Who Really Is the Scranton Strangler on ‘The Office’?

Scranton, Pennsylvania is a peaceful little city nestled beneath the Pocono Mountains. It is home to some surprisingly good pizza, the AAA minor league team for the New York Yankees, and a branch location for the Dunder Mifflin paper company. Yet, this seemingly tranquil town was, years ago, haunted by the presence of a specter known simply as the Scranton Strangler.

The identity of the Scranton Strangler is one of The Office’s greatest mysteries. The three leading theories, with varying amounts of convincing evidence, point to either Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein), Creed Bratton (Creed Bratton), or David Wallace (Andy Buckley). In the show, a man named George Howard Skub is convicted of the Strangler’s crimes, but Toby (a juror on the case) believes him to be innocent. As we review the evidence for these leading suspects, as well as hints dropped by the show’s actors and writers over the years, we’ll see how the Scranton Strangler has become TV’s most notorious unsolved mystery.

Did Toby Flenderson’s Love for Pam Beesly Drive Him to a Life of Crime?

In 2018, The Office YouTube account released this parody of Making a Murderer that suggests Toby Flenderson might be the Scranton Strangler. Contained within this mockumentary are several suspicious pieces of evidence. There’s Toby’s cryptic warning about asbestos being a silent killer, his fragile state of mind as he deals with a divorce, his mumbled threat to kill a co-worker, his attempt to befriend the alleged Strangler in prison, and, of course, his adamant belief that George Howard Skub was wrongly convicted for the Strangler’s crimes. But what motivation would this mild-mannered office worker have for attacking innocent civilians? Is there some rage that burns deep within Toby Flenderson’s heart?

Amateur sleuths theorize that it’s Toby’s long-buried love for Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) that inspired at least one of his attacks as the Strangler. Indeed, the timing of this attack is quite suspicious. When Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam’s first child is born, the newspaper headlines indicate that the Strangler has struck again that very day. Perhaps in a fit of impulsive fury, Toby, realizing Pam is now fully committed to Jim, lashed out at some poor helpless victim in a sick attempt to alleviate his inner turmoil.

Creed Bratton Is the Obvious Choice

Let’s face it, everything about Creed just screams “sus.” Creed admits to having an extremely checkered past in which he participated in multiple cults (as both a leader and a follower), ran from the law, had fake driver’s licenses, and lived under different identities. It’s not even clear that Creed Bratton is actually Creed Bratton. His real name might be William Charles Schneider. Why would this man go to such lengths to conceal his identity? What is Creed Bratton (if that even is his real name) hiding? In Season 9, Creed arrives at an office Halloween party covered in real blood. Perhaps this is the most direct and damning evidence that Creed is a murderer?

Despite a mysterious background and possible murder, there’s not much else that convincingly suggests that Creed is the Scranton Strangler. But the real Creed Bratton (the actor, not the character of the same name) seems to think otherwise. In May of 2022, he posted a video on his TikTok account of him happily strolling along with the overlaying text “When you hear that all charges against the Scranton Strangler have been dropped.” In addition to this tongue-in-cheek TikTok, actor Creed Bratton also raised eyebrows when he was directly asked if his character might be the Scranton Strangler at the 2019 Los Angeles Comic-Con. He didn’t issue a verbal response but stood up and pretended to walk off stage.

David Wallace Had a Weird Arc on ‘The Office’

An interesting theory developed by Mashable video producer Jules Suzdaltsev posits that David Wallace is actually the Strangler. According to Suzdaltsev, it’s questionable as to why Wallace, who works in New York City and lives in Connecticut, spends so much time in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Supposedly, it’s because the Scranton branch gives him the perfect excuse to drive hours away from his office in order to strangle innocent civilians. “Who would ever suspect David Wallace?,” Suzdaltsev asked. “Nobody, and it’s always the person you least suspect. In fact, why do you think he sent away Holly? Is it because she and Michael were getting too close, or is it because Holly was getting too close to the truth? David Wallace is a murderer and should be brought to justice.”

Actor Andy Buckley, who played Wallace, thought his character could definitely have been the Strangler. In a Tweet, Buckley wrote, “He had it in him to just snap. Hot tub middle of the day, boozing, creating the Suck It. And what was he doing in Season 8 the 3rd or 4th to last Ep. Runs into Andy at a local Scranton Charity Dinner? Why was he in Scranton? Perhaps you’re correct.” He later added, “All I can tell you is that Wallace is Lawyering Up!”

So Who Is the Scranton Strangler?

In the end, there are many theories but few definitive conclusions as to the identity of the Scranton Strangler. Certainly, Toby is the leading suspect. No other character in The Office is as fascinated with the case as Toby. He boasts of being on the jury, he discusses the case years after it’s over, and he even takes the extraordinary step of visiting George Howard Skub in prison. All of this raises suspicion but none of it confirms that Toby is the Strangler. In the end, the identity of the Scranton Strangler may never be truly known. This malicious fiend lurking in Northeastern Pennsylvania will likely go down in history as one of the all-time most mysterious criminals.