The Real Scranton Strangler: What Lies Within The Office

I've been an avid watcher of the Office for quite some time now. I didn't watch the show while it aired. I began binge watching it in about 2014, shortly after it ran its course. The first time I watched it, I became aware of "The Scranton Strangler". A serial killer roaming the once safe streets of Scranton, PA. His reign of terror became a common plot point on the hit show, even allowing the cast's own Toby Flenderson to sit on the jury of the case after the would-be strangler was caught.

**I don't believe ATS's own Toby Flenderson has anything to do with this case, though perhaps some further investigative methods are required.** .

In the show, George Howard Skub is arrested, tried and convicted for the murders perpetrated by the murderer labeled "The Scranton Strangler". During my first run of the show, I never second guessed this. It wasn't until watching it a 2nd, 3rd and 4th time that I began to really question the true mystery of this case. Is it possible that the wrong man was convicted, as Toby Flenderson suggested? Could it have been a set-up? Could the real murderer actually have been employed at Dunder-Mifflin?

Possible Stranglers according to online theories include:
-Micheal Scott himself!! He was very good at acting and very well could have had an alter-ego
-Jim Halpert: How many times have seen the cool, funny guy at work turn out to be a maniacal maniac!!
-Dwight Schrute: He had the resources and the smarts to pull off such a crime spree including a 60 acre beet farm. He craved power, and was constantly bullied and harassed by Jim Halpert.
-Gabe Lewis: A creepy sort of villain in his own rights, Gabe was obsessed with dark and twisted scary movies.

But there's one more possibility that is head and shoulders, suspect #1!!

That is...None other than...TOBY FLENDERSON!!

At first, I always liked Toby. He was a regular guy with regular problems. Quiet, stuck to his job, worked hard for an unappreciative family, and couldn't catch a break if it hit him in the face. But that's where you start to really see the facade that is Toby! He was constantly belittled and ridiculed by his boss, Michael Scott. He was embarrassed in front of his co-workers on a near daily basis. He had a hidden crush in his office, Pam Beasley/Pam Halpert which he could never muster the courage to move on, and conviniently enough, he was in "Costa Rica" during the Scranton Strangler's wrath.

I present to you, Exhibit A, which goes into more detail about this:

Exhibit A



And now, Exhibit B!

Exhibit B

I will leave this conspiracy with you all to decipher for yourselves. Was George Howard Skub set-up? Is the real strangler on the loose? Did network television help cover this up in support of one of it's people? Is our very own Toby Flenderson...THE TOBY FLENDERSON...AKA...THE SCRANTON STRANGLER??

We do actually see Toby in Costa Rica lying in the hospital, therefore he couldn't be the strangler, as he was out of the country at the time.

George Howard Skub strangled the hell out of Toby to the point where he was in a neckbrace.

GHS also led the police on a wild high speed pursuit that passed right outside the Dunder Mifflin office.

Despite Toby's earlier concerns, they got the right man.

a reply to: abe froman

The Costa Rica trip could have been at any time, and used as a part of his alibi. We don't know the exact timeline of his absence. But, hard to look past it no doubt.

George Howard Skub could have strangled Toby because toby went in there and confessed to him that he was the real strangler. In his furious attempt at revenge for being wrongly convicted, he may have gone after Toby. We have no way knowing, as there were no cameras in the prison.

The car seen in the pursuit, was actually seen in the Dunder Mifflin parking lot in a previous episode. Toby wasn't at work that day. WHERE WAS TOBY??

lol

a reply to: Assassin82

The timeline of Toby in Costa Rica is well known, we know when he left and when he came back.

Creed on the other hand is a mystery.

We know he can be absent from work while drawing no suspicion.

(remember when they picked him up in the "work bus" on the side of the road)

...and his job as Quality Assurance has him out of the office with no oversight.

He also showed up to work covered in blood, luckily for him it just happened to be Halloween.

We also find out in the series finale he has been a fugitive from the law for decades.

a reply to: abe froman

Creed is indeed another potential suspect. I should have included him in the OP!!

Phyllis!

a reply to: Assassin82

Who has anger issues so bad he punched through walls twice?

Who has emotional issues so deep he could just "sit here and cry" ?

Yet somehow perceived as so mild mannered no one would even suspect...

Andy Bernard in the library with the candlestick.

originally posted by: Assassin82
...the once safe streets of Scranton, PA...

This whole thing falls apart here.

originally posted by: face23785

originally posted by: Assassin82
...the once safe streets of Scranton, PA...

This whole thing falls apart here.

I have never been to Scranton, but it seems like a lovely community on the show. Outside of those merciless 14 year old girls who beat Andy into a forced gender change, a drunkard named Roy, and....The Scranton Strangler.

originally posted by: Assassin82

originally posted by: face23785

originally posted by: Assassin82
...the once safe streets of Scranton, PA...

This whole thing falls apart here.

I have never been to Scranton, but it seems like a lovely community on the show. Outside of those merciless 14 year old girls who beat Andy into a forced gender change, a drunkard named Roy, and....The Scranton Strangler.

Of course it seems like a lovely place on the show.

I grew up near Scranton, it's not so rosy.

That's not to say there aren't nice parts, like every city.