MOUNT VERNON — Two vehicles were pulled from the water at Foundation Park late Monday afternoon as the search continues in the current missing persons case of Tina Herrmann, Kody Maynard and Stephanie Sprang.
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Sunday’s discovery of Sarah Maynard, 13, being held captive by Matthew Hoffman at 49 Columbus Road, led to search operations in and around Foundation Park, according to Mount Vernon Police Department Capt. George Hartz. The park is only a few blocks from Hoffman’s Columbus Road residence.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources officers conducted a search of the water at Foundation Park with sonar from a boat and located two objects in the water. Dive team members from the Fredericktown Fire Department verified that there were vehicles in the water which were then pulled out by employees of Blubaugh Body and Frame.
The first vehicle retrieved was an older Mercury Grand Marquis, which “had been in there quite a while,” said Hartz. There was a substantial amount of dirt and sediment in the car. A Ford Expedition was then retrieved, which Hartz said was reported stolen to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office in 2006. “It doesn’t appear that either vehicle was connected in this case,” said Hartz.
Hartz added that clothing items were found earlier in the day during a search around the park. The items tested negative for human blood, and they do not appear to be related to this case.
“One of our officers was walking in Foundation Park [Sunday] night looking for evidence on his own,” Hartz said on Monday. “He found some clothing that looked to him like it had blood evidence on it. The BCI&I checked it out this morning and a field test showed it was not human blood. The BCI&I took the clothing into evidence for further testing.”
The Ohio State Highway Patrol had a surveillance helicopter assisting the search efforts in and around the park.
Hartz said the MVPD has not been asked to assist in this case any more at this point.