MT. VERNON, Ohio — It appears a talk with his mother may have helped nudge Matthew Hoffman into explaining to authorities where the bodies of Tina Hermann, Kody Maynard and Stephanie Sprang were buried.
His mother visited Hoffman in jail Wednesday night. Twelve hours later, Hoffman, by way of his legal counsel, told authorities that the bodies of those three could be found in trash bags inside a hollowed-out tree in the Kokosing Lake Animal Preserve.
Authorities think Hoffman, an experienced tree trimmer, used a harness system to lower those bodies into the tree. Police do not think he had an accomplice.
As far as how Hoffman may have known these three, according to the Mt. Vernon News, he was a member of a gym that Stephanie Sprang worked at as a cleaning lady.
Staffers at the gym tell the newspaper he would show up later at night, just as the cleaning staff would arrive.
The case against Hoffman has authorities from around central Ohio wondering if there may be a connection to other unsolved cases on their books.
A grand jury will hear the case against Hoffman in the next few weeks to determine if he will be charged with homicide
