Four reported missing 11/12/10 Apple Valley OH (1 alive - 3 found dead)

[Itaryl Moosee]

More charges against him were expected to be filed, according to Knox County Sheriff David Barber.

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

Maynard's 11-year-old brother, Kody; his mother, Tina Herrmann, 32; and family friend, Stephanie Sprang, 41, also vanished last week, 10TV News reported.

"We were hopeful that we would find more than one (person), but our information was most definitely that Sarah was going to be in that house," said Knox County Sheriff David Barber.

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2010/11/15/story-howard-missing-girl-found-man-charged-kidnapping.html?sid=102

The Walmart receipt was for a tarp... maybe he covered the bodies with it? Or, just had it handy in case he needed to flee?

[SuzieQ]

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20101115/US.Ohio.Family.Missing/

Ohio sheriff: 3 still missing may have been killed
32 minutes ago

 MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — A sheriff says "there is a possibility" that three people still missing in central Ohio have been killed.

Knox County Sheriff David Barber said at a news conference Monday that authorities still want to remain optimistic that 32-year-old Tina Herrmann, her 10-year-old son Kody and another woman, 41-year-old Stephanie Sprang, are still alive.

Authorities say Herrmann's 13-year-old daughter Sarah Maynard was found bound and gagged in the basement of 30-year-old Matthew Hoffman, who was arrested on a kidnapping charge.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Investigators searched a lake for signs of three missing people Monday after a 13-year-old girl who disappeared along with them was found bound and gagged in the basement of a man's home nearby.

Ten miles from home, Sarah Maynard was found alive in this central Ohio city on Sunday, four days after disappearing with her mother, her brother and another woman. The man who lived in the house where she was discovered was arrested the same day, and authorities hope he will provide information leading to the others, although it was unclear whether he knew either of the missing women, Knox County Sheriff David Barber said.

Ohio Girl Found, Family Members Still Missing
 "We were hopeful that we would find more than one" of the missing people in Hoffman's house, Barber said. "Our information was definite that it was most likely that Sarah was going to be in that house."

 

[Tamikosmom]

Thanks to all for the updates.

It would interesting to know what Sarah revealed to investigators.

Janet

[Toler]

 +-MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — It's possible that three people still missing in central Ohio have been killed, a sheriff conceded Monday, a day after the 13-year-old girl who disappeared along with them was rescued from the home of a man later charged with kidnapping.

Authorities still want to remain optimistic that 32-year-old Tina Herrmann, her 10-year-old son, Kody, and Herrmann's friend, 41-year-old Stephanie Sprang, are alive, Knox County Sheriff David Barber said at a news conference.

Investigators searched a lake for signs of the three near a house where 13-year-old Sarah Maynard was found Sunday in the basement and where Matthew J. Hoffman, 30, was arrested. Maynard has been released from a hospital and is staying with relatives, the sheriff said.

"She is a very brave little girl," Barber said. "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."

Unlike previous days, the sheriff declined to describe the investigation as a missing-persons case, referring to it as "an investigation into the recovery of three people."

More U.S. news  Sheriff: 3 missing may have been killed
Updated 68 minutes ago 11/15/2010 7:44:24 PM +00:00 A sheriff says "there is a possibility" that three people still missing in central Ohio have been killed, a day after a 13-year-old girl who disappeared along with them was found bound and gagged in a man's home nearby. Full story


..The shift in tone was owing to the amount of blood found at the home, the fact that only Maynard was found with the suspect and because apparently no one has seen her mother, brother and the other woman.

"We still would like to retain a hopeful attitude, but we have to be realistic," Barber said.
.It was unclear whether Hoffman knew either of the missing women, the sheriff said earlier. He did not say what led investigators to the two-story tan-sided house about 40 miles north of Columbus but said more charges are expected against Hoffman
Man held in Ohio family’s disappearance
..Foundation Park, a public park with a lake a few blocks from Hoffman's home, was closed Monday, initially by Mount Vernon police because an officer patrolling overnight had found what he thought was bloody clothing potentially related to the investigation, police Capt. George Hartz said. But tests did not find any human blood on the clothing, he said.

The city reopened the park at midmorning, only to have it closed again a half-hour later by county and state authorities so they could search the lake with a boat equipped with sonar, Hartz said. He did not have other details on the lake search.

Neighbors had said Hoffman frequented the park, which was once a gravel quarry and now has three lakes where people fish. It was difficult Monday to see any police activity through the thick trees bordering the park.

Hoffman was being held in the county jail, where personnel would not comment on whether he had an attorney. A bond hearing was tentatively scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Mount Vernon Municipal Court clerk's office said.

Only on
..Herrmann, her children and Sprang, disappeared Wednesday from Herrmann's home in nearby Howard. Barber said DNA testing on blood found in that house was expected to begin Monday.

Authorities believe the girl had been "under the control" of Hoffman since Wednesday, when she and her brother last attended school, the sheriff said. He did not know if Hoffman was connected to either Herrmann or Sprang, but said he is not the ex-boyfriend of either woman.

"At this time, whether he's connected to the family or whether he connected himself to the family ... a lot of that remains to be seen as the investigation continues," Barber said earlier.

Authorities blocked off about a half-block on either side of the home as they investigated Sunday afternoon, keeping people from entering or leaving about a half dozen homes. But later in the afternoon, the only sign of investigative activity was red and white evidence tape sealing the front door of the home.

The house with green shutters and front door and a large television antenna on the roof sits in a lower-middle-income neighborhood with two bars within a block. Holly grows through the weathered slats of the porch. A sheet covered one window, and blinds were pulled down on the rest.

Dawna Davis, 35, who lives next door to Hoffman, said she told her children to stay indoors when he was out. She said he moved in alone about a year ago and that a girlfriend lived with him temporarily with her son until about a month ago.

"He would sit and listen to us up in a tree. He had a hammock and he would sit there and listen to us," she said. "He was just different. He was very different."

Davis said Hoffman did tree trimming work and had built a fire Wednesday night in his backyard, where there was a mound of ashes Sunday with tree parts on it. She said he walked to Foundation Park almost every day and was a "nature person" who collected leaves.

Herrmann was reported missing Wednesday when she did not show up for work at a local Dairy Queen. Barber has said blood indicating an injury had been found in her home, where Sprang's vehicle was in the driveway.

Herrmann's pickup truck had been found Thursday night near the Kenyon College campus, leading to a lockdown at the school.



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40193670/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/?GT1=43001

[Buckeye]

Live camera view:

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/video/breaking.html

Live radio scanner (has other calls coming in, not related to case):

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?action=wp&feedId=185

[Tamikosmom]

NOVEMBER 15, 2010, 5:36 P.M. ET
Hope Dims for Three Missing People in Ohio

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio—Fearing the worst, investigators searched a lake for three missing people Monday after a teenage girl who disappeared along with them was rescued, bound and gagged, from the basement of a man's home nearby.

Sheriff David Barber conceded that 13-year-old Sarah Maynard's mother, brother and a family friend may be dead. All four vanished last Wednesday from the girl's home, which was found splattered with blood, police said.

"We still would like to retain a hopeful attitude," the sheriff said, "but we have to be realistic."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703326204575617031481351658.html

[Cappuccino]

HLN is breaking with a car being pulled in the pond near this suspect's home.   Neighbor is reporting that backpacks may have been removed from the car & put into paper bags.

[no rose colored glasses]

HLN is breaking with a car being pulled in the pond near this suspect's home.   Neighbor is reporting that backpacks may have been removed from the car & put into paper bags.

Thanks   

[Itaryl Moosee]

HLN is breaking with a car being pulled in the pond near this suspect's home.   Neighbor is reporting that backpacks may have been removed from the car & put into paper bags.

Thanks   

Looks like two cars have been pulled out. But, are they related?

http://www.abc6onyourside.com/shared/inc/video/news/images/homepage_stopimg.jpg

KNOX COUNTY, Ohio -- With the help of a tow truck, a dive team recovered a second vehicle from a quarry near Foundation Park in Knox County. It's confirmed as a stolen vehicle.

About 5 p.m. Monday, the team retrieved a four-door vehicle from the same area of the quarry. Authorities could not confirm if the vehicle is connected to the search for two women and a young boy reported missing last Thursday.

http://www.abc6onyourside.com/

[Itaryl Moosee]

The picture lighted up.

[Leroy]

The picture lighted up.

Thanks Itaryl.  From what I know of the vehicles, obviously Tina's truck was found, Stephanie's car was in Tina's garage and Hoffman's car was in police custody. 

But I would have to go back and find the links to be sure.

[Tamikosmom]

There is a few areas along the river in our area where stolen vehicle are often retrieved.

Janet

[Leroy]

There is a few areas along the river in our area where stolen vehicle are often retrieved.

Janet

that's what I'm thinking these are.  Except I still believe Hoffman didn't do this alone so they may in fact be related to this case. 

This is one of those cases that makes me triple, double check my windows and doors.  Sick people out there!!!

[Itaryl Moosee]

Still close-lipped regarding how the investigation led to Hoffman, Barber revealed for the first time at his press briefing Monday that a sheriff’s deputy talked to Hoffman in the area where a truck belonging to Herrmann was found late Thursday. Hoffman was sitting in his vehicle at a parking lot of the Kokosing Gap Trail, near the Brown Family Environmental Center, before Herrmann’s truck was found there later in the evening. Barber said it is routine for deputies to check out people in a situation like that and sometimes run a check on the car and its registration.

“That incident did not lead to his arrest,” Barber said.

http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/10/11/15/barber-gives-new-information-on-three-missing-people-at-press-conference

[Itaryl Moosee]

There is a few areas along the river in our area where stolen vehicle are often retrieved.

Janet

It appears they are not related. The 6:20pm update says so. Good thing LE is checking everything they can.



http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/police-close-ohio-park-near-kidnap-suspects-house

[SuzieQ]

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2010/11/15/story-mount-vernon-kidnapping-suspect-background.html?sid=102

Mother Of Suspected Kidnapper Says He Is 'Loner'
Monday,  November 15, 2010 5:45 PM
Updated: Monday,  November 15, 2010 8:10 PM
WBNS-10TV
 
Print StoryE-mail StoryMOUNT VERNON, Ohio — A man accused of kidnapping a 13-year-old girl and suspected in the disappearance of her mother, brother and a family friend was scheduled to be in court on Tuesday, as investigators dug deeper into his past.
Matthew Hoffman's mother spoke to 10TV's Jeff Hogan on Monday afternoon and said that since her son was arrested on Sunday morning, it has been an emotional time.

Hoffman, 30, was charged with kidnapping Sarah Maynard. The 13-year-old was removed from Hoffman's Columbus Road home after authorities swarmed the location on Sunday morning.

Knox County Sheriff David Barber said that Maynard was released from a hospital and was at home with family members.

Investigators did not elaborate what led them to Hoffman's home but his parents have a house on Apple Valley Drive in nearby Howard, Ohio, the same street where Maynard disappeared, along with her brother, Kody Maynard, 11, mother Tina Herrmann, 32, and family friend Stephanie Sprang, 41, 10TV News reported.

Hoffman's mother said her son occasionally had mail sent to her address but he has not lived at her home in two years.

She described her son as a "loner" and that she last saw him on Nov. 7, four days before investigators believe he abducted Maynard.

Hoffman was convicted in 2000 of setting fire to a Colorado condo complex that forced 16 people to be evacuated, 10 Investigates' Paul Aker reported.

Investigators said he used 10 gallons of gasoline to set fire to the Steamboat Springs building in an effort to cover up a burglary he committed there.

He was sentenced to eight years in prison, where he was disciplined for refusing to work, damaging property and assault, Aker reported.

After being released from prison he came to Knox County in 2007 and was able to obtain a $30,000 mortgage but it was unclear how he paid the bills.

While on parole, Hoffman was ordered to make payments for the $2 million in damage to the condos, but records showed he only paid about $5,000.

State records showed Hoffman was on parole supervision until October, Aker reported.

Hoffman's neighbors said that he moved into the five-bedroom home about a year ago.  They said that he lived alone and had a history of strange behavior that made them uncomfortable.

"At first, (Hoffman) seemed like he was OK," said Donna Davis, his next door neighbor.  "Then, I started making my kids come in when he was outside."

Davis told 10TV's Glenn McEntyre that initially, Hoffman seemed more odd than menacing.

"He was a weirdo," Davis said.  "If you look back here in the tree, there's a hammock where he would sit and watch people.  He's just different.  He would always walk over to the gravel pit with bags and sometimes not bring them back.  Sometimes he would."

The former gravel pit that Davis mentioned is now known as Foundation Park, a few blocks from Hoffman's home, and was the site of an extensive search on Monday.

[cartfly]

http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2010/nov/15/26/knox-co-girl-found-alive-bound-no-word-3-others-ar-291229/ 

Knox Co. Sheriff Asks Public For Tips; 3 Still Missing


Published: November 15, 2010
Updated: November 15, 2010 - 6:51 PM

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio -- It's possible that the three people still missing in Central Ohio were killed, a sheriff conceded Monday, a day after the 13-year-old girl who disappeared along with them was rescued from the home of a man later charged with kidnapping.

Authorities want to remain optimistic that 32-year-old Tina Herrmann, her 10-year-old son, Kody, and Herrmann's friend, 41-year-old Stephanie Sprang, are alive, Knox County Sheriff David Barber said at a news conference.

Investigators searched the lake for signs of the three near a house where 13-year-old Sarah Maynard was found in the basement and where Matthew J. Hoffman, 30, was arrested. Maynard has been released from a hospital and is staying with relatives, the sheriff said.

"She is a very brave little girl," Barber said. "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."

Unlike previous days, the sheriff declined to describe the investigation as a missing-persons case, referring to it as "an investigation into the recovery of three people."

The shift in tone was owing to the amount of blood found at the home, the fact that only Maynard was found with the suspect and because apparently no one has seen her mother, brother and the other woman.

"We still would like to retain a hopeful attitude, but we have to be realistic," Barber said.

The sheriff revealed that authorities first questioned Hoffman on Thursday, the day after Herrmann didn't show up for work at a local Dairy Queen and was reported missing.

Police found him "just sitting there" in his car near a public bike trail opposite property owned by Kenyon College, near where Herrmann's pickup truck was found the same day, Barber said. It wasn't clear whether the pickup truck had been found first.

Authorities arrested him Sunday at his two-story tan-sided house about 40 miles north of Columbus. Barber would not reveal what led investigators to the home and said there is no indication others were involved. It was unclear whether Hoffman knew the two women.

"They knew Hoffman or Hoffman made himself known to them; he acquainted himself with the family whether they knew he was acquainting himself with them or not," he said.

A few blocks away from Hoffman's home, Foundation Park was closed Monday, initially by Mount Vernon police because an officer patrolling overnight had found what he thought was bloody clothing potentially related to the investigation, police Capt. George Hartz said. But tests did not find any human blood on the clothing, he said.

The city reopened the park at midmorning, only to have it closed again a half-hour later by county and state authorities so they could search the lake with a boat equipped with sonar, Hartz said. He did not have other details on the lake search.

Neighbors had said Hoffman frequented the park, which was once a gravel quarry and now has three lakes where people fish. It was difficult Monday to see any police activity through the thick trees bordering the park.

Hoffman was being held in the county jail and did not have an attorney, the sheriff said. A bond hearing was tentatively scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Mount Vernon Municipal Court clerk's office said.

Herrmann, her children and Sprang disappeared Wednesday from Herrmann's home in nearby Howard. Barber has said blood indicating an injury had been found in Herrmann's home, where Sprang's vehicle was in the driveway.

Authorities believe Maynard, the teenage girl, had been "under the control" of Hoffman since Wednesday, when she and her brother last attended school, the sheriff said.

The girl is with relatives and has been helpful in the investigation, Barber said. He would not comment Monday on whether she was hurt or assaulted.

He asked the public to think back to last Wednesday or Thursday and to report anything unusual to the authorities. Call the Knox County sheriff’s office at 740-397-3333 or a special tipline at 888-363-TIPS.

If the public finds something out of the ordinary or possible evidence, don’t touch it. Call the authorities.

Crews pulled two vehicles out of the water at Foundation Park Monday evening. Investigators said the vehicles are likely unrelated to the search.

A candle and prayer vigil for the three missing was held at 6 p.m. Monday at South Vernon United Methodist Church, 142 Columbus Rd., Mount Vernon.

At about 5 p.m., NBC 4's Patrick Preston said the county prosecutor officially charged Hoffman with kidnapping.

Preston added that Hoffman has since started cooperating with authorities and was answering questions.

Barber said more charges are expected against Hoffman, who lives at the home about 40 miles north of Columbus.

Dawna Davis, 35, who lives next door to Hoffman, said she told her children to stay indoors when he was out. She said he moved in alone about a year ago and that a girlfriend lived with him temporarily with her son until about a month ago.

"He would sit and listen to us up in a tree. He had a hammock and he would sit there and listen to us," she said. "He was just different. He was very different."

TIMELINE
A timeline of events surrounding the disappearance of four people in Ohio:

Wednesday - Tina Herrmann is reported missing when she doesn't show up for work at a Dairy Queen in Mount Vernon, about 40 miles north of Columbus. Her children, Sarah Maynard, 13, and Kody, 10, are last seen at school. A sheriff's deputy goes to the house and sees the lights on and a pickup truck in the driveway.

Thursday - Authorities find blood inside Herrmann's home. A friend of the woman, Stephanie Sprang, also is missing. Herrmann's pickup truck is found that night close to the nearby Kenyon College campus, leading to a lockdown at the school.

Friday - A man who recently ended a relationship with Herrmann but still lives in the same house says he last heard from her early Wednesday. Greg Borders says police were at the house and found a mess inside when he returned Thursday afternoon.

Saturday - Knox County Sheriff David Barber says the unusual amount of blood in the house is related to the disappearance of the four. Investigators and neighbors search by air and land and in a private lake.

Sunday - Authorities find the 13-year-old girl bound and gagged but alive in the basement of a Mount Vernon home, about 10 miles away from Herrmann's home in the community of Howard. Police arrest Matthew J. Hoffman at the Mount Vernon house and charge him with kidnapping.

Monday - An officer finds items that could be tied to the disappearance at a park with a lake that is a few blocks from Hoffman's home. Police cruisers then block off the area. Monday afternoon, search crews recover two vehicle from a body of water at the park, but later announce that the vehicles are likely unrelated to the missing persons case.

[MuffyBee]

http://**/breaking-news/ci_16625747
Ohio sheriff: Missing mom, 2 others may be dead
November 16, 2010

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio—Authorities say a man accused of kidnapping a 13-year-old girl found bound and gagged in a basement may have been watching her family beforehand.

Knox County Sheriff David Barber says Matthew J. Hoffman even sat nearby last week as police recovered the missing family's truck in central Ohio.

Now, investigators acknowledge hope is dimming that the girl's mother, brother and family friend will be found alive nearly a week after they were reported missing.

Police rescued 13-year-old Sarah Maynard from the basement of Hoffman's home on Sunday. They're still searching for her mother, Tina Herrmann; her 10-year-old brother, Kody Maynard; and a family 41-year-old friend, Stephanie Sprang.

Hoffman has been charged with one count of kidnapping and is scheduled to appear via video from jail for a bond hearing Tuesday. The sheriff says he does not yet have a lawyer

[sleddogs]

Cadaver K-9s Called To Mt. Vernon; Mom, Son & Friend Still Missing

http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2010/nov/16/6/mt-vernon-mom-son-friend-still-missing-ar-292197/

[Itaryl Moosee]

He's got a hearing at 1:30pm.

In Good Morning America, a neighbor says he's a "squirrel eater."

Can't get lower than that. He would climb trees, set his lawn on fire, listen to neighbors, and shoot squirrels.

Nothing to indicate he was a killer, though.

Just weird.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/accused-kidnapper-missing-ohio-family-case-raised-flags/story?id=12158770