Sarah Maynard

Sarah Maynard was found bound and gagged in the basement of a home just outside Mount Vernon city limits around 8am local time yesterday. She had been missing since Wednesday, along with her mother Tina Hermann, her brother Kody Maynard, 11, and her mother’s friend, Stephanie Sprang, 41, who remain unaccounted for.

“Unfortunately as of right now, we have not located Tina, Stephanie or Sarah’s little brother Kody,” Sheriff David Barber said at the Knox County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff Barber said Sarah was found in good condition with no life-threatening injuries, and was taken to a hospital for evaluation. If her mother has not been found by the time she is released from the hospital, Sarah will be released to her biological father, he said.
Media reports that a body bag was taken from the home where Sarah was kept were “absolutely false,” Sheriff Barber said.
Sheriff Barber said it was unknown if the accused, 30-year-old Matthew J Hoffman of Mount Vernon, Ohio, had any connection to the family-- though he said Mr Hoffman was not an ex-boyfriend of either Hermann or Sprang - or if he worked alone. Mr Hoffman has a previous conviction for arson in Colorado, for which he served prison time.

“At this time we don’t know whether he’s connected to the family or whether he connected himself to the family, a lot of that remains to be seen,” Sheriff Barber said.

Mr Hoffman did not resist arrest, but has not been cooperative with authorities or given police any information. The sheriff said he believes that Mr Hoffman will lead police to the other three missing persons, and he expects that Mr Hoffman will face additional charges.

A manager from Tina Hermann’s workplace went to her home on Thursday to check on her after Ms Hermann failed to show up for her job at a Dairy Queen for two days in a row, and discovered blood in various parts of the home. The manager called the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and authorities began investigating the disappearance.

Ms Hermann’s ex-boyfriend, who still shared a house with Ms Hermann and her two children, said that he left for work early on Wednesday and then spent the night at a friend's house in Urbana, Ohio, WBNS-TV reported.

Police have finished collecting evidence from Ms Hermann’s home, and expect DNA testing to begin tomorrow.

Sheriff Barber said he would hold another press conference at 2pm tomorrow (local time) to update media on the case. He said the investigation is ongoing.

Sarah Maynard