The Office: All The Clues That Point to Toby Being the Scranton Strangler

The Case Against Toby

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.

Andy holds up a newspaper with the headline,

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.

Toby meets nellie for the first time on the office

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.

Paul Lieberstein as Toby looking depressed in The Office

Timely 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.

The police chase on Toby's computer in The Office

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.

Compelling Evidence

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 Dunder Mifflin staff watch the police chase in The Office

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.

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.

Michael and Toby look at each other in The Office