The Girl in the Leaves (Berkley True Crime)

THE STORY OF ONE OF THE MOST BIZARRE MASS MURDERS EVER RECORDED. AND THE GIRL WHO ESCAPED WITH HER LIFE. In the fall of 2010, in the all-American town of Apple Valley, Ohio, four people disappeared without a trace: Stephanie Sprang; her friend, Tina Maynard; and Tinas two children, thirteen-year-old Sarah and eleven-year-old Kody. Investigators began scouring the area, yet despite an extensive search, no signs of the missing people were discovered. On the fourth day of the search, evidence trickled in about neighborhood weirdo Matthew Hoffman. A police SWAT team raided his home and found an extremely disturbing sight: every square inch of the place was filled with leaves and a terrified Sarah Maynard was bound up in the middle of it like some sort of perverted autumn tableau. But there was no trace of the others. Then came Hoffmans confession to an unspeakable crime that went beyond murder and defied all reason. His tale of evil would make Sarahs survival and rescue all the more astonishinga compelling tribute to a young girls resilience and courage and to her fierce determination to reclaim her life in the wake of unimaginable wickedness. Review Praise for Robert Scott and his books: Compelling and shockinga ground-breaking book.Robert K. Tanenbaum Fascinating and fresha fast-paced, informative read.Sue Russell Skillfully written[Scott] has the ability to tell a true story with compassion and taste while grabbing and keeping the reader's attention. ReviewingTheEvidence.com An excellent true crime writer. True Crime Book Reviews About the Author More information to be announced soon on this forthcoming title from Penguin USA. The shocking true crime story of one of the most bizarre mass murders ever recorded—and the girl who escaped with her life. In the fall of 2010, in the all-American town of Apple Valley, Ohio, four people disappeared without a trace: Stephanie Sprang; her friend, Tina Maynard; and Tina’s two children, thirteen-year-old Sarah and eleven-year-old Kody. Investigators began scouring the area, yet despite an extensive search, no signs of the missing people were discovered. On the fourth day of the search, evidence trickled in about neighborhood “weirdo” Matthew Hoffman. A police SWAT team raided his home and found an extremely disturbing sight: every square inch of the place was filled with leaves and a terrified Sarah Maynard was bound up in the middle of it like some sort of perverted autumn tableau. But there was no trace of the others. Then came Hoffman’s confession to an unspeakable crime that went beyond murder and defied all reason. His tale of evil would make Sarah’s survival and rescue all the more astonishing—a compelling tribute to a young girl’s resilience and courage and to her fierce determination to reclaim her life in the wake of unimaginable trauma. An account of a bizarre mass murder and the girl who survived follows the search for four missing people, including a young girl, that led police to a disturbing discovery at the home of neighborhood "weirdo" Matthew Hoffman