Man Allegedly Murders Mother-in-Law While Husband Sleeps Upstairs: Police Report

In a shocking case unfolding in Ohio, a man stands accused of a heinous crime involving his family. Jonathan Schmidt, aged 35, faces charges of aggravated murder after allegedly breaking into his mother-in-law’s residence and violently attacking her, leading to her death. The incident occurred amidst ongoing divorce proceedings between Schmidt and his wife, who is the daughter of the victim.

The victim, 68-year-old Marcia Van Druten, was in her home on Fox Hollow Court in Sylvania when the tragic event took place. The city, part of the Toledo metropolitan area, was the backdrop for this horrific act carried out around 9 p.m. on a Wednesday. According to Lucas County jail records, Schmidt was taken into custody and booked into the Lucas County Corrections Center the following Friday.

Prior to the attack, Schmidt reportedly sent a chilling message to a friend, indicating his intent to harm his mother-in-law. This message was relayed to Schmidt’s wife, Kinsey, by her friend Emily Hayman, who spoke to Toledo’s ABC affiliate WTVG. “Kinsey was terrified when she heard about the threat,” Hayman explained. “She desperately tried to reach her mother by phone, but when her calls went unanswered, she grew increasingly concerned and contacted her father.”

It was Kinsey’s father who discovered the grim scene. While he was asleep upstairs, Schmidt allegedly forced entry into the home by smashing the sliding glass doors with a crowbar. He then reportedly attacked Van Druten, resulting in her death. The violent intrusion and subsequent assault have left a community in disbelief as authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding this tragic event.

Schmidt had allegedly broken into Van Druten’s home by shattering the sliding glass doors with a crowbar. While Van Druten’s husband slept upstairs, Schmidt reportedly beat the woman to death.

Hayman’s part in the story began when she said her friend — Schmidt’s wife — called her panicked.

“She said he killed my mom. He killed my mom. And at that point I was already on the way to her house,” she said.

Authorities responded to the home, and Van Druten was pronounced dead. The Lucas County Coroner’s Office performed an autopsy on her body, listing her cause of death as multiple blunt force trauma as a result of homicide.

The suspect had fled the area, but he was reportedly arrested the following morning in La Salle, Michigan, about 25 miles northeast.

Schmidt and his wife have a 1-year-old son who was born prematurely when the couple were on their honeymoon about 15 months ago, WTVG reported. At some point, Schmidt filed for divorce from his wife and the proceedings became contentious.

A custody dispute between the parents ensued, and subpoenas were issued to their family members, such as Van Druten, according to area CBS affiliate WTOL. The couple were also reportedly feuding over child and spousal support payments that Schmidt was making.

A GoFundMe set up by Hayman for her friend reads: “Her mother, who she deeply loved, was killed in a way no one can prepare for, leaving behind grief that is sudden, overwhelming, and impossible to put into words.” The fundraiser adds that her friend now has to raise her child “without the support she should have had, while carrying a weight no one should have to bear.”