The Girl in the Leaves

by Robert Scott

  “Where did you put the blankets you had wrapped Sarah with in the Jeep?” Hoffman: “Used for bed at Columbus Road.”

  “How many pair of gloves did you take into the house? Did you use other gloves from the house or from other sources over the course of the event?” Hoffman answered that he took only one pair of gloves into the King Beach Drive residence, and that he used two pairs of gloves during the whole four-day episode. This was counter to the evidence that two pairs of gloves were used in the house.

  After the questions were answered, Detective David Light and Special Agent Joe Dietz signed the bottom of the agreement between Hoffman and his attorneys and Prosecutor John Thatcher.

  That same day Detective Doug Turpen and Lieutenant Gary Rohler received information from Matthew Hoffman via his attorneys indicating where he had left clothing and other items in the woods across the street from the King Beach Drive address. The officers went there and found two empty water bottles, a backpack and a camouflage jacket stuffed under some weeds.

  Quite a few additional items were seized from the woods. These included a gray pullover top, camouflage sweatpants, a pair of boot socks and a green headlamp. A blue lighter and matches were found, as well as a tube of camouflage makeup, one apple and assorted candy and peanut wrappers. Why Hoffman left these items and came back only for the ball cap and pocketknife remained a mystery.

  * * *

  As mentioned earlier, many people did not believe the particulars of Matt Hoffman’s statement or his answers to the investigators’ follow-up questions, considering Hoffman’s recollections to be a combination of half truths and outright lies. Larry Maynard was definitely in that group. He did not believe Hoffman’s claim that he had picked Tina’s residence at random. Larry speculated that perhaps Hoffman knew or had previously met Tina or Stephanie, or maybe he’d seen Sarah at the house. Whatever the reason, Larry firmly believed that Hoffman had purposefully targeted the house, and not just to rob it.

  “What kind of burglar spends all that time in a house, not knowing when a person will come back home?” Larry questioned. A thief, he reasoned, would “want to get in and out of there as soon as possible. And with many valuable items in the house, why didn’t he take them after he had killed Tina and Stephanie? He had plenty of time to leave before Sarah and Kody got home. His first action should have been to get out of the house as soon as possible. From just looking around the house, he had to know that a boy and girl lived there.” Larry was particularly disturbed that Hoffman had left Tina’s purse behind. “I could never figure out why Hoffman left Tina’s purse in the garage. It contained two rings and the gold necklace with the dolphin on it. These were expensive items. If he had been there to rob the place, then that should have been the first things he carried out with him when he went with Sarah in Stephanie’s Jeep to the baseball-field parking lot. Why leave that purse in the garage? That’s where the detectives found it.

  “In my heart I don’t believe Matthew Hoffman went there to just rob the place. I mean, why did he stay around all that time before Tina ever got home? And then he spent all the extra time in the house until the kids got home from school? He knew how much more risky that made his situation. He said he’d seen Greg drive off in his vehicle that morning. How did he know that Greg wasn’t coming home [later]?” Larry felt the entire scenario had been preplanned. “I believe he was just marking time until the kids got home so that he could kill Kody and snatch Sarah. He even said that he saw her photo on the refrigerator in the house. So he knew she lived there, and wasn’t surprised at all when they came home from school.

  “And I don’t believe anything he said about treating Sarah well when he had her at his house. He claimed he let her shower, fed her well and watched DVD movies with her. Sarah told me none of those things happened. He just wrote all that stuff to make himself look better. I believe that most of the stuff he said, other than his timeline of moving vehicles and things like that, was all a lie. He just wanted to make people think things had spun out of control. I believe that as soon as he stepped foot inside that house, he planned to kill. Otherwise, why bring the blackjack and the knife? He said it was just to threaten, but he was big enough to threaten Tina, Stephanie, Kody or Sarah without a knife.”

  Ultimately, Larry said, “There were a lot of other items in that house that Hoffman didn’t take. Why not, if it was just a burglary? None of that made any sense. He had to have other reasons for going in there and doing what he did. More than anything else, those reasons drive me crazy thinking about them. I can’t believe it was just a random act—that he picked that house out of all the houses in the area. There had to be a reason—but I don’t know what it is. And very little of what he said in his confession can be taken as the truth.”

  TWENTY-NINE

  Thoughts and Prayers

  The first Sunday after the news broke about the discovery of Tina’s, Kody’s and Stephanie’s bodies was like no other in living memory in Mount Vernon. All the local churches addressed the news in one manner or another.

  At the Trinity Worship Center, which Sarah Maynard had attended with a friend only weeks before the crimes, Reverend Donald Matolyak told a reporter before the service, “What do you say to people, in the midst of what’s perhaps the most terrible evil that’s been perpetrated in this community? I want to present a picture of hope.”

  During his address to the congregation, Reverend Matolyak declared that Matthew Hoffman was just one person, and they did not have to live in fear. He pointed out how the community had embraced the victims while they were still “missing” and volunteered in droves to find them. “Into the darkness we shine. Out of the ashes we rise.” Matolyak even asked the congregation to pray for the “forgotten victims”—Matthew Hoffman’s family members—reminding people that they were not part of what Hoffman had done.

  Brenda Renshaw, who was a member of the church and knew Sarah, related, “For young people, we want them to believe that God loves all of us, even if that’s hard to believe at a time like this. It’s going to take a long while, but it’s going to get back to where we feel normal like before.”

  * * *

  Late on Monday, November 22, a fire was reported on the deck of the house on King Beach Drive where Tina, Kody and Stephanie had been killed. A fire crew was sent and they easily put out the fire, but just who was responsible for starting it or why it had been set was not apparent. Some people in the community thought that it was a message to Greg Borders not to move back into the house. Others thought that someone wanted the house to burn down to erase the memory of what had happened there.

  The next day, November 23, an investigation into the fire was begun. On that same day, Matthew Hoffman and his attorneys waived the scheduled court hearing. And the families of Tina Herrmann, Kody Maynard and Stephanie Sprang were receiving friends and family at public visitations, with private funerals to follow the next day.

  * * *

  That Tuesday at Flowers-Snyder Funeral Home up in Mount Vernon, people were saying good-bye to Stephanie Sprang. Stephanie’s mother, Pat Cullins, had written a statement to the community at large. It read, “I want to thank everyone who has been supporting our family at this time of crisis. It makes you realize how many caring people there are in such a wicked world. It makes me proud to say I live in Mount Vernon because the community support has amazed me.

  “I wish I could thank everyone personally, but I just know I am talking to each one of you when I express my deepest thanks to each of you. I know that Stephanie thanks you all. I want to also thank the Sheriff, FBI and all Law Enforcement who worked long and hard to find my daughter, at times with little sleep. You have my sincere thanks.”

  Cars were parked for blocks around the funeral home. Inside, a photo montage documenting Stephanie’s forty-one-year life was projected on a screen, the photos fading in and out. There were photos of Stephan
ie as a young girl—as a toddler in a winter coat, a little girl in a frilly dress, a teenager nearing high school graduation—and later photos, depicting her in a long white wedding gown, or with family members around a Christmas tree. There was also a large memorial photo of Stephanie, with her portrait on the right side of the frame, and a lighthouse on an oceanside cliff on the left. Below it were the words, “In Loving Memory Stephanie L. Sprang. Born on Saturday, November 1, 1969. Died on Wednesday, November 10, 2010.”

  A poem titled “Tomorrow” was printed on handouts distributed during the visiting hours. The poem expressed that when a person woke up in the mornings and began crying, Stephanie wished that the person wouldn’t do so. She wanted to let the person know that she knew they loved her, and she loved them as well. She also wanted them to know that whenever that person thought of her, she wasn’t far away at all, but right there in their heart.

  Sheriff David Barber paid his respects and attended the memorial service, as did many friends and members of the community, including Randall Alcie, who knew Stephanie from frequent karaoke nights. Randall told a reporter that Stephanie was a good singer who especially liked rock and party songs, and that “she was always smiling. Always having a good time. I never saw her down. She was a character, a real character. Full of life and enjoyed living.”

  Another person who attended the memorial said, “She was a beautiful person inside and out. It’s unreal that somebody could do something like this to her, to a family. A whole community is hurting and pulling together.”

  Other friends showed up from the golf course where Stephanie had once worked. Shannon Beheler, who had been one of Stephanie’s golfing partners, said, “Her laugh was unmistakable. Just loud and always full of joy. You always knew what hole she was on because you could hear that laugh.”

  * * *

  Also on Tuesday, November 23, 2010, public visiting hours were held for Tina Herrmann and Kody Maynard at the Peace Lutheran Church in Gahanna, about forty miles from Apple Valley. Lines of mourners entered the sanctuary. Incredibly, Sarah Maynard was there, surrounded by family, greeting one person after another, including Sheriff David Barber. As the Mount Vernon News noted, “No child should have to say goodbye to her mother and her brother in the same day. But that’s what Sarah did, just nine days after she was freed and brought home to other family members.”

  A longtime friend related later about the Herrmann and Maynard families, “They’re surrounded by family and they’re doing the best that they can. I’m sure tomorrow at the funeral it’s going to be a lot worse, but they’re keeping their heads up.”

  Larry recalled, “I was in a daze most of the time. It didn’t seem real. It was like this was all a bad dream and I’d wake up at some later time. All I could think about was Kody and Tina.”

  In a written statement at the memorial, Larry expressed, “We wish to take a moment to thank the nation for the outpouring of love, prayers and support that you all continue to provide. To the residents of Knox County who grieve with us as well, we would like to share that all of you who were touched by this tragedy, whether directly or indirectly, are in our hearts and prayers.”

  There was also soon a statement to the media: “Tina Rose Herrmann, age 32, and Kody Alexander Maynard, age 11, were unfortunately taken away from us on Wednesday, November 10, 2010. Tina was a courageous and energetic woman whose greatest joy in life was being a mother. She worked at Dairy Queen in Mount Vernon and had the ability to connect with some of the simpler things in life, like blooming sunflowers or her dolphin collection. Her beloved son, Kody, a gentle child with an enormous heart, was a 5th grader at East Knox School. He enjoyed all sports, especially baseball.

  “Tina and Kody will be missed by many loving friends and family,” the statement continued, giving a long list of family members and friends and then ending with: “In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made at any Fifth Third Bank to the Sarah Maynard Benefit Fund. The Herrmann and Maynard families would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to all those in the community who reached out in love and concern during this very difficult time.”

  Despite the request for no flowers, there were mounds of blooms at the visitation; the two closed caskets were surrounded by them. Friends walked out of the church with sunflowers, Tina’s favorite flower, and paper baseballs inscribed with Kody’s name, birth date and death date. Well-wishers could write their thoughts directly onto the baseballs.

  Dee Hall, whose grandson had attended school with Kody, said, “It’s part of the healing process for this community. We don’t experience stuff like this every day here. I’d like to believe that something this horrific has brought the community closer together.”

  Valerie Haythorn, the Dairy Queen manager where Tina had worked, and who had been the first person not only to report Tina missing but also to see the interior of the house and call the police, closed the restaurant for the day so that all employees could go to Gahana for the visiting hours.

  Eleven-year-old Keisha whose mother was a coworker of Tina’s, told a reporter, “I wrote [on the baseball], ‘We miss you, and will always miss you.’” And Keisha’s mother, Teresa said, “When I pull in to work, I expect to find [Tina’s] truck there. She was a joker and full of life. Sarah was being very, very strong. I couldn’t imagine being that strong. She would flick rubber bands at work and sing ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane.’ It’s like a really bad nightmare that I haven’t woken up from. We don’t understand why something like this happened. It just doesn’t make sense.”

  Friends also signed an online guestbook in remembrance of Tina and Kody. One person wrote, “As the holidays approach, I will keep you Sarah, and your dad Larry in my thoughts and prayers. Just remember that your mom and brother will be with you always when you look up in the sky.”

  Another person wrote, “Just sending you love and support in this very difficult time. I am forever changed and want you to know that you will be in my thoughts and prayers for the rest of my life.”

  All around Apple Valley, purple ribbons hung from mailboxes and light posts. At the home where Tina and the kids had lived on King Beach Drive, the memorial around the tree in the front yard kept growing and growing. It contained purple balloons, white crosses, stuffed animals, candles and a wind chime. A handwritten note on the tree proclaimed, “Watch over the Maynard Family.”

  THIRTY

  The Grand Jury

  Even though Matthew Hoffman had signed a confession, the investigators were not through gathering evidence against him. He and his attorneys had waived his scheduled court hearing, but Hoffman still awaited sentencing, and both the investigators and Knox County District Attorney’s Office wanted as much physical evidence as possible to support the case against him.

  Another search warrant was requested for Hoffman’s residence on Columbus Road, which stated the desire “to enter and search the residence and any outbuildings for certain evidence and trace evidence including shoes, blood evidence and stolen property.” Judge Paul Spurgeon signed the request at 9:06 AM on November 24, 2010.

  From this second search came an array of new items seized from Hoffman’s house, including a set of fifteen golf clubs and bag, a metal jewelry box, a signed baseball, an Ohio State football and a flash drive. The items also included two chain saws, a bow, a green bag containing gas can and oil can tools, a blue plastic tub and items that had been burned and melted in a backyard fire pit. The investigators believed that some items were stolen from houses other than Tina’s house, and other items came from her house on King Beach Drive.

  Detective Craig Feeney went with a helicopter pilot of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and took aerial photos of the scene where the three bodies had been found in the hollow tree. These area photos were taken to KCSO as part of the evidence.

  The actual charges against Matthew Hoffman now comprised ten felony counts: the agg
ravated murders of Tina Hoffman, Stephanie Sprang and Kody Maynard (“aggravated” because the murders had occurred while engaged in a burglary); the aggravated burglary of Tina Herrmann’s residence; the kidnapping and sexual assault on Sarah Maynard; tampering with evidence; and three charges concerning the abuse of corpses.

  The prosecution was doing everything possible to make sure that all the charges would be factored in by a judge at sentencing. BCI&I sent a report to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office detailing all of the items and DNA evidence they had collected. There were fifty items submitted by Detective David Light, ranging from the duct tape and ropes used to bind Sarah, to the blanket she had been sleeping on in Hoffman’s basement. They also contained Sarah’s clothing collected at the hospital, a leather sap, a SOG brand knife, and two pairs of Hoffman’s boots and shoes from his residence.

  Items recovered from Tina Herrmann’s home included a pair of cloth gloves Hoffman had used, and numerous swabs containing blood samples as well as swatches of blood-soaked carpet.

  As far as DNA evidence went, there were samples from Tina, Kody and Stephanie. There was also a sexual molestation kit pertaining to Sarah. Prosecuting Attorney John Thatcher compiled a lengthy potential witness list and submitted it to Judge Spurgeon. For KCSO, the list contained the names of Detective David Light, Sheriff David Barber, Lieutenant Gary Rohler, Detective Sergeant Roger Brown, Captain David Shaffer, Detective Tom Durbin, Detective Doug Turpen and Deputy Charles Statler. From BCI&I there were Special Agents Joe Dietz, Ed Lulla, Ed Carlini, Daniel Winterich, Gary Wilgus, Mark Kollar and George Staley. Forensic scientist Brenda Gerardi was listed, as well as FBI Special Agent Kristin Cadieux. From the Mount Vernon Police Department there were Sergeant Troy Glazier and Detective Craig Feeney. Dr. Jennifer Ogle of the Knox County Coroner’s Office was listed as was Dr. Jeffrey Lee of the Licking County Coroner’s Office. As far as civilians went, there was Valerie Haythorn, Tina’s friend and manager at Dairy Queen, and Sarah Maynard.