The Murder of Tiffany Maher
For this case, I watched an episode of Grave Mysteries. It’s season 1 episode 5, titled ‘Killer Chemistry.’
A popular chemistry professor is killed in her home.
Background
Tiffany Maher lived in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. She was a popular assistant chemistry professor at Northeastern State University. Her students and colleagues loved her, and she always brought the fun into all of her lessons.
When Tiffany wasn’t working, she loved knitting with her group, the Tahlequah Threads, and singing karaoke. She had recently set up an online dating profile, and was hoping to meet someone.
Tiffany Maher
The Welfare Check
On May 31, 2013, Tiffany’s friend, Sarah, had received a Facebook message from a security guard at the university. Tiffany hadn’t shown up to a lecture she was supposed to give, which was very unlike her.
While Sarah was at the house, she noticed some soot on the window. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation was brought in to assist, and to do a welfare check at Tiffany’s house.
The front door was unlocked. The police immediately saw that a fire had been set in the house, as there was a lot of damage. Tiffany was found in her bedroom in her bed. She had been strangled, and covered with a blanket. There was no damage to Tiffany’s body besides on her feet.
The point of origin had started in the living room of the house. The killer had set a towel on fire and stuffed it under the couch. It was disorganized, but a lot of evidence and DNA had been destroyed.
The police also determined that many items were missing from Tiffany’s house, including her personal laptop, cell phone, TV, and car.
A BOLO was put out for Tiffany’s 2011 red Ford Fiesta.
Tiffany’s Last Movements
The police spoke to Tiffany’s mom, who said she last saw her daughter on May 26. Tiffany had taken her parents to a baseball game, dropped them off at their apartment in Tulsa, and drove home.
The police asked Tiffany’s mom about where Tiffany’s computer and phone could be. She said to check Tiffany’s office at NSU. The police weren’t able to find Tiffany’s personal computer, but did find her work computer. A subpoena was also obtained for Tiffany’s phone records.
Tiffany’s autopsy revealed that she had died before the fire was set, as she had no smoke in her lungs. The medical examiner wasn't able to determine an exact cause of death, but said that she had most likely died on May 26, 4 days before her body was found.
Plenty of Fish
On Tiffany’s work computer, the police were able to find Tiffany’s dating profile that was created on Plenty of Fish.
Plenty of Fish is a Canadian website, if you watch Catfish, they talk about it a lot. The police had to apply for a foreign subpoena before they could get any access to the website.
While the police were waiting for access to the website, they received a tip about Tiffany’s missing car. It had been found in Tulsa, at the Stonehaven Villas, the same apartment complex where Tiffany’s parents lived.
The police found this odd because they had interviewed her parents, but they never mentioned that Tiffany’s car was there. The police determined that her parents had nothing to do with her death, and the reason as to why her car was there would be answered later. Tiffany’s mom told them that her Kindle had also been missing, and that Tiffany never left her house without it.
The police dusted Tiffany’s car for fingerprints and tested it for DNA. They were able to determine that a pike pass had been removed from the windshield, and it had left behind some sticky residue.
The last time Tiffany’s pike pass was registered was on May 26 around 11am. It’s believed it was removed sometime that evening.
The records finally came back from Plenty of Fish. Tiffany’s username ‘latersbabe,’ was only created in early May, and she had been talking to a few people, but was in regular contact with the username ‘canifindher1980.’
Big Daddy
The police searched for any information they could about ‘canifindher1980,’ and learned that they had deactivated their account just 6 days after Tiffany was found dead.
Even though the account was deactivated the police could still read through the messages between the two. It seemed like they were casually talking, and occasionally being flirty with one another.
The police had also learned from Tiffany’s phone records that she was in contact with one person through phone calls and text messages. The police tried to call the number, but they never received a call back.
The police subpoenaed information about this person. It came back to being registered to someone under the alias ‘Big Daddy.’ The registered address was in Tulsa, but the address led the police to a vacant commercial building.
The Prime Suspect
The police knew that this person was trying to cover their tracks.
The police knew that the killer had stolen several items from Tiffany’s house. They were searching various pawn shops, as the pawn shops required the serial numbers and identification.
One of the special agents contacted Amazon for the serial number on Tiffany’s Kindle. They learned that Tiffany’s account had been deactivated on May 28, and then re-registered to ‘Big Daddy,’ just 3 minutes later.
A pawn shop in Tulsa had the missing Kindle with the same serial number. The police finally learned the identity of who they believed was ‘Big Daddy.’ It was a man named Joshua Schnieder, and they also had his date of birth and address. The address in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, also led the police to believe that Joshua was also ‘canifindher1980.’
A background search was done on Joshua. He had history of sexual offenses, and had been convicted of rape in 1999. He was ordered to register as a sex offender.
The Runaway
The police went to Joshua’s home, but he was nowhere to be found. They went to speak with Joshua’s mom, who told them that she didn’t know where Joshua was.
ATF Special Agent Ashley Stephens with the OSBI, learned that Joshua’s mom had texted Joshua not to come home because there were agents at the house. SA Stephens tried to contact Joshua himself, but Joshua went on the run.
On July 27, 2013, Joshua was apprehended after his friend called, and said Joshua had set up a campsite. In Joshua’s backpack, the police found Tiffany’s cell phone.
Joshua maintained his innocence. However, the police also found Tiffany’s laptop, karaoke machine and CDs in his storage unit. His DNA was also found on Tiffany’s bedsheets and on the steering wheel of her car.
The police learned that Joshua had a history of meeting women on dating websites in order to steal their valuables.
Joshua’s girlfriend at the time, Heather, actually said that Joshua admitted to killing Tiffany. Joshua claimed that he had sex with Tiffany, and that she was blackmailing him about their relationship. He said he strangled her with a pillowcase, and set the fire.
The Conviction
The police believed that Tiffany was with her parents on May 26, dropped them off after the baseball game, and met with Joshua in Tulsa. They went back to Tiffany’s house in her car. They were having a good time, until things took a dark turn. Joshua killed Tiffany, attempted to destroy evidence with the fire, stole her items, and then drove her car back to her parent’s apartment complex.
On May 29, 2015, Joshua was convicted of first degree murder, first degree arson and larceny. He was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.
To make matters worse, this man was a father to a 2-year-old, and actually had been living with his daughter and girlfriend, Heather, at the time.
Joshua Schneider
Other
After her death, the Tiffany Maher Legacy Award was created at Northeastern State University. The award was given to her after her death, and is given to someone every year, who leaves a lasting impression, just as Tiffany did.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Joshua is obviously a real big piece of shit. He met vulnerable women online, and then ended up stealing from them. Tiffany seemed like such a loving person, and great teacher. Her loved ones had nothing but amazing things to say about her, and she was taken too soon. Joshua can rot in prison, so he can never do this to anyone else.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/tiffany-maher-murder-where-is-joshua-john-schneider-now/
https://www.cnhinews.com/news/article_985dedf2-0939-11e5-bc2f-9bfbb4d99fa5.html
