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2007 Wilson, Matthew 12-14-2007; Houston, Harris County
Topic Started: Jan 27 2008, 12:38 PM (133 Views)
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Name: Matthew J. Wilson, Jr.
Case Number: M0712011
Case Type: Other
Last Seen in: Houston (Harris County)
Last Seen on: 12/14/2007
Height: 5' 7 "
Weight: 135 lbs.
Age Missing: 20
Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: Red
Date of Birth: 3/6/1987
Race: White
Sex: Male
State Missing From: Texas
Country Missing From: USA
Circumstances: Mr. Wilson is a Rice University student. He wears glasses and has a red beard. He was last seen driving a silver 2004 Dodge Neon displaying Oklahoma license plate 863-MCZ.
http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/mpch/mpdetail...72:19:07PM'
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Missing Rice student's car found abandoned in Berkeley, Calif.

01:04 PM CDT on Saturday, June 14, 2008

KHOU.com staff report

HOUSTON -- The car that belongs to missing Rice University student Matthew Wilson has been found in Berkeley, Calif.

Wilson’s silver 2004 four-door Dodge Neon with Oklahoma license plate 863 MCZ was towed as an abandoned vehicle from a residential street in West Berkeley June 10.

Berkeley police informed the Rice University Police Department there were no obvious signs of foul play inside the car, and they have issued a description and photos of Wilson with a request for the community’s help in searching for the missing 20-year-old from Haworth, Okla. Rice police notified Wilson’s family of the news.

Wilson, a junior majoring in computer science, was last seen by his roommate in their off-campus apartment Dec. 14 and he did not report to school for spring semester classes for which he had preregistered. His disappearance last year attracted national media attention but led to no clues about the circumstances of his disappearance or his whereabouts.

”The discovery of Matthew’s car is an important piece of evidence,” said Rice Police Chief Bill Taylor. “We will cooperate fully with the Berkeley Police Department investigation, and we’re all hopeful that Matthew will be found alive and well.” Rice University is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the discovery of Wilson. His family is also offering $10,000 for information leading to his return. Crime Stoppers of Houston is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to felony charges in the case.

Wilson is Caucasian, 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs 135 pounds, and has red hair and green eyes. He had a full beard when last seen.

To contact the Rice University Police Department, call 713-348-6000. To contact Crime Stoppers, call 713-222-TIPS (8477). The Berkeley Police Department can be reached at 510-981-5900.

http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/kho...nt.1c0b80b.html
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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/27/...in3649063.shtml

Texas Student Vanishes, Leaving Few Clues
Rice University Junior Matthew Wilson, 20, Has Been Missing For 2 Weeks

HOUSTON, Dec. 27, 2007

Matthew J. Wilson, a computer science junior at Rice University has been missing for nearly two weeks. His mother Cathy, spoke to The Early Show, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2007. (CBS)





Search For Missing Student
Matthew Wilson, a college student from Rice University in Houston, has been missing for two weeks. Maggie Rodriguez speaks with Wilson's family and a university official about his disappearance. | Share/Embed


(CBS/AP) Matthew J. Wilson's mother, Cathy Wilson, has said it's not unusual for her son to ignore phone calls or e-mails while studying for final exams at Rice University, but he never would have missed the deadline for tests and projects at school.

The straight-A computer science student has been missing for nearly two weeks, but police said Wednesday they are working with few clues.

"I've never had to worry about Matthew until now," Cathy Wilson said. "He's a 20-year-old who acts like a mature 50-year-old man. He's not only intelligent, he uses good sense - a child most mothers would like to have."

Matthew Wilson of Haworth, Okla., was last seen by his roommate at their off-campus apartment on the evening of Dec. 14, five days before the deadline to turn in take-home exams.

Earlier that day, Wilson had withdrawn $400 from his bank account, which his family and authorities said was an unusual transaction. Wilson's car is also missing.

Rice Police Chief Bill Taylor said investigators have checked the account for further activity or clues but turned up nothing.

"I think Matthew's the only person that knows what he withdrew that money for," Taylor told CBS' The Early Show. "And at this point, we don't have any way of determining that. We have no indication that he spent it on anything before he left."

Taylor said there's nothing to suggest the $400 withdrawal was coerced because Wilson was back at his apartment that evening, along with his roommate.

"There's no indication of any foul play," Taylor said. "We're at a wait and hold."

He said authorities and Wilson's family in Oklahoma hoped the junior had gone off in search of solitude to prepare for finals. But the Dec. 19 deadline passed with no sign of him.

Wilson's roommate notified police Dec. 18 that Wilson had not been back to the apartment since the previous Saturday.

"We were hoping something might happen on Christmas Day, but still no sign of him, no clues, no nothing," Rice spokesman B.J. Almond said Wednesday.

The roommate tried to call Wilson's cell phone but discovered the phone was inside their apartment.

His mother last saw Wilson at Thanksgiving.

"I adored him," Cathy Wilson said Wednesday. "He's my life. I can't live without him."

The family was supposed to spend Christmas at a daughter's home in Tulsa, Okla.

"I have confidence in Matt," she told The Early Show. "He's smart, so I'm praying and hoping that he isn't in some trouble and that he's trying to get home."
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Rice University seeks help to find missing student

By TERRI LANGFORD
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle


"A Rice University junior missing since Saturday never showed up to class Wednesday to turn in his final projects for the fall semester, police said.

Rice Police Chief Bill Taylor said the school is asking the public for help to find 20-year-old Matthew J. Wilson because it was unlike him to disappear without telling anyone where he was going.

"He doesn't have a history of problems," Taylor said of the computer science major from Oklahoma. "He's a very conservative young man."

Wilson's roommate contacted Rice University police on Tuesday. The roommate, who had last seen Wilson on Saturday around noon, became worried when he did not return to the apartment three days later. Wilson had left his cell phone in the apartment they shared on Dryden, about a block from Rice.

Last week was the final class week for students. Rice students' final exams were taken or turned in this week.

Rice spokesman *.J. Almond said it's not unusual for students to leave their apartments for the library or other areas to work on final projects or exams.

"Students tend to hibernate before exams," Almond said.

Wilson had four take-home final exams that had to be turned in by Wednesday.

Police became more concerned after the studious Wilson missed his 5 p.m. deadline Wednesday to turn in the exams.

The university sent out an e-mail to all students about Wilson's case and one student wrote back, informing officials that Wilson failed to show at her home Saturday to give her a ride to one of Houston's two airports. She didn't think anything about it at the time, but contacted officials on Thursday to report it.

Wilson, a graduate of Haworth High School in Haworth, Oklahoma, was last seen by his roommate at their off-campus apartment on Dryden. Wilson left his cellphone in the apartment, but his backpack and 2004 four-door Dodge Neon with Oklahoma license plate 863 MCZ are both gone.

Police searched Wilson's Rice email account but found nothing to indicate he was leaving or had plans to meet someone. They are now trying to locate his last whereabouts through credit card or ATM activity.

Wilson is a 5-foot-7 white male, weighs 135 pounds, has red hair, a full beard and green eyes, and he wears glasses.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Rice University Police Department at 713-348-6000"

Link at: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5392354.html

Straight-A Student Disappears During Finals
Rice University Junior, His Vehicle Missing Almost a Week

Dec. 21, 2007

"Matthew Wilson, described by family and friends as a diligent computer science major, owed four Rice University professors four exams by the close of the academic semester Wednesday evening.

Wilson never turned in the work, and now, police are considering that the 20-year-old Rice junior who went missing nearly a week ago may have met with foul play.

"We've been checking the health care facilities, mental health facilities, the morgue," said Rice University Police Chief Bill Taylor, who said there have been some tips, but they have all proved fruitless. "We've found nothing."

Authorities were holding out hope that the shaggy haired, bearded student, last seen Saturday, Dec. 15, would emerge from some academic cubby hole and his focus on acing his finals would explain his temporary disappearance....."

Link and full story at: http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=4038322&page=1

Student Failed to Arrive Home for Christmas, and the Police Investigate

By RALPH BLUMENTHAL
Published: December 26, 2007

HOUSTON — "Matthew J. Wilson never made it home for Christmas.

Mr. Wilson, a 20-year-old computer science junior at Rice University here, had been expected at his mother’s house in Haworth, Okla., on Friday to drive to a sister’s home in Tulsa for the holiday.

But he and his car vanished from his off-campus apartment after 11 p.m. on Dec. 14, leaving a few baffling dead-end clues.

His family kept alive the hope Mr. Wilson might yet walk through the door. “Anything is possible in college,” his mother, Cathy Wilson, said Monday....."

“....He was a wonderful child,” she said, then, catching herself, “He is a wonderful child.”

Link and full story at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/26/u...ing.html?ref=us

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Search for missing Rice student garners national attention, but few clues

By Jocelyn Wright | Thresher Editorial Staff

Four weeks after the disappearance of Hanszen College junior Matthew Wilson, students and Rice University police are scouring the country and thinking outside the box for clues as to what could have happened to him.

But as the new semester begins, students find themselves staring at the same scant few clues as they were weeks ago. And in what may be a sign of the growing bleakness of the situation, Hanszen junior Elliot Harwell, Wilson’s roommate of two years, is looking for a new roommate.

However, there is still hope as the search still continues. Wilson’s mother is in Houston helping RUPD search for her son. The national media has picked up the story, increasing awareness of Wilson’s disappearance nationwide. Rice and Wilson’s mother are offering a $20,000 reward and Crime Stoppers are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to his return.

Wilson’s story has been picked up by the national media and covered across the country. Wilson’s mother said the media attention began when her daughter Kelly Parkrider contacted Greta Van Susteren from Fox News about the story.

Rice Public Relations has also been working to help, putting up posters and offering rewards.

“The one thing that’s common to all of these efforts is that there’s really a desire to find him and find him safely,” Vice President for Public Affairs Linda Thrane said.

Hanszen Master Wesley Morris said that although there have been reports of sightings all around the country, none of them have led to any news of Wilson’s whereabouts.

Wilson’s friends are also spreading awareness through a Facebook group that keeps its members updated on the case. Fortuna also made a Web site, findmatthewwilson.blogspot.com, with information about Wilson.

Wilson’s mother said she has found her son’s disappearance particularly difficult because her husband died in Houston when Wilson was two, after which Wilson’s mother moved her family to Oklahoma.

“Matthew was my last link to my husband,” she said. “If my husband wasn’t dead this would kill him anyway.”

Harwell first reported him missing to RUPD on Dec. 18. Captain Dianna Marshall said RUPD had no evidence of foul play but with Wilson failing to turn in finals by the Dec. 19 deadline, his mother feels that something beyond Wilson’s control must have happened.

“Something has gone very wrong for Matthew not to have turned in his finals,” Cathy Wilson, Wilson’s mother, said. “Never in his life has he not completed a class, a final or a project. Never until now.”

Hanszen junior Emily Fortuna said even if Wilson left of his own accord, his lack of communication with anyone in the past month was out of character and a cause for concern.

“He was just very easy to get in touch with,” Fortuna said. “That was never an issue. I’d call him and if he didn’t answer his phone it’d be because he was in class and he would call me right back.”

Harwell said Wilson could have left as a result of stress, but that it would be atypical of him not to inform anyone of his departure.

“He’s a great student and he works really hard,” Harwell said. “It’s clear though that whatever happened, he’s not behaving in the way I’m used to or his family is used to. Honestly, I think he probably felt like he was under a lot of stress and worked really hard and wanted to get away from things.”

However, Fortuna said she doubted Wilson’s sudden departure was due to stress.

“He’s very chill and so I don’t think it could have been like ‘Oh I can’t take the stress at finals,’” she said. “It doesn’t seem to fit.”

Wilson’s mother also found it odd that Wilson withdrew $400 from an ATM before he disappeared. She said he was frugal and did not find money important. Wilson even had three paychecks he had not picked up before he went missing.

Harwell noticed both Wilson and his car were missing on Dec. 15 but said he was not concerned because Wilson had a lot of finals to take. Harwell called Wilson on Dec. 16 and sent him an email Dec. 17, neither of which received a response. Harwell found Wilson’s cell phone in his room that evening.

Concerned, Harwell contacted Wilson’s study partners and Morris and looked for Wilson in Fondren Library, the Rice parking lots and of the Fiesta parking lot, where Wilson most frequently shopped. Harwell reported Wilson’s absence to RUPD on Tuesday.

Wilson’s mother said along with his cell phone, Wilson had also left behind the computer he built himself, something she said he would never do if he had planned to go somewhere for an extended period of time.

Cathy Wilson, who works as a pre-school teacher, said that although she hates to be away from her students, she cannot bring herself to leave Houston.

“It seems so uncanny and unreal,” she said. “I miss all the little kids at school. I bonded with them, and I hate being away from them, but I can’t just leave them and desert Matthew either.”

Wilson’s mother said she will become an advocate for missing children.

“It seems that there are so many college students missing,” she said. “I want to advise everyone at Rice and anybody, always have a buddy system to let people know where you are, and if you do seem sad or stressed, let it be known.”

the.ricethresher.org/news/2008/01/11/matthew_wilson_missing - 15k -

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Jan. 15, 2008, 10:24PM
Rice police: Student may have left on purpose

By SARAH VIREN
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

Rice University Police Chief Bill Taylor has heard the Into the Wild theories ever since one of the school's scruffy bearded undergraduates went missing last month.

And while Taylor doesn't think Matthew Wilson, a computer science major at the exclusive private college, planned to copy the protagonist from Jon Krakauer's best-selling book, he now says the 20-year-old may have intended to disappear, if only for a little while.

"I am reasonably confident that he left on his own," Taylor said. "We tracked the use of his debit card and the things he purchased. (They were) things that someone might purchase if they are about to do something different."

In Krakauer's book, made into a movie last year, Christopher McCandless burns his money and abandons his car before disappearing into the Alaskan wilderness, where he later dies.

Before Wilson vanished, he withdrew $500 from his checking account and bought charcoal and matches, a car cover and window shade. His last purchase was a fill-up at a gas station off San Jacinto Street around midnight Friday, Dec. 14, his mother said.

The next day Wilson was supposed to drive a friend to the airport, but never showed. His roommate, Elliott Harwell, realized Wilson was missing by that Monday and reported his absence the next day to the campus police department, which has handled the month-long investigation.

The school sent out text messages to all students about the disappearance and by the end of finals week law enforcement agencies nationwide were on the lookout for Wilson and his silver 2004 four-door Dodge Neon.

Since then there has been no sign of the student, despite national media attention, Web sites, Facebook accounts and pleadings from his friends at Rice and family back in Oklahoma.

"This experience with Matt was really way too close to home," said Emily Fortuna, one of Wilson's closest friends at Rice. "Growing up, you would see pictures of missing people in the mail and not think much of that, but it's just unbelievable that someone like Matt has disappeared without a trace."

Fortuna, 21, says she has a hard time believing her friend and study partner would leave on his own accord. He was just too responsible not to tell anyone, she says.

That's a feeling echoed by many who knew Wilson. His mother, Cathy Wilson, calls her youngest son "my world."

Police believe even if Wilson left intentionally, he may not have planned to stay away this long. The junior was not a big wilderness guy, nor was he known to have survival skills.

Wilson grew up in the country, nine miles outside the town of Haworth, Okla. The youngest boy with three older sisters, his father died when he was 2. In elementary school, he started tinkering with computers and hoped to work for a software company after getting his degree.

At Rice he used a computer he had built himself.

"Knowing Matthew like I know him, he would not leave his computer, he would not leave his cell phone," Cathy Wilson said.

Harwell, however, says he could see Wilson "bunkered down" somewhere — if only because that scenario would mean his friend is still alive.

"I have always tried to hold the hope that he will show up at any moment," he said last week.

The quiet history major has gone on national television to plead for information leading to his roommate's return.

Yet as classes started last week, Harwell said he has started looking for someone to take Wilson's room. The two lived in quadraplex just off campus, where they spent much of their free time playing War 40K, a science fiction tabletop game.

Wilson's room there has been empty since last week, when his mom flew down to Houston to pick up his things — and try to find new clues into her son's disappearance.

She went to the Target where he supposedly shopped before he left and visited the gas station where he filled his tank. But then she left, saying she felt more deflated than before.

"I don't know what the normal procedure is for going about having an everyday life," she said.

At Rice, where her son studied on a full scholarship, posters with photos of him now hang throughout the campus offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to Wilson's safe return. Crime Stoppers of Houston is offering an additional $5,000 for tips that lead to felony charges in the case.

"People are definitely curious," said student Thomas Yeh, 21, who does advertising layout for the college newspaper, the Rice Thresher. "I think everybody speculates when something like this happens."

Last week, the Thresher ran a front page story about the national attention paid to Wilson's disappearance. An editorial in the same issue praised the college's public relations department for publicizing the search.

"It was a risky move to put the name Rice out there," the paper's editorial staff wrote. "After all, most universities try to be known for their academics or sports successes, not for their missing students."

By December 2006, there were 12,657 active missing person reports for adults ages 18 to 20, according to the National Crime Information Center. Many of those cases never receive close to the attention Wilson's has.

Taylor credits Rice's close-knit community for helping spur nationwide stories about Wilson. His officers worked throughout the normally quiet holidays trying to find Wilson and many students are leading on-campus efforts to find their former classmate.

Yet as of Tuesday, they know little more than when Wilson disappeared a month ago.

"It is totally open-ended," Taylor said.

Wilson is 5-foot-7 and weighs 135 pounds. He has red hair and green eyes and was last seen with a full beard. Anyone with information about him can contact the Rice University Police at (713) 348-6000.

sarah.viren@chron.com

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl...an/5458282.html

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http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/16/u...amp;oref=slogin

Clues Offered in Search for Student


By RALPH BLUMENTHAL
Published: January 16, 2008
HOUSTON — A month after a Rice University student vanished with his car after withdrawing $500 from a bank machine, school officials on Tuesday disclosed information suggesting the disappearance might have been planned.

Days before he was last seen by a roommate the night of Dec. 14, the student, Matthew Wilson, 20, a computer science junior from Haworth, Okla., bought a car cover, a car window shade, charcoal and matches, said a Rice spokesman, *. J. Almond.

And just before midnight Dec. 14, gasoline was bought at a Houston service station with Mr. Wilson’s debit card, which required use of his personal code, Mr. Almond said. The card has not been used since, he said.

The missing student’s mother, Cathy Wilson, said about $1,400 had been left in the account. Mr. Wilson had his backpack with him but left behind his cellphone.

“It would appear he left on his own volition,” said Chief Bill Taylor of the Rice University Police Department.

Mr. Almond declined to speculate on what Mr. Wilson’s purchases could signify, but they appeared to suggest Mr. Wilson wanted to protect his car from exposure to the elements and perhaps survive outdoors for a while. The clues have been known for some time, Mr. Almond said, but were not disclosed in hopes of furthering the investigation. No information about Mr. Wilson’s whereabouts has emerged.

Rewards totaling $25,000 have been offered for leads in the case, including $5,000 from Crime Stoppers of Houston for information leading to felony charges.

Mr. Wilson is described as white, 5 feet 7 inches tall and 135 pounds, with red hair, green eyes, glasses and a full reddish beard. He drives a silver 2004 Dodge Neon with the Oklahoma license plate 863 MCZ.

Family members had been hoping he would follow through on plans to be in Haworth for Christmas, but said they did not hear from him. His mother described him as an A-student with no known problems or medical conditions. School officials said it was unusual for Mr. Wilson not to have turned in any of his end-of-semester projects.

The family has set up a Web site, www.findmattwilson.org.

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From Matt's site; Timeline

Here is the timeline we have been able to gather so far with details about Matt for the week leading to his disappearance. Some of these details may be slightly off due to human error, and as people's memories fade over time. You will notice gaps in the timeline as well in which we do not have any information. It's likely that Matt's friends and roommate saw him during these gaps, but we don't happen to have the details for those days.

Thursday, 12/6
6:00 PM Matt was doing last minute work on a project with a friend
10:00 PM The friend returned to Matt's apartment to work on their project some more & they pulled an all-nighter.

Friday, 12/7
5:00 AM Matt's friend left the apartment after working all night.
2:00 - 6:00 PM Matt's friend returned to the apartment & worked with Matt until they finished. Matt seemed very tired when his friend left, and his friend submitted their project electronically.

Saturday, 12/8
Evening: Matt went to dinner sometime that night with a group of friends, but not the one he had been studying with (who had not seen him again after the 7th).

Sunday & Monday, 12/9 - 12/10
Matt went to Target & Wal-Mart to do some shopping. Among other items, Matt purchased matches, charcoal, a car cover, and a car window shade.

Friday, 12/14
3:30 PM Matt withdraws $400 from an ATM
4:45 PM Matt withdraws $100 from an ATM
5:00 PM Matt's roommate saw him doing dishes at their apartment
11:00 PM Matt's roommate heard him come into the apartment with what sounded like plastic grocery bags .
11:57 PM Matt fills his car with gas an a Valero station.

Tuesday, 12/18
2:15 PM Matt is reported missing to the Rice PD by his roommate.
8:30 PM the family is notified.

Wednesday, 12/19
5:00 PM Four finals are due by this time, and are not turned in
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Car of missing Rice student found in California


© 2008 The Associated Press

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HOUSTON — The car belonging to a Rice University honors student missing since December has been found in Berkeley, Calif., officials said.

Police found and towed an abandoned 2004 silver Dodge Neon belonging to 21-year-old Matthew J. Wilson on Tuesday in West Berkeley, authorities said.

Wilson has not been located. Berkeley police told the Rice University Police Department that there were no signs of foul play inside the car, according to a statement released by the school.

"The discovery of Matthew's car is an important piece of evidence," Rice police Chief Bill Taylor said in a statement. "We will cooperate fully with the Berkeley Police Department investigation, and we're all hopeful that Matthew will be found alive and well."

Wilson was last seen by his roommate at their off-campus apartment on Dec. 14, five days before a deadline to turn in take-home exams for his classes.

Earlier that day, Wilson withdrew $400 from his bank account, which his family and authorities said was an unusual transaction. There was nothing to suggest that withdrawal was coerced, however, because Wilson was back at his apartment that evening, along with his roommate.

Wilson's family in Oklahoma had originally hoped the junior computer science major and straight-A student had gone off in search of solitude to prepare for finals.

Wilson is 5-foot-7, weighs about 135 pounds, has red hair and green eyes. He had a full beard when last seen by his roommate.

The Houston Chronicle reported the discovery of the car on its Web site Saturday.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5838228.html
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Identity-Change Literature Found in Missing Texas Student’s Car
By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday July 10, 2008
Literature and notes on how to assume a new identity were found in the car, abandoned on a Berkeley street, of missing Rice University student Matthew Wilson, Berkeley police said last week, and a Pleasanton group is hoping to recruit local volunteers to search for him in Berkeley this weekend.

Police found the material in Wilson’s 2004 silver Dodge Neon on the 1200 block of Allston Way in West Berkeley on June 10. The dust-covered car was locked, and there was no evidence of foul play or any other criminal activity.

Wilson, a junior in computer science, was last seen Dec. 14 by Elliot Harwell in the room the two share at Rice University in Houston, Tex.

Berkeley Police Department spokesperson Officer Andrew Frankel said the items in the car included a book on how to live cheaply in San Francisco, a can of beans, rice, instant noodle soup and a couple of days’ worth of clothing.

Frankel said fingerprints indicated the property belonged to Wilson.

Although the car is no longer being treated as evidence, Berkeley police are still investigating Wilson’s disappearance as a missing person case to assist Rice University officials, Frankel said.

“But it’s a Rice University missing person case,” he said.

Frankel said, although Wilson’s car was found in Berkeley, police were not sure if he had been in the area at all.

“We don’t know for a fact he was in the Bay Area to begin with,” he said. “There could be a million different scenarios. He could have sold his car to someone, and maybe that’s how it turned up here.”

Frankel added that police were following local leads on Wilson’s possible whereabouts.

“I would say finding the material constitutes progress,” he said.

Wilson, who is from Haworth, Okla., reportedly made a $400 cash withdrawal from his bank account on Dec. 14, the day he was last seen, and purchased charcoal, matches, a car cover and window shades.

Wilson’s family, Rice University and Crime Stoppers of Berkeley are offering $25,000 in reward money for information on Wilson’s disappearance or his whereabouts.

Pleasanton-based Trinity Search and Recovery will assist Wilson’s friends and family to search for him this weekend. Searchers will meet on Saturday at 9 a.m. in Berkeley and will continue the next day at 2 p.m.

Dr. Bridget Melson, co-founder of Trinity Search and Recovery, said Wilson’s family was asking community members for help.

The organization is flying Matthew’s mother, Cathy Wilson, to Berkeley on Friday to make an on-camera plea for Wilson to call if he is safe.

It is also offering a confidential phone number, (925) 826-2319, for Wilson to call in case he is in trouble.

“We have evidence to believe Matt is in Berkeley, especially the car and the two different manuals on how to survive cheaply in the Bay Area and change your identity,” Melson told the Planet. “Matt also expressed a desire to his parents once to go to UC Berkeley, but he ended up at Rice.”

The search will be focused in the downtown Berkeley area and around the university, Melson said.

“We will do foot searches, post flyers, look in homeless shelters and talk to people,” she said.

Mike Melson, Bridget’s husband, started the search and recovery organization almost six years ago as a response to what he called a “call from God.”

“We do it because we are Christians and we believe God wanted us to help,” Bridget Melson said. “We believe nobody should be lost forever. We have kids of our own, and we want to reunite families with their children. Matthew’s mom is a mess and we want to bring him back home to her.”

Berkeley and Rice University police will be at the search. Volunteers can sign up at www.trinitysearch.org.

For more information, contact Melson at (925) 918-1090 or bridget@melson.com.




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Car of missing Rice student found in California


© 2008 The Associated Press

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HOUSTON — The car belonging to a Rice University honors student missing since December has been found in Berkeley, Calif., officials said.

Police found and towed an abandoned 2004 silver Dodge Neon belonging to 21-year-old Matthew J. Wilson on Tuesday in West Berkeley, authorities said.

Wilson has not been located. Berkeley police told the Rice University Police Department that there were no signs of foul play inside the car, according to a statement released by the school.

"The discovery of Matthew's car is an important piece of evidence," Rice police Chief Bill Taylor said in a statement. "We will cooperate fully with the Berkeley Police Department investigation, and we're all hopeful that Matthew will be found alive and well."

Wilson was last seen by his roommate at their off-campus apartment on Dec. 14, five days before a deadline to turn in take-home exams for his classes.

Earlier that day, Wilson withdrew $400 from his bank account, which his family and authorities said was an unusual transaction. There was nothing to suggest that withdrawal was coerced, however, because Wilson was back at his apartment that evening, along with his roommate.

Wilson's family in Oklahoma had originally hoped the junior computer science major and straight-A student had gone off in search of solitude to prepare for finals.

Wilson is 5-foot-7, weighs about 135 pounds, has red hair and green eyes. He had a full beard when last seen by his roommate.

The Houston Chronicle reported the discovery of the car on its Web site Saturday.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5838228.html



--------------------

Ell

Only after the last tree has been
cut down;
Only after the last fish has been
caught;
Only after the last river has been
poisoned;
Only then will you realize
that money cannot be eaten.
IP: ----------
Ell Posted: Jul 10, 2008 - 01:05 PM


Heart of Gold


Group: The Cabinet
Posts: 19,695
Member No.: 85
Joined: April 7, 2006



Identity-Change Literature Found in Missing Texas Student’s Car
By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday July 10, 2008
Literature and notes on how to assume a new identity were found in the car, abandoned on a Berkeley street, of missing Rice University student Matthew Wilson, Berkeley police said last week, and a Pleasanton group is hoping to recruit local volunteers to search for him in Berkeley this weekend.

Police found the material in Wilson’s 2004 silver Dodge Neon on the 1200 block of Allston Way in West Berkeley on June 10. The dust-covered car was locked, and there was no evidence of foul play or any other criminal activity.

Wilson, a junior in computer science, was last seen Dec. 14 by Elliot Harwell in the room the two share at Rice University in Houston, Tex.

Berkeley Police Department spokesperson Officer Andrew Frankel said the items in the car included a book on how to live cheaply in San Francisco, a can of beans, rice, instant noodle soup and a couple of days’ worth of clothing.

Frankel said fingerprints indicated the property belonged to Wilson.

Although the car is no longer being treated as evidence, Berkeley police are still investigating Wilson’s disappearance as a missing person case to assist Rice University officials, Frankel said.

“But it’s a Rice University missing person case,” he said.

Frankel said, although Wilson’s car was found in Berkeley, police were not sure if he had been in the area at all.

“We don’t know for a fact he was in the Bay Area to begin with,” he said. “There could be a million different scenarios. He could have sold his car to someone, and maybe that’s how it turned up here.”

Frankel added that police were following local leads on Wilson’s possible whereabouts.

“I would say finding the material constitutes progress,” he said.

Wilson, who is from Haworth, Okla., reportedly made a $400 cash withdrawal from his bank account on Dec. 14, the day he was last seen, and purchased charcoal, matches, a car cover and window shades.

Wilson’s family, Rice University and Crime Stoppers of Berkeley are offering $25,000 in reward money for information on Wilson’s disappearance or his whereabouts.

Pleasanton-based Trinity Search and Recovery will assist Wilson’s friends and family to search for him this weekend. Searchers will meet on Saturday at 9 a.m. in Berkeley and will continue the next day at 2 p.m.

Dr. Bridget Melson, co-founder of Trinity Search and Recovery, said Wilson’s family was asking community members for help.

The organization is flying Matthew’s mother, Cathy Wilson, to Berkeley on Friday to make an on-camera plea for Wilson to call if he is safe.

It is also offering a confidential phone number, (925) 826-2319, for Wilson to call in case he is in trouble.

“We have evidence to believe Matt is in Berkeley, especially the car and the two different manuals on how to survive cheaply in the Bay Area and change your identity,” Melson told the Planet. “Matt also expressed a desire to his parents once to go to UC Berkeley, but he ended up at Rice.”

The search will be focused in the downtown Berkeley area and around the university, Melson said.

“We will do foot searches, post flyers, look in homeless shelters and talk to people,” she said.

Mike Melson, Bridget’s husband, started the search and recovery organization almost six years ago as a response to what he called a “call from God.”

“We do it because we are Christians and we believe God wanted us to help,” Bridget Melson said. “We believe nobody should be lost forever. We have kids of our own, and we want to reunite families with their children. Matthew’s mom is a mess and we want to bring him back home to her.”

Berkeley and Rice University police will be at the search. Volunteers can sign up at www.trinitysearch.org.

For more information, contact Melson at (925) 918-1090 or bridget@melson.com.







--------------------

Ell

Only after the last tree has been
cut down;
Only after the last fish has been
caught;
Only after the last river has been
poisoned;
Only then will you realize
that money cannot be eaten.



UC Berkeley Police Locate Missing Rice University Student

POSTED: 10:02 pm PDT August 13, 2008


BERKELEY, Calif. -- A 21-year-old Rice University student missing since December 2007 was located on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley Wednesday evening, according to police.

Matthew Wilson, who went missing in Texas, was found by a UC-Berkeley police officer in Dwinelle Hall and was detained for an alleged theft, Berkeley police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss said. Wilson then identified himself to the officer.

Wilson is a resident of Haworth, Okla., and went missing Dec. 15, 2007 from his apartment in Houston, Texas, where Wilson was a junior at Rice University.

Local police became involved after Wilson's 2004 silver Dodge Neon was found on June 10 in the 1200 block of Allston Way in Berkeley.

According to police, Wilson was being interviewed tonight by a detective in order to learn the circumstances around Wilson's disappearance and what he has been doing the last eight months.





UC Berkeley Police Locate Missing Rice University Student

POSTED: 10:02 pm PDT August 13, 2008


BERKELEY, Calif. -- A 21-year-old Rice University student missing since December 2007 was located on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley Wednesday evening, according to police.

Matthew Wilson, who went missing in Texas, was found by a UC-Berkeley police officer in Dwinelle Hall and was detained for an alleged theft, Berkeley police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss said. Wilson then identified himself to the officer.

Wilson is a resident of Haworth, Okla., and went missing Dec. 15, 2007 from his apartment in Houston, Texas, where Wilson was a junior at Rice University.

Local police became involved after Wilson's 2004 silver Dodge Neon was found on June 10 in the 1200 block of Allston Way in Berkeley.

According to police, Wilson was being interviewed tonight by a detective in order to learn the circumstances around Wilson's disappearance and what he has been doing the last eight months.



Missing Rice student found at UC-Berkeley campus

By DANE SCHILLER
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Aug. 14, 2008, 9:49AM
214Comments 31Recommend 1 2

Berkeley Police Department
When he was found Wednesday night, Matthew Wilson was dressed in a black T-shirt, black jeans and black athletic shoes. His hair was short and he had no beard.

Matthew Wilson, 21, was in temporary custody today pending an evaluation after a campus police officer discovered him in a classroom, according to police.

"You don't know how good I feel about this. It is better than anything in the world," his mother, Cathy Wilson, said by phone this morning from her home in Oklahoma.

"We know he is alive and physically OK," she said. "I've got to gun it out there."

As of this morning, he was being kept in a health-care facility, his mother said.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that UC Berkeley Assistant Police Chief Mitch Celaya said late Wednesday that the laptop Wilson was using was stolen. They have started a theft investigation, but no charges been filed.

Wilson had shaved off his beard since withdrawing $500 from his bank account and mysteriously leaving Houston in December and failing to turn in all of his exams.

He apparently didn't say goodbye to anyone or let them know where he was going or what he planned to do.

Wilson had applied to four universities, including UC Berkeley, but he enrolled at Rice because he received a full scholarship there, his mother said.

His disappearance touched off widespread speculation on what could have pushed him to abandon what many would see as a life of opportunity.

Some speculated that Wilson might have taken up an Into the Wild-type journey, such as what was portrayed in the 2007 movie about a college student who abandoned his life and headed for the wilds of California, Alaska and other places.

Wilson's car was found in June, abandoned on a residential street in Berkeley. Inside, police found a scattering of clothes and books, but Wilson apparently was no longer using the vehicle.

His family said he hadn't touched his bank account or used his credit cards, and they were at a loss as to why he would retreat from his life.

Cathy Wilson said her son probably is in delicate shape and that she won't pepper him with questions about why he left or what he's been doing.

"I'm not going to say, 'Woe is me, Matthew, look what you've put me through,' '' she said. "I want him to be all right. If he is living a good life, fine. If he is living on the streets, I'm not going to have that."

She suspects that the stress of trying to be excellent at school finally got to him.

As recently as two weeks ago, Cathy Wilson was on the Berkeley campus and the surrounding area to put up handbills regarding his disappearance.

B.J. Almond, a spokesman for the Rice University Police Department, said investigators are still gathering information about how Wilson was discovered.

"We're real grateful to hear he's alive, but we're still trying to get all the facts straight" he said.

Private search groups had gotten involved in searching for Wilson. His family, along with Rice, offered up to $25,000 for information on his whereabouts.







Missing Rice student found at UC-Berkeley campus
By DANE SCHILLER
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Aug. 14, 2008, 9:49AM
214Comments 31Recommend 1 2

Berkeley Police Department
When he was found Wednesday night, Matthew Wilson was dressed in a black T-shirt, black jeans and black athletic shoes. His hair was short and he had no beard.

• Houston's missing: Did some just walk away? (From Aug. 2) A Rice University computer science student whose disappearance eight months ago made national news was found Wednesday, not begging in the streets or roughing it in the wilderness, but using a laptop at the University of California, Berkeley.

Matthew Wilson, 21, was in temporary custody today pending an evaluation after a campus police officer discovered him in a classroom, according to police.

"You don't know how good I feel about this. It is better than anything in the world," his mother, Cathy Wilson, said by phone this morning from her home in Oklahoma.

"We know he is alive and physically OK," she said. "I've got to gun it out there."

As of this morning, he was being kept in a health-care facility, his mother said.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that UC Berkeley Assistant Police Chief Mitch Celaya said late Wednesday that the laptop Wilson was using was stolen. They have started a theft investigation, but no charges been filed.

Wilson had shaved off his beard since withdrawing $500 from his bank account and mysteriously leaving Houston in December and failing to turn in all of his exams.

He apparently didn't say goodbye to anyone or let them know where he was going or what he planned to do.

Wilson had applied to four universities, including UC Berkeley, but he enrolled at Rice because he received a full scholarship there, his mother said.

His disappearance touched off widespread speculation on what could have pushed him to abandon what many would see as a life of opportunity.

Some speculated that Wilson might have taken up an Into the Wild-type journey, such as what was portrayed in the 2007 movie about a college student who abandoned his life and headed for the wilds of California, Alaska and other places.

Wilson's car was found in June, abandoned on a residential street in Berkeley. Inside, police found a scattering of clothes and and books, but Wilson apparently was no longer using the vehicle.

His family said he hadn't touched his bank account or used his credit cards, and they were at a loss as to why he would retreat from his life.

Cathy Wilson said her son probably is in delicate shape and that she won't pepper him with questions about why he left or what he's been doing.

"I'm not going to say, 'Woe is me, Matthew, look what you've put me through,' '' she said. "I want him to be all right. If he is living a good life, fine. If he is living on the streets, I'm not going to have that."

She suspects that the stress of trying to be excellent at school finally got to him.

As recently as two weeks ago, Cathy Wilson was on the Berkeley campus and the surrounding area to put up handbills regarding his disappearance.

B.J. Almond, a spokesman for the Rice University Police Department, said investigators are still gathering information about how Wilson was discovered.

"We're real grateful to hear he's alive, but we're still trying to get all the facts straight" he said.

Private search groups had gotten involved in searching for Wilson. His family, along with Rice, offered up to $25,000 for information on his whereabouts.

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