Ohio_s Most Wanted Serial Killer _ The New Detectives

A tree stump holding three dismembered bodies. A thirteen-year-old girl tied up in a basement. A Walmart bag that cracked the case wide open. The most wanted man in Ohio was hiding in plain sight.Matthew Hoffman did not wake up planning to become a multiple murderer. He was burglarizing a home in Knox County when the residents returned unexpectedly. Tina Herrmann, her eleven-year-old son Kody, and family friend Stephanie Sprang were all stabbed to death. Their bodies were dismembered and stuffed inside a hollow tree in the Kokosing Wildlife Preserve [citation:1]. Thirteen-year-old Sarah Maynard was held captive for days in Hoffman's basement before being rescued by a SWAT team [citation:1].The break came from a single detail. A Walmart bag containing tarps and trash bags was found in the victim's garage. Surveillance video showed Hoffman buying those items. A state database search of the car seen at Walmart returned Hoffman's name on the first page of hits [citation:1]. Prosecutor's later dropped the death penalty to secure a confession. Hoffman wrote a letter describing the murders, the weapon, his attempt to burn the house, and even killing the family dog [citation:1]. He is serving life without parole.Turn down the lights, put on your headphones, and press play because the monster asked for pictures of the tree to prove it was still alive.