied up in his basement. Once he was finished with her, I shudder to think she would have met the same fate as the others. Thank god she was found and rescued when she was, it's a miracle.

Slain woman's manager: I knew something was wrong

November 19, 2010

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (AP) — The first indication that something had gone terribly wrong in this tiny Ohio town came when a Dairy Queen manager went to check on a friend who didn't show up for work.

The manager, Valerie Haythorn, told The Associated Press on Friday that when she drove by last week, the lights were on at the home where Tina Herrmann lived with her two children. Herrmann's truck also was in the driveway and, thinking all was well, Haythorn kept driving.

When Herrmann missed a second day, Haythorn drove back to the house — and this time she went inside.

She refused to describe what she saw, only saying that she immediately called authorities. It was during that Nov. 11 visit, the sheriff says, that a significant amount of blood was discovered and the search for four missing people began in earnest.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h2LdPecOd10wfvqtg8wJSAKidOJA?docId=229369ee66c44139921dd897eee9dbb1

x

This is gruesome Tish. They won't say whether Hoffman confessed, but they said the information that led authorities to the bodies came from Hoffman through his attorneys. They might have never been found without Hoffman talking.

More pictures of the tree, it's my understanding they've already cut the tree down.

x

I know, Tish. A lot of premeditation and planning. He had the tree climbing gear and hoists. It's just sick, beyond belief. Never in a million years would I have imagined someone would hide bodies in that manner.

No information has been released yet on exactly what Sarah witnessed. Someone did say that she had told the police he killed her dog, it was a little min pin. So I assume she witnessed that, I don't know that for a fact. He even put the dog in the tree with them. I hope she didn't have to suffer watching her brother, mother and Stephanie being murdered. Stephanie has 3 children. It's just horrific, evil at their doorstep, out of the blue.

Family, Community Mourns Knox County Tragedy

Friday, November 19, 2010 6:05 PM
Updated: Friday, November 19, 2010 7:15 PM
WBNS-10TV

HOWARD, Ohio — Family and friends of Tina Herrmann, her son Kody Maynard, and family friend Stephanie Sprang said they have been overwhelmed by an outpouring of community support.

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2010/11/19/story-mount-vernon-knox-county-missing-family-mourns.html?sid=102

Send Condolences, Comments For Knox County Victims' Families

Thursday, November 18, 2010 5:57 PM
WBNS-10TV

Share your thoughts using the forum below.

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2010/11/18/story-knox-county-condolences.html?sid=102

Tree Where 3 Bodies Found Cut Down
Bodies Of Mom, Son & Friend Found In Garbage Bags In Hollow Tree

Updated: November 19, 2010 - 6:00 PM



Gary Ludwig -- a supervisor with Ohio's Division of Wildlife -- says authorities on Friday cut down the 60-foot tree where authorities had a day earlier recovered the remains of a mother, her 11-year-old son and a family friend.

Ludwig says Knox County authorities wanted the tree removed from a wildlife preserve in Fredericktown out of respect for the victims' families and so that it would not become "a sightseeing thing."

Hours after the discovery Thursday, a vigil that had been planned near the family's home to support search teams became, instead, a memorial.

Read more:
http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2010/nov/19/20/community-grieves-triple-murder-investigation-begi-ar-296411/

I listened to the news video on the link concerning the family and community mourning (Piper's post above) and the reporter said the bodies were not intact-

Another dismemberment crime?

Here is the link but it may not have the same newscast video later on. Its mentioned in the beginning of the video report.

Lingering questions regarding the Knox County murders

Updated: 11/19/2010 11:33:23 PM





~Snipped~
As far as how Hoffman may have known these three, according to the Mt. Vernon News, he was a member of a gym that Stephanie Sprang worked at as a cleaning lady. Staffers at the gym tell the newspaper he would show up later at night just as the cleaning staff would arrive.

The case against Hoffman has authorities from around central Ohio wondering if there may be a connection to other unsolved cases on their books.

http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/news_article.aspx?storyid=159434&catid=3

Oh man, Sherry... the video above states the same thing, probable dismemberment in order for them to fit in the bags and into hollow the tree..............

A few more pictures of Stephanie Sprang:

Oh, Piper...

I bet Hoffman followed Sprang home from work that night and she stopped at Hermann's first. Hoffman then realized there were more people than Sprang at the house and he killed all but Sarah. I can imagine the dog was killed to shut it up from barking at that hour where a neighbor might get suspicious of it. Kody was probably killed trying to protect his mother when he heard the ruckus and checked it out. I can only hope that Sarah was hiding in her room and didn't see the gruesome ordeal taking place by this sadistic perp. Sad.

That's what I'm starting to think. Hoffman's parents lived close to Tina, and Stephanie lived around the corner from Tina. I know they've been saying he was possibly watching Sarah. It's also possible that he falsely flirted with Stephanie at the gym and he could have even been invited to Tina's for a beer and to hang out, LE stated there were beer cans everywhere. He also could have drank those beers by himself after he'd killed them. I suppose anything is possible. Whatever the scenario, he didn't decide this at the last moment, he had a plan for one of them, and the rest were in the way. I totally agree about the dog being killed first to silence it. What a freakin' monster!!

I think the gym connection is crucial now that it's coming out.......that's not a coincidence!

Authorities cut down tree where bodies of 3 missing people found

Saturday, November 20, 2010 02:56 AM

Jail logs on Hoffman:

~Snipped~

According to logs provided by the Knox County jail, Hoffman has been under a suicide watch since entering the prison just after 2 p.m Sunday. He's being checked every 10 minutes by guards.

The logs detail how he's spent his time:

For the first 21/2 hours of his stay on Sunday, he was left in a restraint chair. About 50 minutes after being strapped in, he urinated on himself, the log states.

At 5 p.m., he was put in a "suicide gown," a vest designed to keep him from hurting himself.

He spent much of his first day lying down, interrupted a few times to be fingerprinted and have his photo taken.

Just after 8:30 on Sunday evening, he started crying but had stopped by the time another deputy came back six minutes later. It is the only time that the log refers to his state of mind.

Hoffman spent nearly 61/2 hours with detectives on Monday, and an additional 90 minutes being questioned Tuesday morning.

He met with his attorney at 11:20a.m. Tuesday and had his videotaped court hearing at 1:30p.m. At 6:30 that night, after dinner, he was given an unnamed book and read for the next hour.

He met again with his attorney for more than two hours on Wednesday, before his mother, Patricia Hedglin, came for a 20-minute visit at 10 p.m., the first day of visiting hours. Hedglin and her husband live near Herrmann's home, seemingly the only connection between Hoffman and the families.

Thursday, Hoffman met with his attorney at 2:50 p.m., after the bodies had been cut out of the tree. Knox County Sheriff David Barber has confirmed that Hoffman told them of the location, but the log doesn't detail that conversation. After meeting with his attorney, the log says, Hoffman returned to his cell and again read.

At 5:10 p.m. Thursday, while Barber was telling reporters gathered at the sheriff's office that the bodies had been found, Hoffman was reading.

At 1:30 p.m. yesterday, he was given a new book and the old one was taken out.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/11/20/authorities-cut-down-tree-where-bodies-of-3-missing-people-found.html?sid=101