Cops Capture 'The Leaf Killer' After 4-Day Search

Tina Herrmann, at 32, was...Tina Herrmann was fun-loving and a hard worker.Herrmann showed a caring nature. She liked sunflowers and collecting dolphins. Her favorite thing was being a mother. Herrmann loved watching and cheering on her children in sports. She wanted to fill their lives with happiness and comfort.

Tina Herrmann was a divorced mother of two. She lived with her ex-husband, Larry Maynard, and both parties always put the children first, even though their new relationship needed practice.

After losing her job, Herrmann moved Sarah, age 13, and Kody, age 9, to Mount Vernon, OH. They lived with her new boyfriend, Greg Borders, despite their impending breakup. Their new home, on King Beach Drive, sat isolated from other houses, featuring a large backyard opening to the woods.

Herrmann found a job at the local Dairy Queen. Life settled into a new normal for the family until Herrmann...Herrmann failed to report for work.This happened on November 10, 2010.

Herrmann's reliability made her manager and friend, Valerie Haythorn, worry. Haythorn said the absence was “so out of character for her.” Herrmann did not skip shifts; she would call if she could not make her 4 pm shift. Knowing Herrmann was ending a difficult relationship, Haythorn called the sheriff's department for a wellness check.

Herrmann missed work the next day. More concerning, the children's school reported Sarah and Kody absent. Feeling something was wrong, Haythorn began calling mutual friends to see if they heard from the mother.

During a call, Haythorn learned Herrmann's best friend, Stephanie Sprang, was also unreachable. Sprang's boyfriend had reported her missing that morning.Stephanie Sprang's boyfriend reported her missing that morning.Haythorn took action. She broke into Herrmann's home through a back window. Inside the hallway, Haythorn found a gruesome crime scene: Thick blood pooled on the floor and covered the walls and furniture. She also saw drag marks on the wood.

Haythorn called the police a second time about Herrmann's disappearance. She told them, “There's blood everywhere.” Although the house had bodily fluids, authorities found no signs of the family, only a red shoe print matching Sarah Maynard's heading toward the garage.

Haythorn called the police a second time about Herrmann’s disappearance. He told them, “There's blood everywhere.” Bodily fluids covered the home. Authorities found no signs of the family. They did find a red shoe print matching Sarah Maynard's heading toward the garage.

Authorities first looked at Herrmann's ex-boyfriend, Greg Borders, as the suspect. Their relationship was reportedly rocky.

Authorities first looked at Herrmann's ex-boyfriend, Greg Borders, as the culprit. This follows the pattern for most missing person cases.Greg Borders and Herrmann’s ex-boyfriend relationship was reportedly rocky.Authorities quickly cleared Herrmann's boyfriend as a suspect.

Anger or jealousy could have motivated Borders to harm the family. Borders was away the night the family disappeared, which struck police as too coincidental. Borders had a solid alibi; police quickly determined he had nothing to do with the disappearances.

Borders' punch cards confirmed his work attendance. Co-workers saw him on shift. He slept at a friend's house because they had golf reservations the next morning; both checked in.

Borders later gave authorities permission to search his home and cooperated with all search efforts.

Investigators searched Herrmann's home. A discarded clue at the crime scene led them to their suspect. Police saw recently purchased garbage bags and heavy-duty tarps in the garage.

They found cleaning products and oils on the blood stains. This showed the suspect likely tried to clean up the attack. He left to buy more supplies to erase evidence. Detectives used a Walmart receipt to find the culprit.

Timestamps and security footage showed authorities spotting the customer. He bought tarps, trash bags, a turkey sandwich, and a discounted Halloween T-shirt. Detectives tracked him until he entered the parking lot, got into a Toyota Yaris, and drove off.

Cross-referencing information with Toyota Yaris owners, authorities identified the suspect: Matthew Hoffman, an unemployed tree-trimmer.Hoffman had a criminal history.He served six years in prison for first-degree arson, burglary, and theft.

Detectives watched Hoffman on security tape. 13-year-old Sarah Maynard remained locked in a crawl space under his house.

Police identified Hoffman after the search.a deputy recognized him.The deputy pulled over him near Kenyon College after the Herrmann family was officially declared missing. This realization provided vital information for the investigation, as Herrmann's car was later found abandoned in the parking lot.

Hoffman bought garbage bags and tarps at Walmart. He dropped them in Herrmann's garage. Then, Hoffman decided to burn down the house to destroy the evidence. Hoffman left the residence. He took Herrmann's truck to buy gasoline tanks. The truck stalled returning to King Beach Drive. This forced him to leave the vehicle in the college parking lot.

Hoffman walked home, entered his Yaris, and planned to drive back to the truck for the gas tanks. A deputy stopped him on that drive. The deputy asked why Hoffman entered a closed parking lot. Hoffman answered he waited for his girlfriend. The name he gave was Sarah.

Herrmann would not be declared missing until the next day. Thus, the deputy could not know the car in the lot belonged to a missing family or that he spoke to their killer.The deputy suspected no foul play.The deputy let Hoffman go without suspicion.

On November 14, 2010, detectives obtained a no-knock, no-notice warrant.Detectives raided Hoffman's home.After catching a sleeping Hoffman, the SWAT team saw something odd in his house. Leaves covered everything.

Thousands of leaves covered the floor and furniture. Some mounds rose high; police first thought they hid bodies.Nestled among the leaves, bags stuffed with foliage were also found. Over 110 sacks lined the living room walls, with more than 110 bags inside the bathroom.Bags stuffed with foliage rested among the leaves. Over 110 bags filled the bathroom walls, stacked floor-to-ceiling.

Hidden among the leaves were drawings of strange animals and doodles similar to what a teenager makes. A giant peace sign was on the door, stars covered parts of the walls, and random names were written in marker. Black drawings, including a jack-o-lantern, covered the bathroom. The mix of leaves and crude drawings unnerved even veteran SWAT team members.Leaves were not the only things the SWAT team found in Hoffman's house.Hidden in a crawlspace, a bound and gagged Sarah Maynard rested in the basement. The 13-year-old wore only plastic pants acting as a diaper. She was chained to the wall and lay on a large pile of leaves Hoffman made into a bed.

Hiddenamong the leavesDrawings of strange animals and doodles, like those a teenager makes, filled the space. A "giant peace sign" adorned the door; stars covered walls, and "random names were written in marker." Black drawings, including a jack-o-lantern, covered the bathroom. The mix of leaves and crude drawings unsettled even experienced SWAT team members.

The SWAT team found more than just leaves inside Hoffman's house.Hidden in a crawlspaceSarah Maynard, bound and gagged, lay in the basement. She wore only plastic pants acting as a diaper. Hoffman chained her to the wall, placing her on a pile of leaves he made into a bed.

Sarah ate rotten food and spoiled milk. She could not recall how many days passed or what happened to her family. She told investigators Hoffman attacked her brother after they returned from school. Terrified, Sarah ran to her room and screamed for her mother. Hoffman broke the door and subdued her.

He threatened her: if she screamed, he would kill her. He tied her hands, blindfolded her, and put her in a car with several bags. The teenager had no idea she was pressed against her family's dismembered remains.

For four days, Sarah remained chained to her kidnapper while he slept. He forced her into a dark, cold crawlspace covered in leaves and repeatedly assaulted her. When found, Sarah told detectives Hoffman killed her dog, but he promised to return her to her family by Christmas.Hoffman promised to return Sarah to her family by Christmas.Hoffman promised to return Sarah to her family by Christmas.

Not knowing her family's fate, Sarah asked detectives to take her to school because she worried about her long absence.

Hoffman told investigators he targeted the Herrmann house because it was isolated from neighbors and the garage door was broken, giving him easy entry. He claimed he only intended to rob the house and was surprised when Herrmann came home early.

Hoffman shocked by her arrival.Hoffman hit her a couple of times in the head, but this did not knock her out. The action failed, and he began to panic. In his panic, he stabbed Herrmann multiple times with a serrated hunting knife. Sprang entered the home to help Herrmann find an apartment to move into. Seeing his friend attacked, Sprang rushed to help but was quickly overpowered and killed.Hoffman hit her a couple of times in the head, but this did not knock her out. He failed, and he started panicking. In his panic, he stabbed Herrmann multiple times with a serrated hunting knife. Sprang entered the home to help Herrmann find an apartment to move into. Seeing his friend attacked, Sprang rushed to help but was quickly overpowered and also killed.

Once both women were down, Hoffman killed the family dog.Hoffman killed the family dog.Hoffman killed the family dog to stop it from barking, then dragged the bodies into the bathtub where he dismembered all of them. He nearly finished when the children came home, and he attacked Kody Maynard.

Hoffman.Hoffman told authorities.Hoffman was in a total state of shock after the murders. He wandered around the house, slowly realizing what he had done and how bad it was.

Police thought the situation spiraled out of control, but they did not think the attack was as random as Hoffman suggested. The break-in and subsequent kidnapping seemed planned methodically.Police used receipts to determine the plan.Police found receipts in his home.

Hoffman bought Sure-Grip gloves on November 4, then duct tape and more gloves on November 8. A search of his online buys also showed he bought the knife used to stab his victims days before the break-in. These items suggested a motive much more wicked than a home robbery.

Even though he repeatedly violated Sarah Maynard, Hoffman claimed he.Hoffman claimed he took good care of her.He told police he fed her hamburgers, let her play video games, and gave her books to read.

Sarah.Sarah disputed his claims.Sarah said Hoffman just said that to feel good about himself for thinking he fed her and other things because he did not. He did not let her shower or do any of that stuff.

Sarah pushed to find the part of Hoffman that let her live during the invasion. She hoped listening to him and asking questions would keep her alive long enough for someone to find her.

The search for Herrmann, Sprang, and Kody did not end with Hoffman's arrest. Authorities then believed their missing person case was actually a murder.

Hoffman initially refused to cooperate. He sat silent for hours while police tried to find the other family members. Hoffman's silence ended when he began suffering from aself-proclaimed nightmare.The nightmare involved a food-processing plant and a trash bag full of chopped-up limbs. Hoffman claimed the nightmare helped him recall what he did during the home invasion and where he hid the bodies. However, he would only tell detectives what he remembered if they agreed to his conditions.

Hoffman said he would write the victims' locations on paper and give it to his lawyer. After the lawyer got the paper, detectives would let Hoffman escape, then shoot him as he ran. Once Hoffman died, the locations of Herrmann, Sprang, and Kody would be revealed. When detective Deitz told Hoffman he could not agree to those terms, Hoffman claimed he lied about knowing where any of the missing victims were.

The lie ended fast. Facing the death penalty, Hoffmann confessed fully two days later for a lighter sentence. He pointed detectives to a sixty-foot birch tree in Kokosing Wildlife Area. Hoffman climbed the hollow birch and threw the cut remains inside.

After he told the police about the tree,Hoffmann asked for“pictures showing that [authorities] had not destroyed the tree” to find the remains.

Gary Ludwig, a supervisor with Ohio’s Division of Wildlife, confirmed the department.Wildlife authorities cut down the birch tree.to stop it from becoming “a sightseeing thing.”

While many people satisfy their morbid curiosity by reading articles about gruesome crimes, othersparticipate in dark tourism, which means they visit gruesome crime scenes. Out of caution and respect for the family, the Division of Wildlife decided to remove the tree entirely so Sarah Maynard could grieve in peace.

Besides revealing the locations of Tina Herrmann, Kody Maynard, and Stephanie Sprang, HoffmanHoffmann agreed to plead guilty.to the 10 felony counts prosecutors brought against him. ThoseCharges included aggravated murder, gross abuse of a corpse, burglary, kidnapping, and sexual assault.Hoffman received a life without parole sentence.

His plea deal stopped him from facing the death penalty. It did not stop him from spending the rest of his life in jail. On January 6, 2011, Hoffman received a life sentence without parole.

Sarah Maynard attended Hoffman's sentencing. Prosecutor John Thatcher read Sarah's written statement to the judge and jury. Sarah wrote, “I’m not scared of you, Matthew. I’m going to stand up for myself and live my life.” This statement the teenager has lived up to.

After losing her family, Sarah Maynard has spoken about her ordeal. She hopes to help future victims survive kidnappings. Sarah also vowed to live a happy, fulfilled life, matching her mother's wishes.