The crime stunned Ohio when a family was found dismembered inside a tree and a 13-year-old girl survived the terror tied up in the killer’s basement.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the confines of a Knox County Sheriff’s Office interrogation room, Detective Joe Dietz confronted one of Ohio’s darkest killers, Matthew Hoffman.
For three days, the former Bureau of Criminal Investigation detective, along with sheriff’s deputies and a member of the FBI pressed Hoffman for answers about the deaths of Tina Herrmann, her 11-year-old son Kody Maynard and family friend Stephanie Sprang. The three had vanished, presumed dead, and only Hoffman knew where their bodies were.
“Tell me where they’re at, Matt,” Dietz pressed during an interrogation video obtained by 10TV.
Hoffman’s killing spree played out in the otherwise quiet Knox County home of Herrmann, a house he had stalked from the woods across the street.
The facts revealed a disturbing pattern: Hoffman broke in under a broken garage door, intending first to burglarize the home. When surprised by the returning residents, his crime turned to violence.
“People will think I’m a monster. I’m a monster if I’ve done what you say I’ve done,” Hoffman told detectives in the interrogation room.
With Hoffman refusing to tell the locations of the bodies, Dietz had to adjust his approach. Food and compassion eventually coaxed out hints,
“I don’t know what good it’s going to do. I don’t know where to look,” Hoffman told police.
It was not until prosecutors dropped the death penalty that Hoffman confessed, writing a letter describing the murders, the weapon, his attempt to burn the house and even the killing of the family dog.
“He said the dog was barking as this was going on and he couldn’t deal with it,” said Dietz.
On Nov. 18, 2010, armed with Hoffman’s map, investigators found the bodies inside a hollow tree in the Kokosing Forest, some 15 to 20 miles from the crime scene.
“I crawled up on the investigator’s back and looked through a knot hole in a tree that was about 7 feet above the ground and put a flashlight in there and there was a bunch of wood chips around, but I could see portions of black plastic garbage bags and that’s how we knew it was tree,” said Dietz.
The grisly method of disposal stunned even seasoned detectives, but Hoffman still had a card to play.
“He killed three people, kidnapped another one and he was concerned about the tree. He wanted pictures before and after to show that we hadn’t killed the tree,” said Dietz.
To keep Hoffman talking, they complied with his wish.
“We took a picture to show him the tree was still intact and then I told them to cut it down because Matthew Hoffman wasn’t controlling the scene anymore,” said Dietz.
Fifteen years later, Dietz reflected on a case that began with a botched burglary, ended with three dead, a family shattered and one young survivor scared of life. Given Hoffman’s history and the thrill he found in his crimes, Dietz now believes he had the potential to kill again.
“I think he had the potential to become a serial killer because he got thrills for doing these burglaries where no one knew he was in their house and now he’s killed three people. What is it going to take to get thrilled now going forward? Maybe additional murders because burglaries aren’t going to do it anymore,” said Dietz
Hoffman is serving a life sentence at Toledo Correctional Institution. He is not eligible for parole. The Ohio Department of Corrections declined 10TV’s request to interview him, citing “ inmates in protective custody are not eligible for media interviews.”
10TV sent Hoffman a letter and we are waiting to hear back from him.
Maynard declined to be interviewed about the case. She says the trauma never went away. When asked if she had anything to say to Matthew Hoffman, she responded, “I hope he rots in Hell and doesn’t breathe another second of his life.”
For Knox County and all who followed the case, it remains a painful reminder of how fast a quiet town can become the scene of horror — and how small details can break a case wide open.
“He didn’t wake up and decide he was going to be a multiple murderer; he was basically doing his burglary thing and then boom,” Dietz said.
Detectives pieced together the case from a detail that could have easily been missed—a Walmart bag, found in the Herrmann garage, containing tarps and trash bags.
“That detail was huge, huge. That was the case breaker,” said Dietz.
Surveillance video showed Hoffman buying those items, and a state database search connected the suspect to the make and model of the car seen at Walmart.
“The security guard at Walmart saw his car; no license plate visible and said I think that’s a Toyota Yaris,” said Dietz.
Dietz used a state database to begin searching for the make and model of the car in Knox County.
“On the first page of the hits that we got back was Matthew Hoffman. Not only was it a picture of Matthew Hoffman, it was Matthew Hoffman wearing the same shirt that he had on in Walmart,” said Dietz.
Now that the police had Hoffman’s address, a search warrant was obtained and a SWAT team assembled outside his house. Armed officers entered and rescued 13-year-old Sarah Maynard from the basement. Hoffman was placed under arrest.
Maynard was held captive for days, her survival a testament to remarkable toughness. Dietz later accompanied her to the hospital, sharing in the emotional aftermath as she asked about her missing family.
“She was a tough little girl, the way she came through that. She asked about her mom and her brother, and I told her we didn’t know,” said Dietz.
Back in the interrogation room, Hoffman stayed vague about his actions and the location of the victims.
“Tell me where they’re at, Matt,” Dietz pressed during an interrogation video obtained by 10TV.
Hoffman’s killing spree played out in the otherwise quiet Knox County home of Herrmann, a house he had stalked from the woods across the street.
The facts revealed a disturbing pattern: Hoffman broke in under a broken garage door, intending first to burglarize the home. When surprised by the returning residents, his crime turned to violence.
“He didn’t wake up and decide he was going to be a multiple murderer; he was basically doing his burglary thing and then boom,” Dietz said.
Detectives pieced together the case from a detail that could have easily been missed—a Walmart bag, found in the Herrmann garage, containing tarps and trash bags.
“That detail was huge, huge. That was the case breaker,” said Dietz.
Surveillance video showed Hoffman buying those items, and a state database search connected the suspect to the make and model of the car seen at Walmart.
“The security guard at Walmart saw his car; no license plate visible and said I think that’s a Toyota Yaris,” said Dietz.
Dietz used a state database to begin searching for the make and model of the car in Knox County.
“On the first page of the hits that we got back was Matthew Hoffman. Not only was it a picture of Matthew Hoffman, it was Matthew Hoffman wearing the same shirt that he had on in Walmart,” said Dietz.
Now that the police had Hoffman’s address, a search warrant was obtained and a SWAT team assembled outside his house. Armed officers entered and rescued 13-year-old Sarah Maynard from the basement. Hoffman was placed under arrest.
Maynard was held captive for days, her survival a testament to remarkable toughness. Dietz later accompanied her to the hospital, sharing in the emotional aftermath as she asked about her missing family.
“She was a tough little girl, the way she came through that. She asked about her mom and her brother, and I told her we didn’t know,” said Dietz.
Back in the interrogation room, Hoffman stayed vague about his actions and the location of the victims.
“People will think I’m a monster. I’m a monster if I’ve done what you say I’ve done,” Hoffman told detectives in the interrogation room.
With Hoffman refusing to tell the locations of the bodies, Dietz had to adjust his approach. Food and compassion eventually coaxed out hints,
“I don’t know what good it’s going to do. I don’t know where to look,” Hoffman told police.
It was not until prosecutors dropped the death penalty that Hoffman confessed, writing a letter describing the murders, the weapon, his attempt to burn the house and even the killing of the family dog.
“He said the dog was barking as this was going on and he couldn’t deal with it,” said Dietz.
On Nov. 18, 2010, armed with Hoffman’s map, investigators found the bodies inside a hollow tree in the Kokosing Forest, some 15 to 20 miles from the crime scene.
“I crawled up on the investigator’s back and looked through a knot hole in a tree that was about 7 feet above the ground and put a flashlight in there and there was a bunch of wood chips around, but I could see portions of black plastic garbage bags and that’s how we knew it was tree,” said Dietz.
The grisly method of disposal stunned even seasoned detectives, but Hoffman still had a card to play.
“He killed three people, kidnapped another one and he was concerned about the tree. He wanted pictures before and after to show that we hadn’t killed the tree,” said Dietz.
To keep Hoffman talking, they complied with his wish.
“We took a picture to show him the tree was still intact and then I told them to cut it down because Matthew Hoffman wasn’t controlling the scene anymore,” said Dietz.
Fifteen years later, Dietz reflected on a case that began with a botched burglary, ended with three dead, a family shattered and one young survivor scared of life. Given Hoffman’s history and the thrill he found in his crimes, Dietz now believes he had the potential to kill again.
“I think he had the potential to become a serial killer because he got thrills for doing these burglaries where no one knew he was in their house and now he’s killed three people. What is it going to take to get thrilled now going forward? Maybe additional murders because burglaries aren’t going to do it anymore,” said Dietz
Hoffman is serving a life sentence at Toledo Correctional Institution. He is not eligible for parole. The Ohio Department of Corrections declined 10TV’s request to interview him, citing “ inmates in protective custody are not eligible for media interviews.”
10TV sent Hoffman a letter and we are waiting to hear back from him.
Maynard declined to be interviewed about the case. She says the trauma never went away. When asked if she had anything to say to Matthew Hoffman, she responded, “I hope he rots in Hell and doesn’t breathe another second of his life.”
For Knox County and all who followed the case, it remains a painful reminder of how fast a quiet town can become the scene of horror — and how small details can break a case wide open.
Crime timeline:
- Nov. 9, 2010: Hoffman camps in the woods near Tina Herrmann’s home in Knox County, Ohio.
- Nov. 10, 2010: Hoffman breaks into Herrmann’s house intending burglary. Herrmann, her son Kody Maynard (11), and family friend Stephanie Sprang (41) unexpectedly arrive, are attacked, stabbed and killed. Sarah Maynard (13) arrives later, is kidnapped, bound, gagged and held captive in Hoffman’s basement.
- Nov. 11, 2010: Authorities receive a call reporting blood at the Herrmann home and start investigating the disappearance of the family.
- Nov. 14, 2010: Police raid Hoffman’s home; Sarah is rescued alive from the basement. Hoffman is arrested.
- Nov. 18, 2010: Hoffman’s confession leads police to the bodies of Herrmann, Kody and Sprang dismembered and hidden inside a hollow tree in the Kokosing Wildlife Preserve.
- January 2011: Hoffman pleads guilty.
