KODY MAYNARD - 11 yo (2010) Killed with Mother and her friend - Howard (NE of Columbus) OH

Tarp and duct-taped trash bags found in Knox County during search for 3 missing
Sheriff says it's possible mother, son and family friend are dead
Tuesday, November 16, 2010 02:53 AM
Updated: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 11:48 AM
By Allison Manning and Elizabeth Gibson
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Citizen searchers watch divers this morning around a pond in Foundation Park.
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 been 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.

Delaware County deputies and two dog teams also joined the search. They are searching the Kokosing Gap Trail, a 14-mile paved recreational trail that runs between Mount Vernon and Danville. The trail ends near where Tina Herrmann's truck was found abandoned on Thursday. (See a PDF of the trail).

The dogs are from two volunteer groups - Midwest K9 Search Unit and Rapid Assistance to Community Emergencies.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/11/16/hope-fading.html?sid=101

bond set at 1 million

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2010/11/16/story-mount-vernon-hoffman-court-hearing-bond.html?sid=102
$1 Million Bond For Suspected Knox Co. Kidnapper
Tuesday, November 16, 2010 1:58 PM
Updated: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 2:15 PM
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.

SLIDESHOWS: Case Timeline | Tuesday's Search | Park Search | Images From Mount Vernon Neighborhood | Four Missing | Search For Missing People | VIDEO EXTRA: Sheriff David Barber's Nov. 15 News Conference

Hoffman is accused of kidnapping and holding Sarah Maynard, 13, for several days in his home. The girl was rescued on Sunday when authorities swarmed Hoffman's house on Columbus Road.

Maynard was found bound and gagged in Hoffman's basement, authorities said.

The teenager is one of four people who vanished last week from Knox County. The other three people, including her mother and brother, are still missing.

No one has seen or heard from Tina Herrmann, 32; her son, Kody, 11; and a friend, Stephanie Sprang, 41, since last Wednesday.

Search operations for the three included cadaver dogs on Tuesday.

Investigators used dogs to search six specific areas, including the Kokosing Gap trail that runs between Howard and Mount Vernon, 10TV's Tino Ramos reported.

Detectives told 10TV that dogs found a possible piece of evidence located off the trail near state Route 229.

It was a sock that appeared to have been recently placed in the area. Investigators were unsure whether it was connected to the missing people.

A shoe was also found at Foundation Park, but there was no immediate word whether it belonged to one of the missing people.

Part of the search also expanded into Howard, 10TV's Shayla Reaves reported.

A group searching south of Gambier reportedly may have found some evidence, but details on the findings were not released.

Watch 10TV News and refresh 10TV.com for additional information.

Have I got this right? So the kids were in school Wednesday but Mom was already missing from work and her work had asked for a welfare check. An officer went to the house and saw vehicles in the drive and lights on but didn't do anything? Did anyone come to the door? There were bear cans littered all round the house when they went in on Thursday, and a lot of blood. What I think must have happened is that Hoffman went round Wednesday and either restrained or killed Tina and Stephanie and then waited for the kids to come home from school. God if only LE had have got into the house on Wednesday, or not allowed the children to enter until they checked that their mother was definitely ok

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.Hoffman remains on suicide watch at the Knox County Jail on a $1 million bond. Thatcher told NBC 4 that additional charges may be filed and that a hearing is scheduled for Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.Barber said there was no indication that anyone other than Hoffman was involved in the case.Barber said the bodies were in the custody of Knox County Coroner Jennifer Ogle and were being taken to the Licking County Coroner's office.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, is in custody and charged with kidnapping.Maynard was found bound and gagged and was taken to an area hospital. By Monday afternoon, she was released from the hospital and reunited with relatives.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 said they believe Sarah Maynard, had been "under the control" of Hoffman since Nov. 10, when she and her brother last attended school, the sheriff said.Barber said he felt it was safe to say that the deaths of Herrmann, Kody Maynard and Sprang occurred in the Herrmann home.At one point during the conference, Barber became emotional, saying Sarah is his hero. He added that Sarah was present at the time of the three murders.TIMELINE
A timeline of events surrounding the disappearance of four people in Ohio:http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2010/nov/18/39/bodies-missing-boy-women-found-ar-295449/

OMG Sarah saw her mother and brother murdered That poor child. I'm so upset Kody and the others were killed. What a monster. He should be hung from the tree he put them in. Nobody on this planet should bother spending one more second thinking about him or helping him with his 'rights'. Just get rid of him.

kiwimom wrote:OMG Sarah saw her mother and brother murdered That poor child. I'm so upset Kody and the others were killed. What a monster. He should be hung from the tree he put them in. Nobody on this planet should bother spending one more second thinking about him or helping him with his 'rights'. Just get rid of him.

Do we know why he took Sarah? I can guess, but I haven't heard it reported....?

My heart goes out to Sarah, this poor child will never be the same again. No, we haven't heard why he kept Sarah but, I think we're smart enough to surmise why. I don't think they'll say anything about it until they absolutely have to, she's going thru enough right now.
This nut job needs to be hung, NOW!!! There should not be one single cent spent on defending him, he has a long criminal record and needs to be done away with, he's wasted enough oxygen.

cindmo wrote:

kiwimom wrote:OMG Sarah saw her mother and brother murdered That poor child. I'm so upset Kody and the others were killed. What a monster. He should be hung from the tree he put them in. Nobody on this planet should bother spending one more second thinking about him or helping him with his 'rights'. Just get rid of him.

Do we know why he took Sarah? I can guess, but I haven't heard it reported....?

In one of the articles it said Sarah was under his control from Wednesday. It seems she was always his target. That begs the question why he didn't just abduct her? Why go to the home and kill the others?

kiwimom wrote:

cindmo wrote:

kiwimom wrote:OMG Sarah saw her mother and brother murdered That poor child. I'm so upset Kody and the others were killed. What a monster. He should be hung from the tree he put them in. Nobody on this planet should bother spending one more second thinking about him or helping him with his 'rights'. Just get rid of him.

Do we know why he took Sarah? I can guess, but I haven't heard it reported....?

In one of the articles it said Sarah was under his control from Wednesday. It seems she was always his target. That begs the question why he didn't just abduct her? Why go to the home and kill the others?

Maybe he thought he could keep her in his basement and LE would be looking for the whole missing family...very, very sad. Reminds me of the Shasta Groene case.

I removed Sarah from the topic title as she has been "Found".

TomTerrific0420 wrote:I removed Sarah from the topic title as she has been "Found".

Thanks Tom, I forgot to do that. Welcome back. LYLAB

my heart just hurts over this tragedy.