Fans Of 'The Office' May Have Figured Out Who The Scranton Strangler Is

Has the lingering mystery from "The Office" finally been revealed?

By Sowmya Krishnamurthy

'The Office' left the air in 2013.

Fans of the show saw Jim Halpert and Pam Beesley live happily ever after. Michael Scott married Holly and lived with his kids in Denver. Dwight Schrute finally got promoted from assistant to the regional manager to running the branch at Dunder Mifflin.

But one plot line that remaind a mystery: who was the Scranton Stranger?

As fans remember, the Strangler was an unseen character that terrorized the city of Scranton. Occasionally, characters would reference him and he was eventually caught. Or so we thought. Internet sleuths have debated theories that the real killer was still on the loose and one popular account has gained traction this week.

The fan, Spencer McClure, neatly laid out the theory on Twitter that the Scranton Stranger was none other than Human Resources manager Toby Flenderson. McClure notes that he did not come up with the theory. He heard about it three years ago and references several other fan theories in his evidence.


Here's evidence that Toby Flenderson was a secret killer:

Everyone Hates Toby


Toby is the show's punching bag throughout the show. Michael constantly abuses and threatens him. Eventually other characters, including Jim and Nellie, follow suit. Toby never fights back. He's a quiet, wimpy guy that the world kind of just walks all over. His coworkers joke that he'd be shot before Bin Laden and Hitler — and Toby just takes it. 


Toby Loves Pam

Toby is in love with Pam but she's in love with Jim. It's not really even a love triangle because Toby never gets the courage to actually ask her out. He's constantly making quiet attempts—and one time he creepily touches her knee — but the shots fall flat. She "thinks he's cute" but has no feelings for him. He watches her, helplessly, as she falls for Jim and announces their love to the world. They get married and become the office's perfect couple. The day that she has her first baby, everyone shows up to the hospital to congratulate her. Except Toby. Then, Andy holds up the front page of the newspaper that shows that the Scranton Strangler strikes again. Coincidence or, did Pam having a baby push Toby over the edge?


Toby Breaks His Neck in Costa Rica


Toby's lifelong dream was to move to Costa Rica so that he could surf. He quits and moves but the first week he gets there, he breaks his neck and lands in the hospital. A painful recovery ensues and Toby eventually returns to his boring cubicle job. Could the neck injury have caused him to become fixated with the necks of his victims?


The Car Chase

One of the most damning pieces of evidence against Toby is the car chase scene with the police. One day, we see the entire office glued as authorities chasing down the Strangler. Toby is suspiciously missing. In fact, the camera cuts to his desk where a phone rings and no one answers. The car that cops are chasing down has been spotted in the Dunder Mifflin parking lot before. The driver speeds past the office park during the chase. Maybe this is his comfort zone.


Toby's Obsession With The Strangler

Once the Scranton Strangler—or the person suspected to be him—is caught, Toby becomes consumed with the case. At one point, he's even on the jury that convicts a man for the crime. He later says that he feels guilt of convicting the wrong man and even visits him in jail. At that point, Toby leaves with his neck in a brace. The Strangler may very well have choked Toby after finding out that he was wrongfully convicted. We never hear about the Strangler again.

[Photo: NBC]

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