
Stranded on the side of the road, 77-year-old Tina Lohman thought she was being helped—but instead, she was abducted. What followed was a night of unimaginable horror. As Tina's husband arrived home, he found their house ransacked, the door kicked in,...
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Mike Boudet
Last time on this Doesn't Happen to People Like Me.
Ilsa Loman
It was around close to 5pm and my mom was leaving work.
Tina Loman
My grandma was having issues with her headlights. One thing about her is she was not very tech savvy. She decided to pull over.
Sergeant Lohmeyer
She drives a car where the the headlights typically turn on automatically. Someone else had used the car.
Tina Loman
You think that when someone pulls over to help you that there's no ill intent.
Tim Schmidt
And that's kind of when her nightmare started.
Mike Boudet
Welcome to this Doesn't Happen to People like me, a new 10 part series by the creators of Sword and Scale. If you like the show and feel so inclined, please go to Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Subscribe Rate and Review. I'm your host Mike Boudet. This series was written and produced by Michael Stabile. In the early evening of November 9, 2021, 77 year old Tina Loman found herself stranded on the side of a quiet road in Quincy, Illinois. It had started to rain and the sun was going down, but Tina's headlights weren't working. Tina was hopeful that a kind stranger would pull over and help her. About an hour or so later, a patrol sergeant at the Adams County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to a nearby residence.
Officer
Sergeant Lohmeyer, were you working on the evening of November 9, 2021?
Mike Boudet
Yes.
Officer
That evening, about 6:30 in the evening, did a call come in where you responded to 4300 Bottom Road here in Quincy?
Sergeant Lohmeyer
Yes.
Officer
When you arrived at the residence of 4300 Bottom Road that evening, did you go inside the house?
Mike Boudet
Yes.
Officer
Before you went inside the house, did you notice anything about the front area of that house? As far as any markings on the.
Sergeant Lohmeyer
The front of the house kind of had a bit of a circle drive and there was a grassy area in the center. There's some tire marks on the grassy area in the center.
Mike Boudet
Fresh tire marks were dug into the yard of the residents. The patrol sergeant also noticed that the garage to the home was open. As he walked into the garage and began making entry to the house itself, the sergeant saw something else.
Officer
When you went inside, did you notice anything about the door leading from the garage into the house?
Sergeant Lohmeyer
Yeah, the door from the garage into the house. You know, there were footprints on the door. It had been kicked in the door hinge or the latch was broke.
Mike Boudet
It was clear to the police officer that the door had recently been kicked open. The sergeant pulled his gun from the holster and continued beyond the broken door. He made his way inside the house.
Officer
Sergeant Lohmeyer, when you responded that evening you were one of the first officers on scene, correct?
Sergeant Lohmeyer
Yes. Deputy Bowdoin and I arrived at about the same time.
Officer
When you went into the residence further, did you observe an individual inside of that residence?
Sergeant Lohmeyer
Yes.
Officer
Tell me what you observed about that individual.
Sergeant Lohmeyer
There was a older female sitting on the floor with her legs kind of off to the side. She appeared distraught.
Officer
When you saw this older female, did you know who that was at that point?
Sergeant Lohmeyer
No.
Mike Boudet
The patrol sergeant arrived at the residence on this particular night because earlier that evening, a 911 call had been made by a man named Timothy Schmidt.
Tim Schmidt
Tim Schmidt lived on. Basically, it's called North Bottom Road. When you live in Quincy and you sort of understand the layout of the town, most of the city is up on a bluff away from the river. However, Bottom Road is. Is literally a road that you could walk across the road and you could go dip your toes in the Mississippi River. I mean, he was right next to the river.
Mike Boudet
By 2021, Tim Schmidt had lived in Quincy, Illinois for over three decades. But he didn't live alone. Tim shared his home with his wife.
Timothy G. Schmidt
My name is Timothy G. Schmidt.
Interviewer
Mr. Schmidt, how old are you?
Timothy G. Schmidt
I'm 66 years old.
Interviewer
Where do you work?
Timothy G. Schmidt
I own American Builders Supply.
Interviewer
Mr. Schmidt, were you married at one point?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes.
Interviewer
Who were you married to?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Christine Lohman.
Interviewer
How long were you and Ms. Lohman married?
Timothy G. Schmidt
A little over two years.
Interviewer
Were you together longer than that?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes, 36 years.
Interviewer
You were together for 36 years and married for two years?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes.
Mike Boudet
Tim Schmidt was Tina Lohman's husband. They had lived together for many years, but had only somewhat recently tied the knot. They also owned and operated a successful business together.
Interviewer
Did Tina work with you at American Builder Supply?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes, she did.
Interviewer
You guys ran that business together?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes.
Interviewer
For the 38 years that you guys.
Timothy G. Schmidt
Were together, she was there not quite. 38 years she was there. I think she came on. She came on in 1993, so. But quite a while. Quite a while.
Interviewer
Okay.
Mike Boudet
For Tim, November 9, 2021 was a pretty typical Tuesday. He woke up that morning and went to work just like he did on most weekdays. But when the sun set, Tim's Tuesday took a very dark turn.
Interviewer
I want to talk to you about the night of November 9th. Where did you go after work? What time did you leave work?
Timothy G. Schmidt
I left work sometime after 5:00 and I went to farm at home. It was just before deer season and I like to hunt deer. So I went over looking to see if there was anything I wanted to get before season opened up.
Interviewer
And you Went home after that?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes.
Interviewer
Got home around 6pm, give or take?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes.
Mike Boudet
When Tim arrived at home that night, he immediately noticed some bizarre things around his house.
Interviewer
When you got home around 6pm, did you notice anything unusual about your house?
Timothy G. Schmidt
I noticed that the garage door was open. There were some items on the floor in the garage, the car was gone. There were some tire marks in the yard.
Mike Boudet
After seeing his home in such an unusual state, Tim became concerned. And the most troubling thing he noticed was that his wife's car wasn't in the garage or the driveway.
Interviewer
Why did the fact that there wasn't a car in the garage and the garage door being opened at 6pm at night trouble you concern you?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Well, my wife drove the car, the Toyota Avalon that would normally be parked there. Of course the car was gone and then I noticed the door was kicked.
Interviewer
Open and we'll get to that in a minute.
Mike Boudet
Tim stepped out of his car and made his way towards the garage. Once there, he noticed something else. Several of his belongings were missing.
Interviewer
Specifically, did you have a chainsaw and hedge trimmer?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes.
Interviewer
Was the chainsaw and hedge trimmer in that garage when you left that morning?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes.
Interviewer
When you came that night at 6pm, was the hay, the chainsaw and the headstroke in that garage?
Timothy G. Schmidt
No.
Mike Boudet
Tim walked further into the garage and noticed the door leading into his home had been kicked open. Tim continued to walk inside the house. When he arrived at the doorway of his living room, he stopped and was shocked by what he saw.
Interviewer
When you came inside, you walked through that damaged door, did you see someone sitting on the floor?
Timothy G. Schmidt
I saw my wife sitting on the floor in tears. Well, she was sitting on a. It was a blanket or a quilt.
Interviewer
And did you notice anything about that quilt?
Timothy G. Schmidt
There was blood on it.
Interviewer
Did you also notice a spray can and a knife on the floor?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes.
Interviewer
You recognize what I'm holding in my hand?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes. That is the railroad spike that was turned into a knife that was on the floor in the house.
Mike Boudet
Tim found his wife, 77 year old Tina Lohman, sitting on the living room floor. She was crying and bleeding. Tim went to her and asked what happened.
Interviewer
Tell me about that. You said she was in tears. Was she crying?
Timothy G. Schmidt
She was crying and she told me that they raped her.
Mike Boudet
As Tim knelt on the floor with his wife, Tina Loman recounted the horrific ordeal that she had just experienced. She told her husband that she had been carjacked, kidnapped, beaten and raped. On the evening of November 9, 2021, Timothy Schmidt returned to his home in Quincy, Illinois after a Long day of work. After he arrived, Tim found his wife Tina Loman on their living room floor. Tina was distraught, crying and bleeding.
Tim Schmidt
Tim schmidt was about 63 years old. He had run a business called American Builder Supply. He had been friends with Tina Loman for more than three decades, but they had only just recently gotten married a couple of years earlier.
Mike Boudet
Tim and Tina were very close and they knew each other very well. As longtime sweethearts, they enjoyed going out to dinner, taking vacations together and running their shared business. They also enjoyed watching Star Trek together.
Interviewer
Can you tell me about that pin? How do you recognize that pin?
Timothy G. Schmidt
If anybody has ever watched Star Trek before?
Interviewer
I've seen Star Trek.
Timothy G. Schmidt
Well, that's. We bought that at the Star Trek display or at the Las Vegas Hilton in. I don't remember what year it was.
Interviewer
But the shape on that is a Star Trek emblem.
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes.
Interviewer
It's the badge that the officers wear on their uniform.
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes.
Interviewer
And you and Tina were Star Trek fans?
Timothy G. Schmidt
We were Star Trek fans.
Mike Boudet
Tim and Tina were happy. They had a good Life. But on November 9, something unimaginably horrific happened that turned their lives upside down.
Tim Schmidt
Tim Schmidt left the family business, the American Builder Supply, at around 5 o'clock that evening and drove to Farm and Home Supply and he went there to go look for equipment for deer hunting season. And then he drove to his home on North Bottom Road, probably about a 15 minute drive. And he saw that the garage door was open. When he arrived, his wife's car was missing and there were wheel tracks from a car in the front lawn. He checked around his home. He saw that there were some items missing from the garage. And then he saw that the, the door from the garage leading into the house had been kicked in. There were shoe prints left on the door. And that's when he went inside and found his wife. And she was in tears. And then he went on to ask her, basically, hey, what happened?
Mike Boudet
When Tim discovered his distraught wife on the floor of their living room, he knelt beside her and asked what happened. Tina responded with tears running down her face. She said simply, they raped me.
Interviewer
After you saw those things that we saw and you heard Tina say that they raped explained her condition. She was crying. She appeared to be emotional to you?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes, she did.
Interviewer
Sobbing?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes.
Interviewer
Did she tell you that she was worried they were going to come back?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes, she did.
Interviewer
Because of that, what did you do?
Timothy G. Schmidt
I went into the bedroom and I got a handgun.
Officer
Tina's husband, Tim Schmidt, arrived home. He found Tina on the floor crying and bleeding, crying that she'd been Raped, bleeding from her body. Tim, her husband, now a gun. Because Tina was so terrified the defendant and his accomplice were going to come back. Then he called 911.
Mike Boudet
After Tim called for help, a patrol sergeant and other officers were dispatched to Tim and Tina's home.
Officer
Tell us what the call was that came in.
Sergeant Lohmeyer
The call came in as a woman carjacking and rape.
Mike Boudet
Tim had been told that help was on the way, and he quickly returned to his wife. Tina spoke to Tim and further explained some of what happened to her.
Officer
Tim asked Tina to tell him what had happened, and she relived that nightmare again as she told him how she had been violated, how she had been robbed, how she had been left bloody and bruised.
Interviewer
And did she tell you what had happened to her?
Timothy G. Schmidt
She said, they raped me.
Interviewer
And did she tell you how the rape started?
Timothy G. Schmidt
She told me that she was driving home on Cook's Lane and she got to the front or boninzinga in Cook's Lane, and the lights were not on in the car. And she stopped there at the stop sign, and a man came and helped, want to help her to turn the lights on. And he got in the car with her and drove off with her.
Interviewer
In the car?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yeah. Yes, in the car.
Interviewer
Did she want to go with him?
Timothy G. Schmidt
No.
Mike Boudet
As Tina was telling the story, the police began to arrive on the scene, and Tina had to explain things all over again.
Officer
Sergeant Lohmeyer, as she was telling all these things, you said at the beginning that, you know, she was distraught. Was she still distraught as she was telling me these things?
Sergeant Lohmeyer
Yes, very distraught. So when I saw her, she was on the floor. There was some crying. But it was also. I think what I've seen in other people is shock, just disbelief, kind of bewilderment. You know, when I would talk to her and ask her what happened, there was like a pain for kind of remembering it, you know, and some hesitation, and it was kind of a little bit disjointed as far as how the conversation went. I think that was a reflection of how emotional she was. Just utter confusion, I think, and disbelief is kind of what I read in her face. And pain, I think, of having. Remembering what happened.
Mike Boudet
Tina spoke with police and explained that earlier that evening she was parked on the side of the road because her headlights weren't working. A truck pulled up behind Tina with two people inside. A man stepped out of the truck and offered to help. But the man didn't help Tina. Instead, he threatened her and then learned.
Sergeant Lohmeyer
That, you know, this was going to be A situation where he told her to scoot over, get over in the passenger seat with threat of violence, and he took the car.
Mike Boudet
Before Tina could make sense of what was happening, she was becoming this man's hostage. She was abducted in her own car. Tina later recounted these same events several more times. She told her daughter Ilsa what happened.
Ilsa Loman
When the male first came into the car. He had somehow pushed her over or got her out of the car, taking her bags and everything out of her car and throwing them. And then he wanted money. And my mother said, the bag that you just threw out had the money in it. And I think they retrieved that.
Mike Boudet
With Tina in the passenger seat of her car, the man drove to an isolated area. Meanwhile, the man's accomplice followed them in the truck they had been driving.
Officer
After he had taken her car, what did she say that he did?
Sergeant Lohmeyer
She said that he began rubbing her crotch. I think she said he. He demanded her jewelry first. So he took all the jewelry she had on herself and then her cell phone. And she said he threw the cell phone out the window. She said while this was occurring, you know, he at times was rubbing her crotch over her clothes. You know, she was very, very scared.
Mike Boudet
Eventually, Tina, the man, and the accomplice arrived at an especially isolated area known as the North Bottoms and parked. Once there, the assault and robbery began.
Ilsa Loman
Then they went down to enclosed area where, at this point, the other person that was in the vehicle that he was driving had pulled up next to them, and he had stopped the car. And she opened the door. The other person grabbed the jewelry off of my mother.
Interviewer
And did she tell you, while they were in that area, the North Bottoms, what the man made her do to her top?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes.
Interviewer
What did Tina say that the man made her do to her top?
Timothy G. Schmidt
She said that he made her take her top off.
Interviewer
And did she tell you that he made her take her top off so that he could touch her breast?
Timothy G. Schmidt
He. Yes.
Interviewer
After this man did that to her, did Tina say that the man forced her to perform oral sex on him?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes.
Interviewer
Did Tina tell you what she thought was going to happen to her?
Timothy G. Schmidt
She told me that she thought that they were going to kill her.
Mike Boudet
Tina was terrified, and she was certain that if she didn't find a way out of this horrific nightmare, she would end up becoming a murder victim. So Tina came up with a plan.
Tina Loman
She's thinking at this point that they're going to kill her because she's not sure why the. Why they're in a dark spot and why the vehicle's Off. So, in a panic, she instructs them, hey, I have more money and more jewelry at my house, which is nearby.
Ilsa Loman
She said, please don't kill me. I'll do anything. I have a lot of money. I have jewelry. You can have it all if you just go to my house. And so they drove to her house.
Mike Boudet
Tina's plan seemed to work. She convinced the man and his accomplice to take Tina home where she could give them more money and jewelry. But the man didn't accept this offer without giving Tina a warning.
Interviewer
Now, at some point, did she also tell you that the male had made a threat to her about what would happen if her husband was home?
Timothy G. Schmidt
He said that if your husband's there, I'm going to kill you both.
Mike Boudet
At this point, Tina did not know that her husband, Tim Schmidt, had decided to go shopping for hunting supplies that evening. As far as she knew, her husband could have been at their home and she might have been leading two killers back to their house. But Tina had no other options. The best she could hope for was that her husband could use one of his guns to scare off these criminals and save her. Unfortunately, that's not what happened. Tim Schmidt wasn't home when Tina and the two criminals arrived there. Nobody was there. And this nightmare for Tina didn't just continue. It got much, much worse. On November 9, 2021, 77 year old Tina Loman was abducted in her car by a young man and a female accomplice. While Tina was stranded on the side of the road, the man forced his way into her car and drove off with Tina as the accomplice followed them. They arrived in an isolated area and the man turned the car off. He stole Tina's money and jewelry and forced her to perform oral sex on him. Tina was terrified and assumed that the man was going to kill her. So she convinced him to take her home where she had even more money and more jewelry.
Tim Schmidt
Tina thought if she got to the house, she might be able to defend herself a little bit better because she knew that there were loaded firearms in her house. Obviously, her husband was an avid deer hunter.
Mike Boudet
Again, Tina didn't know if her husband was home or not. And the man even warned Tina that they better not find anyone when they got there.
Tim Schmidt
Schmidt testified that his wife told him that the man who was in the car told her that if your husband's there, I'm gonna kill you both.
Mike Boudet
As the man drove toward Tina's home, Tina sat in the passenger seat, where she remained terrified. She could have been bringing two killers to her husband's doorstep. During this drive, the man continued to assault Tina.
Officer
As the defendant drove Tina's car back toward the house. As they were being followed by the accomplice, the defendant reached over, Grabbing Tina and clean his penis into her mouth.
Mike Boudet
As they were driving, the man accidentally made a wrong turn, which allowed his female accomplice to reach Tina's home first. When the man pulled onto their lawn, the female accomplice was already ransacking the garage.
Ilsa Loman
When they got up to the house, they were arguing. The female had made it to the house first, and she was taking things out of the garage. And then the male, who was driving my mother's car at this point, had got out and was arguing with the female. And at that time, my mother got out of the car and locked the door behind her and went to go look for a gun.
Mike Boudet
Tina found an opening to safety. The man and his accomplice began shouting at each other. And Tina used this distraction. She ran as fast as she could into her home and locked the door behind her.
Interviewer
Tina then told you that he went to the house?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Yes.
Interviewer
And when they got to the house, what did Tina say happened in the garage?
Timothy G. Schmidt
She said that the male and. And there was a female there, that they got into an argument.
Interviewer
And during the argument, Tina was able to get away.
Timothy G. Schmidt
Tina went into the house and she locked the door.
Mike Boudet
Tina had escaped her abductors. She was inside her own home, safe for the time being. But Tina knew that safety wouldn't last long. Tina knew that she had to defend herself.
Timothy G. Schmidt
She went into the bedroom on the east side of the house, Went to look for the handgun.
Mike Boudet
Frantically, Tina ran to her husband's nightstand where he normally kept his handgun. But there was a problem. Tim's handgun wasn't there.
Timothy G. Schmidt
But the handgun I had moved from the nightstand because we had grandchildren up there. And I was afraid one of those grandchildren were going to get a hold of that gun. So I put it up high where they couldn't get to it.
Interviewer
She couldn't find the gun.
Timothy G. Schmidt
She couldn't find the gun.
Mike Boudet
As Tina searched for her handgun, the criminals forced their way into the house. The man kicked open the door and quickly began searching for Tina. Tragically, he found her.
Officer
When they arrived at Tina's house, Tina was able to get away. She was able to run inside, lock the door, While the defendant and the woman with him, his accomplice, were in the garage. But the defendant wasn't done. He wasn't going to let Tina get away. He kicked in the door to her house, breaking down the door. And the nightmare for Tina continued.
Mike Boudet
The nightmare for Tina didn't only continue. It escalated. It got worse and worse. By the end, Tina was left on her living room floor, bloody and broken. By the end, Tina's nightmare had become one of the most horrific and brutal crimes ever committed in the city of Quincy, Illinois. Next time on this Doesn't Happen to People Like Me.
Tina Loman
We were getting my son ready for bed, and she called me really hysterical. I couldn't really understand what she was saying, so I kind of told her. I was like, I need you to calm down and kind of walk me through what you're saying. And she just said that my grandmother had been raped at her house and that she was going to take her to the hospital.
Officer
Hospital, specifically, those individuals showed up in a white Toyota Avalon. Is that correct?
Timothy G. Schmidt
Correct.
Officer
Was there video surveillance at the gas station?
Mike Boudet
Yes.
Tina Loman
One minute they would be nice to her and tell her that she's going to be okay, and the next minute they're kicking her. Then the next minute they're consoling her. Then the next minute they're raping her. She was very thrown off by their behavior.
Timothy G. Schmidt
They took her to a. A remote place, and she knew that they were probably going to kill her there.
Ilsa Loman
She felt that they were going to kill her. She wanted to be at her home so we didn't have to look for her.
Podcast Summary: "Nowhere to Run"
Podcast Information:
"This Doesn't Happen to People Like Me," a gripping ten-part true crime series by Sword and Scale, delves into the horrifying true story of Tina Lohman—a 77-year-old grandmother whose life was shattered by a brutal crime. In the episode titled "Nowhere to Run," listeners are taken through the harrowing events of November 9, 2021, detailing Tina's abduction, assault, and the subsequent efforts to seek justice.
On the evening of November 9, 2021, Tina Lohman was leaving work when her car’s headlights malfunctioned. Being not very tech-savvy, Tina decided to pull over, hoping for assistance from a kind stranger.
Hours later, a patrol sergeant from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to Tina's residence after a distressing 911 call.
As Tina sat stranded on a quiet road in Quincy, Illinois, a truck approached. A man ostensibly offered to help but instead forced Tina into his vehicle, abducting her with his female accomplice.
Tina endured unimaginable terror as the perpetrators robbed her, assaulted her, and threatened her life. She managed to convince them to take her back to her home under the guise of retrieving more valuables, hoping her husband could defend her.
Timothy G. Schmidt, Tina’s husband and co-owner of American Builder Supply, returned home around 6 PM to find his house in disarray. The garage door was open, items were missing, and most alarmingly, his wife was found on the living room floor, bleeding and distraught.
Concerned for Tina’s safety, Tim armed himself with a handgun, fearing that the abductor would return.
As Tim interacted with Tina, she recounted her terrifying ordeal. Tina explained that a man approached her car, offered help, and instead, kidnapped her. The abductor, threatening violence, stole her belongings and subjected her to sexual assault.
Despite Tina’s brave attempt to seek safety by returning home, the situation escalated when the abductor forced his way into the house, leading to further violence.
In a desperate bid for survival, Tina sought to defend herself. She attempted to retrieve a handgun from their bedroom, only to find it had been moved to prevent access by grandchildren.
With the perpetrator breaking into the house, Tina's escape seemed impossible, culminating in her tragic state on the living room floor.
Sergeant Lohmeyer and his team responded swiftly to the distress call. Through meticulous investigation, including reviewing video surveillance from a nearby gas station, law enforcement began piecing together the sequence of events leading to Tina’s assault.
This episode not only highlights the brutality of the crime but also underscores the vulnerabilities that even seemingly safe individuals can face. It sheds light on the resilience of Tina and Tim as they navigate the aftermath of the attack and the pursuit of justice.
The episode concludes with an ominous promise of further revelations and the continuing quest to bring the perpetrators to justice, emphasizing that monstrosity can manifest in the most unexpected forms.
"Nowhere to Run" serves as a powerful testament to Tina Lohman’s ordeal and the subsequent unraveling of a community in shock. Through detailed narration and emotional testimonies, the episode captures the essence of a crime that defied expectations and the relentless pursuit of justice that followed.
Listeners are left contemplating the fragility of safety and the dark realities that can intrude upon ordinary lives, making this episode a poignant addition to the series.
Subscribe to "This Doesn't Happen to People Like Me" on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For an ad-free experience, consider the Sword and Scale +PLUS subscription available at swordandscale.com.