Summary

• There is compelling evidence pointing to Toby as the Scranton Strangler in The Office, including his sad personal life and bottled rage.
• Toby's connection to the Scranton Strangler and his questionable actions make him a prime suspect, despite another character being convicted.
• The Office even created a spoof video that incriminates Toby as the Scranton Strangler, adding to the theories surrounding his guilt.

There is ample evidence suggesting Toby (Paul Lieberstein) was the Scranton Strangler in The Office. Toby (Paul Lieberstein) was often portrayed as one of the more harmless employees at Dunder Mifflin. Despite this, The Office contains a long-running gag in which the Scranton Strangler's crimes connect to him — and many viewers are convinced Toby was the Scranton Strangler. The HR lead has a sad personal life, including a divorce, resulting in his downtrodden personality. He's also a regular target of Michael's verbal abuse. Though Toby embarks on a new life by relocating to Costa Rica, he soon returns. The bottled rage from these setbacks all contribute to Toby being the Scranton Strangler.

Unlike the rest of the characters from The Office, Toby has a direct connection to the Scranton Strangler and several reasons to be investigated as the case's prime suspect. Even though George Howard Skub is convicted for being the Scranton Strangler, many theories also point to specific characters like Creed, Gabe, and Mose being involved in the crimes. That said, most clues hidden within The Office pointed to the idea that Toby was the Scranton Strangler. Even NBC got in on the fun during The Office's run by creating a Making A Murderer spoof video (via YouTube) featuring archive footage, which incriminates Toby.

The Timing Of The Scranton Strangler’s Attacks

Toby's Crush On Pam Leads To Some Strange Coincidences

Though the Scranton Strangler isn’t mentioned until The Office season 6, it was difficult not to notice how the strangulation events correlated with significant moments in Jim and Pam’s lives, making many wonder who the Scranton Strangler was. Toby never does a very good job hiding the fact that he has a crush on Pam, with his feelings causing him to be displeased with the romance between his coworkers while even rooting against their relationship at times.

When Jim and Pam start a family with the birth of their first child, Cece, Andy gifts them a copy of the newspaper as a memento for the big day. The headline states: “Scranton Strangler strikes again,” which suggests Toby’s anger at the notion of Jim and Pam’s happiness led him to commit another attack.

The Scranton Strangler’s Car

A Vehicle In The Dunder Mifflin Parking Lot Could Prove Toby Is A Serial Killer

Another reason why people think Toby was the Scranton Strangler is his car. In The Office season 7 episode titled “Viewing Party,” the cold open centers on a car chase with the local police following a suspect believed to be the Scranton Strangler. Michael notices the pursuit is heading down the street the Dunder Mifflin building is on, so he runs to the window to witness the event.

The suspect’s car seen in the chase and on the TV coverage is identical to the color and model of a vehicle often seen in the Dunder Mifflin parking lot. The Office season 7 episode led to further compelling evidence that the car originally belonged to Toby before another man took the fall for his crimes. While this was intriguing, more than likely, the crew from the series used an on-set car rather than obtaining a new one at the time.

Toby’s Absence During The Car Chase

Toby Wasn't There When The Scranton Strangler Was Being Pursued

Throughout the “Viewing Party” sequence, the only character ominously missing from the workplace is Toby. The employees watch the car chase from Toby’s desk without explaining his absence. His desk phone then rings, causing Kelly to pick it up and immediately hang up to not disturb their viewing of the chase. Normal phone calls in the office go through reception, so whoever was calling knew Toby’s direct extension. This tidbit convinced viewers at the time that Toby was on the line, calling his coworkers to confess to his crimes as the Scranton Strangler while being chased.

Toby’s Belief In George Howard Skub’s Innocence

His Doubts Could Actually Be Guilt

The outcome of The Office season 7 car chase was presumed to have ended with the real Scranton Strangler being caught, but the series never confirmed this fact. Not only could Toby be the Scranton Strangler and have gotten free, but he could have also been on the brink of confession while watching an innocent man being caught. Ironically, Toby is subsequently chosen as a juror for the Scranton Strangler case later in season 7.

George Howard Skub was found guilty for the Scranton Strangler killings, and sentenced to death. As time passed, an increasingly obsessed Toby started questioning if the suspect was truly innocent. It stands to reason that sending a man to prison with a death sentence for his own crimes took control of him mentally to the point of coming clean. His self-investigation even motivated the HR employee to develop his own series of fictional crime novels, Toby's Chad Flenderman series.

Toby Wouldn’t Enter A Church

Being The Scranton Strangler Might Be Toby's Worst Sin

Later in The Office season 7, during the Christening episode, Jim and Pam invite their coworkers to the christening of their daughter, Cece, with the event taking place at a local church before the out-of-hand luncheon. When Toby arrives, he has a lot of trouble entering the religious establishment, stating that he had a history with the “Big Man.”

While Toby may have been talking about some of the pain and suffering he has endured in life, he could also be alluding to the guilt he feels, which stems from his true identity as the Scranton Strangler. If the “Big Man” serves as the only one to know his secrets, it stands to reason that Toby feels he cannot face that spiritual scrutiny during Cece's christening.

George Howard Skub’s Attack On Toby

Did Toby Visit Him In Prison To Gloat?

The guilt that Toby carries seemingly continues to The Office season 9, leading him to conduct further investigations into George Howard Skub’s possible innocence. In “Moving On,” Toby decides to visit the man he helped send away to confront his uncertainty surrounding Skub's guilty verdict. When Toby returns to the office, it is revealed George Howard Skub attempted to strangle him, leaving his visitor in a neck brace and with damaged vocal cords.

The insinuation is that Toby was wrong all this time regarding the man’s innocence. However, there is also the suggestion Toby confessed to being the real Scranton Strangler to goad George Howard Skub, who, being an innocent man, may have attacked Toby in The Office season 9 due to the revelation.

Was Creed The Scranton Strangler?

Toby Isn't The Only Dunder Mifflin Employee Viewers Suspect

While there are convincing implications that Toby was the Scranton Strangler, another popular theory doing the rounds suggests that another The Office coworker may have been responsible. Creed is one of the most interesting The Office characters, as his background is wholly unknown (to the extent that it's suggested he's not even the real Creed Bratton). Creed's presence is underrated, and while he's not in the limelight that often, he regularly finds a way to dominate the scene with an out-of-nowhere punchline. As one of the most mysterious and disturbing characters in The Office, there's also a chance Creed was the Scranton Strangler, not Toby.

The most famous episode suggesting Creed was the Scranton Strangler is The Office season 9, episode 5, "Here Comes Treble." The Halloween-focused installment mainly zeros in on Andy's alma mater and his acapella group called "Here Comes Treble," also including a The Office cameo from Stephen Colbert as Broccoli Rob. However, a minor moment occurs that amps up suspicion around Creed significantly: he shows up at the office covered in blood — and it's not a Halloween costume.

The notion that Creed has killed a man and even taken over the real Creed Bratton's identity isn't that hard to believe, given his characterization on the show. A lot of evidence points to Toby being the Scranton Strangler on The Office, but Creed is another solid candidate.

Does Paul Lieberstein Think Toby Was The Scranton Strangler?

In an interview (via Popculture) The Office star Paul Lieberstein finally addressed whether Toby is the Scranton Strangler. Lieberstein neither confirmed nor denied accusations, but found the possibility to be entertaining. When asked if the character Toby could be capable of something so heinous as murder, Lieberstein confirmed that yes he could:

"Oh yeah. There's a lot we didn't get to do with this Scranton Strangler. We had a lot of designs, and it was never quite mentioned that he wasn't a murderer. He would strangle you until he passed out."

This is far from a definitive answer, but it does suggest that if The Office went in a slightly different direction, the Scranton Strangler would have been a much more central plot point. A lot of signs point to Toby being the Scranton Strangler on The Office, but it's one theory that will have to remain just that — a theory — until showrunners declare otherwise.

The Office Official YouTube Released A Scranton Strangler Mini-Documentary

"Making A Strangler" Investigates Toby's Crimes

In a parody of the phenomenally successful Netflix exclusive true crime series, Making a Murderer, The Office's official YouTube channel released a mini-documentary based on the theory that Toby is the Scranton Strangler. The 10-minute documentary features most of the above clips, including the police chase and Toby's visit to the prison.

However, the mini-documentary also shines a light on a couple of occasions where Toby was untypically aggressive. When Toby implored Michael to sort out silent killers in the office such as asbestos, Michael says, "You're the silent killer," to which Toby responds, "You'll see." Another clip sees Toby get unfairly angry at Clark, and when Clark leaves the room, Toby mumbles, "I'm gonna kill him," which is total Scranton Strangler energy.

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  The Office

  Cast:

  Mindy Kaling, Jenna Fischer, Kate Flannery, Ed Helms, Craig Robinson, Paul Lieberstein, Ellie Kemper, B.J. Novak, Angela Kinsey, Oscar Nunez, Rainn Wilson, Brian Baumgartner, Phyllis Smith, Leslie David Baker, Creed Bratton, Steve Carell, John Krasinski

  Genres:

  Comedy, Drama, Sitcom

  Release Date:

  2005-03-24

  Seasons:

  9

  Story By:

  Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant

  Writers:

  Mindy Kaling, Paul Lieberstein, Michael Schur, Ricky Gervais, Greg Daniels, B.J. Novak

  Network:

  NBC

  Franchise(s):

  The Office

  Directors:

  Greg Daniels, Paul Lieberstein, Paul Feig, Randall Einhorn, Ken Kwapis

  Showrunner:

  Greg Daniels

  Season List:

  The Office - Season 1, The Office - Season 2, The Office - Season 3, The Office - Season 4, The Office - Season 5, The Office - Season 6, The Office - Season 7, The Office - Season 8, The Office - Season 9