Matthew Wilson 20 yr. old Rice University Student [FOUND SAFE] 12-15-07

[Grande]

Rice University Student Vanishes During Finals
Family Worried About 20-Year-Old's Disappearance

UPDATED: 9:59 pm CST December 21, 2007

MANSFIELD, Texas -- The family of a Rice University student who vanished during his finals said Friday they were worried about him.

The student, 20-year-old Matthew Wilson, is from Oklahoma, NBC 5 reported, but he spent Thanksgiving in Mansfield at his sister's home.

"I'm not worried about Christmas," said Wilson's mother, Cathy. "If Matthew doesn't come home, I'm not worried about Christmas."

Wilson added, "I can't sleep at night. All I can think about I'm trying to solve this in my head."

Wilson vanished Saturday, just before finals, authorities said. At first, his family said they thought he was studying, but not anymore.

Investigators said they found Wilson's cell phone in his off-campus Houston apartment. Wilson's car and backpack are also missing, police also said.

Wilson's family said he didn't drink alcohol or use drugs, and he seemed to be happy the last time they were all together for Thanksgiving in Mansfield.

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/14910685/detail.html

[Grande]

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

http://i2.tinypic.com/6xaaxkm.jpg

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.

"Often students will go into seclusion to complete papers and study for final exams, but that apparently was not the case here," the Rice University Police Department wrote in a release intended to elevate the profile of the missing person's case around the Houston campus.

Wilson's roommate at an apartment near campus, identified in the Houston Chronicle as history major Elliott Harwell, first noticed that Wilson was missing Sunday, according to Rice police. Harwell last saw Wilson Saturday around noon when Wilson was working on one of his finals inside his room. Harwell, also busy with his own work, reportedly left the apartment and did not return to the apartment until Sunday. Tuesday, he filed a report with the Rice police.

Police later learned that Wilson had failed to drive a friend to the airport Saturday night as promised.

Missing along with Wilson were his car, a silver Neon and a backpack, Taylor said. His phone, however, had been left in his room.

Cathy Wilson, Matthew's mother, told the Chronicle that her straight-A student son withdrew $400 Friday, Dec. 14, the day before his disappearance. Police would not confirm that information but said they are working on gainiing access to Wilson's credit card information.

Wilson's mother initially speculated that the money may be used to cover his share of December's rent, but Harwell told her that they had already paid for December and had not discussed any splitting up of the month's bills.

B.J. Almond, a spokesman for the 5,000-student university, said that the staff has blanketed the campus with fliers about Wilson's disappearance. Almond said that Wilson is "definitely in good academic standing."

Taylor took that character description a step further, adding that, according to Wilson's acquaintances, he doesn't participate in high-risk behavior often associated with the college student lifestyle. "He doesn't drink, he doesn't smoke," Taylor said. "He drives a conservative vehicle ... and usually walks to and from campus."

There is no indication that Wilson had suicidal intentions or that he had any contentious relationships of note, Taylor said.

"All this combined, it's behavior that's out of place," he said, "and of course, that has us even more concerned."

Taylor said that it's the first missing person case involving a Rice student in more than a decade. In the last case, he said, the student who took off was found safe a few days later.

Wilson has red hair and green eyes and wears glasses. He is described by police 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighing 135 pounds.

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

[CatToy]

Hey Grande nice to see you it's been awhile. This case aired breifly last night on Fox...he took $500.00 outta the ATM it was reported. Please post if you hear anything.
MerryXmas
Cat

[Polonius]

Matthew J. Wilson has been missing for a week now. His car is too. Didn't show up for his final exams. Left his cell at home and had promised to take a friend to the airport. Withdrew $400+ dollars from his bank account, and I heard on TV news last night that his bank is helping law enforcement officials.
Details in the Houston Chronicle links below.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/5395884.html

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/5392354.html

[The Kitchen Guy]

Dec. 27, 2007, 1:05AM Link: Houston Chronicle (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5405246.html)

Police sift through tips regarding missing Rice student

By MIKE TOLSON
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

Rice University police are sifting through a handful of tips that arrived Wednesday from Crime Stoppers concerning the disappearance two weeks ago of student Matthew J. Wilson.

Police Chief Bill Taylor said nothing yet has pointed to foul play. The 20-year-old Wilson, a straight-A computer science major, was last seen Dec. 14.

"It's still a missing person case," Taylor said. "We have nothing to indicate this is a criminal act."

Police were hoping Wilson, a first-semester junior, would make contact with family or friends over Christmas, but no one heard from him, Taylor said.

Wilson made two ATM withdrawals from his bank account, one for $400 and one for $100, on the 14th, and returned to his apartment later that day. There has been no activity in his bank account since then, and there still is a significant balance, Taylor said.

Wilson was reported missing by his roommate Dec. 18. Wilson's car, a silver 2004 Dodge Neon with Oklahoma plates (863 MCZ), is gone, as is his backpack. His cell phone was left in his apartment, and all of his clothing appears to be there as well.

Thought at first to be hiding out in a quiet spot to work on his take-home exams, Wilson never turned them in. His mother, Cathy Wilson of Haworth, Okla., has not spoken to him since earlier in December.

Matthew Wilson is 5-7 and weighs approximately 135 pounds. He has red hair and green eyes, wears glasses and sports a full beard.

Rice classes resume Jan. 7.

[Audie]

From what I have heard, Matthew would walk to classes. He would only drive to classes if it was raining or to go shopping at a couple specific stores.

[Grande]

Still No Sign of Rice University Ace
Computer Science Major Matthew Wilson and His Car Missing Nearly Two Weeks

First he missed final exams, then Christmas.

Now, family and friends of Matthew Wilson fear that something terribly wrong may have happened to the 20-year-old Rice University student.

Nearly two weeks have gone by since the computer science major was last seen at his off-campus apartment near the Rice campus in Houston.

"He is known for always attending classes and always getting good grades," Elliot Harwell, Wilson's roommate, told "Good Morning America" today. Harwell notified authorities after the straight-A student failed to return home for three days during the run-up to finals.

Also missing are Wilson's silver Neon and his backpack. Wilson's cell phone was found in his room.

"He takes school seriously," Harwell said, "but he didn't turn in his finals, so it is clear that he is behaving out of character. It's just every day that he is gone, it just seems like something bad might have happened."

Harwell first noticed that Wilson was missing Dec. 16, according to Rice campus police. Harwell says he saw Wilson the day before around noon when Wilson was working on one of his finals inside his room. Harwell, also busy with his own work, reportedly left the apartment and did not return to the apartment until Dec. 16. Dec. 18, he filed a report with the Rice police.

Police later learned that Wilson had failed to drive a friend to the airport the night of Dec. 15 as promised.

Bill Taylor, chief of the Rice University Police Department, said that authorities initially thought that the shaggy-haired, bearded college junior had holed up somewhere to prepare for his finals.

"He does on occasion go and do his study and what have you, but it's usually a day or so," Taylor said.

The chief said that, according to Wilson's acquaintances, he doesn't participate in high-risk behavior often associated with the college lifestyle. "He doesn't drink, he doesn't smoke," Taylor said. "He drives a conservative vehicle … and usually walks to and from campus."

While there have been no immediate signs of foul play, one clue Taylor said police are looking into is a $400 ATM withdrawal Wilson made in the days before he disappeared.

It's the first missing person's case involving a Rice University student in more than a decade.

Wilson was expected home in Haworth, Okla., for the Christmas holiday, but never showed up. His unopened gifts sit in his bedroom.

"That boy is my heart and soul," Cathy Wilson, the student's mother, said about her high school valedictorian son. "He's worked too hard for this to happen to him."

Wilson has red hair and green eyes and wears glasses. He is described by police as 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighing 135 pounds.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=4055611&page=1

[Grande]

Hey Grande nice to see you it's been awhile. This case aired breifly last night on Fox...he took $500.00 outta the ATM it was reported. Please post if you hear anything.
MerryXmas
Cat

CatToy; Great to see you also. Hope you enjoyed the holidays!

I sure wish there was something positive to report with regards to Matthew Wilson.

Take care and Happy New Year!

[Grande]

<Snip>

"Wilson's roommate at an apartment near campus, identified in the Houston Chronicle as history major Elliott Harwell, first noticed that Wilson was missing Sunday, according to Rice police. Harwell last saw Wilson Saturday around noon when Wilson was working on one of his finals inside his room. Harwell, also busy with his own work, reportedly left the apartment and did not return to the apartment until Sunday. Tuesday, he filed a report with the Rice police."

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

[Polonius]

Now Rice University and the family are offering a $20,000 reward. There has been no bank account or credit card activity, and his car remains missing.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5429701.html

[Grande]

Hey Polonius,

Here is some more information regarding Matthew in this thread;

http://helpfindthemissing.org/forum/showthread.php?t=739

Unfortunately there hasn't been any updates in the last few days. I'm hoping for the best for Matthew and his friends and family.

Take care,
Grande.

[Polonius]

Thanks, Grande.

[Grande]

Thanks, Grande.

Your welcome.

[Buddeelove]

I live in Houston and have been following this. It almost seems if they think he took a vacation. I have not heard of any searches nothing just a reward. AM I missing something?

Why is his family not ???????????? somebody????????

[KittyMom]

http://the.ricethresher.org/opinion/2008/01/11/rice_pr_wilson

Rice PR made the right choice in Wilson drama
Over the last month, the Rice University name has been tossed around the national media circuit, from local news affiliates to the Associated Press to the New York Times, all in an attempt to find Hanszen College junior Matthew Wilson.

It was a risky move to put the name Rice out there, distributing media releases and furthering the story by offering a $10,000 reward for information. After all, most universities try to be known for their academics or sports successes, not for their missing students.

At a time when Rice’s public relations staff is trying to mold a national image via a massive campaign, it seems the last thing they would want is to publicize anything that could potentially scare prospective students. But the administration showed that the most important issue was finding Matthew Wilson. Rice seems to care about its students, and there is no better PR than that. Who knew?

[Grande]

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

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 Warhammer 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.

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

[KittyMom]

You know, college and finals are so stressful, I could buy that he just left. And sometimes what parents call a "close relationship" their kids call "smothering". I do hope he turns up soon.

[Sumanadevii]

I have always said there is a trade off for giftedness. Most fly through grade school, middle school and high school without cracking a book. When they get to college they finally get challenged. The really bright ones are not challenged sometimes until their last two years when things finally begin to get tough for them. Then for the first time in their lives, they have to open a book and study...They can no longer bs their term papers. Real research needs to be done. And to be honest, they don't have the skills after sitting like sponges all those years absoring all the material....

So, I can see what happened to this little one. He could no longer keep up. He knew he would be a disappointment to his family. He was disappointed in himself but not enough to try to learn those missing skills...And I bet it snowballed until he just decided to take off. I feel sorry for his family if they were not aware that this can happen to the brightest of our students.

[Polonius]

Hmmmm, so Matthew bought stuff that indicated he was planning to do something "different"?

Where could his car be?!

[Baranis]

Hmmmm, so Matthew bought stuff that indicated he was planning to do something "different"?

Where could his car be?!

Update: Missing Rice student's car found in California

"The car of a missing 21-year-old Rice University student, whose disappearance in December garnered national media attention, was located in Berkeley, Calif., earlier this week, authorities said.

Police located the 2004 silver Dodge Neon belonging to Matthew J. Wilson on Tuesday in the 1200 block of Allston Way in West Berkeley, authorities said."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5837807.html

[Nut44x4]

WOWWW! Thanks!........finally, SOMETHING...at least!

[Baranis]

http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou080614_tnt_ricestudent.1c0b80b.html?npc

" 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. "

[Nut44x4]

QUOTE from this thread>>

"Police later learned that Wilson had failed to drive a friend to the airport Saturday night as promised."

Anyone know the destination of this friend ?

[Nut44x4]

MAP.....Houston to Berkeley
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Berkeley,+CA,+USA&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title

[Faith]

Missing Rice U. student's car found in California

HOUSTON -- (June 14, 2008) – 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.rice.edu/nationalmedia/news2008-06-14-wilson.shtml

[Faith]

New developments in missing Rice student

Saturday, June 14, 2008 | 7:41 PM

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Rice University student has been missing for almost six months and now investigators have a new clue. His car was found halfway across the country.

It's the newest development in the search for Matthew Wilson, who went missing back in December, but investigators are still left with questions.

His car has been found in Berkeley, California, and they want to know why.

Rice University's police chief has been in constant contact with Wilson's mother in Oklahoma. He says she is neither encouraged or discouraged by this latest development. She is simply trying to stay objective. She essentially wants to see where the investigation goes

Wilson, a junior majoring in computer science, was last seen by his roommate in their off campus apartment on December 14, exactly six months ago Saturday, just days before he was supposed to turn in his final.

Wilson's 2004 four door Dodge Neon with Oklahoma license plates was found abandoned on a residential street in Berkley. While the vehicle was tagged several weeks ago, it was towed just this week.

Berkeley police are examining the car to see if there's any information that might help investigators here figure out where Matthew is.

"There's no sign of foul play in the car," said Rice University Police Chief Bill Taylor. "There are some pieces of property of Matthew's found in the car. The car had been sitting for quite some time. It was quite dusty and a little bit of mold in the car."

Some of Wilson's clothes, books and a backpack were recovered from his car. Investigators with the Berkley Police Department are hoping to generate some leads. So far, the trail has run cold.

If you have any information on this case, give Crime Stoppers a call at 713-222-TIPS. Rice University and Crime Stoppers are offering a combined reward of $15,000. You don't have to give your name.

VIDEO

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=6205571

[Faith]

admin

Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 10
Karma: 0
Re: New Developments
« Reply #14 Today at 7:35pm » [Quote]
Sorry for the modified posts. The PD told me some details I have to keep to myself.

http://findmatthewwilson.proboards83.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=2

[Faith]

WTH??



L K Tucker Says:
January 28, 2008 at 1:38 am

I have been in email contact with one of Matthew’s friends.

I would like to know more about the game playing sessions held in the apartment.

If you have that iinformation email me using my ham radio call sign kc4iai and the domain of Hotmail.com.

It is possible that Matthew is missing becasuse of a little known problem with the physiology of sight. This phenomenon is called Subliminal Distraction. It caused mental breaks for office workers in the 1960’s. The cubicle was designed to deal with the vision startle reflex and solved that problem.

Caty Wilson Says:
February 14, 2008 at 6:02 pm

I do not really know or understand about Sibliminal Distraction. Is there a book you could send to be or refer me to to enlighten me?



L K Tucker Says:
April 3, 2008 at 8:57 pm

Sorry for the delay in replying. I am not well and don’t revisit the sites I post very often. If you email me your contact information I will phone you.

A Design student from Australia emailed me to get permission to use my site in her thesis on Subliminal Distraction. She said this problem does not appear in textbooks. Students in Australia are expected to “pick it up” from lectures.

When my wife had a psychotic break at the University of Alabama after her office was changed, I discovered that this Design problem is unknown in any area of mental health services.

As far as I know my site is the only place in the world that investigates Subliminal Distraction.

It appears in first semester psychology courses under psychophysics. Acoustic SD is investigated as a fatigue factor but visual SD is not generally recognized.

You can verify the basics by phoning a designer who works for any of the major office furniture makers. They believe the problem only causes a harmless episode of confusion.

You should ask the designer to explain “Cubicle Level Protection.” The office cubicle was designed to deal with the vision startle reflex in crowded offices by 1968. I was an engineering student and encountered the phenomenon for the first time back then.

You might have to use subterfuge to get that designer to talk to you. They are loath to discuss it. They might fear being called as a witness in a suit against an employer or customer. I recently added a site page showing where forum members accused me of being an attorney trying to get information for a lawsuit.

I am interested in this case because the source of SD might have been the table top games played several times each week. The only other instances like this happen with Mahjong in China.

Some adults who have disappeared like Matthew have been found well after months but with amnesia.

http://mylifeofcrime.wordpress.com/2008/01/12/missing-matthew-wilson-since-121507-from-rice-university-houston-tx/

[KittyMom]

Faith,

I've read the website for Subliminal Blocks before. It was mentioned on webpages for a couple of missing college students. I think the guy must post on a lot of missing person's sites trying to drum up interest. I have a hard time believing it.

[Nut44x4]

I have developed a "Subliminal Block" toward LK Tucker.
My Subliminal tells me the person is a mere Subliminal Distraction.

[Faith]

I have developed a "Subliminal Block" toward LK Tucker.
My Subliminal tells me the person is a mere Subliminal Distraction.

:grin:

[Faith]

Missing Houston man's car found in Berkeley

Ellen Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Police in Houston and Berkeley have teamed up in an effort to solve the disappearance of a Texas college student missing since December, officers said Saturday.

Matthew Wilson, a 21-year-old Rice University junior majoring in computer science, vanished around the time of his final exams on Dec. 14. He was last seen by his roommate in their off-campus apartment in Houston.

The Berkeley police became involved this week after they found Wilson's car. A west Berkeley resident had reported an abandoned, but legally parked car on Allston Way. On Tuesday, police towed Wilson's vehicle, which was identified as a 2004 silver Dodge Neon. No obvious signs of foul play were found inside the car, and some of Wilson's belongings were inside, the police said.

"There is nothing that leads us to believe that a crime had been committed," said Andrew Frankel, a spokesman for the Berkeley Police Department, but he added that the mystery of the abandoned car, and how it got there, was enough to warrant investigation.

Wilson's disappearance drew national media attention. Wilson graduated at the top of his high school class in Haworth, Okla., and was a diligent, straight-A college student, Rice University Police Chief Bill Taylor said. His roommate thought he may have left the apartment to finish a class project, but he never turned it in, Taylor said.

Locating his car raises new questions.

"It leads us to believe Matthew may have made it to the Bay Area, but the car has not been touched in some time so it leaves things up in the air about what happened to Matthew," Taylor said.

A reward totaling $25,000 is being offered by Wilson's family, Rice University and Crime Stoppers of Houston for information that leads to finding Wilson and determining what happened to him.

Wilson, a white male, weighs 135 pounds and is 5 feet 7 inches tall. He has red hair and green eyes. He had a full beard when last seen.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/14/BAF4119FQQ.DTL

[Nut44x4]

Tips for getting new ID linked to missing Rice student
California police say his prints were on books and notes found in his abandoned car

July 2, 2008, 12:44AM
California police found books and notes on how to assume a new identity when they searched the abandoned car of a Rice University student who went missing in December.

The material was discovered recently in a silver Dodge Neon that was left on a residential street in Berkeley, Calif., and registered to Matthew Wilson, the 21-year-old computer science major from Oklahoma.

"There was literature in the vehicle which discusses how somebody would go about pursuing a new identification or persona," said officer Andrew Frankel, spokesman for Berkeley police. "His prints were on everything."

It was unclear why the contents of the car, which was discovered in mid-June and kept at a police impound lot, hadn't been made public earlier or shared with Rice officials, but the vehicle was recently rechecked by Berkeley detectives.

Other items in the car included a book on how to live cheaply in nearby San Francisco as well as a can of beans, rice and instant noodle soup.

"It would be a safe assumption it was lived in," Frankel said of the car.

Frankel said he wasn't going to speculate on what the literature would mean to the case, but Wilson's car is no longer considered evidence.

'I would love to get a call'
Wilson 's grandmother, Mary Wilson, said Tuesday that she hadn't heard about the contents of the car, but was making arrangements for the vehicle's return.

"I'm glad to hear it," she said. "I wanted them to say he's out there finishing up his college education."

Mary Wilson said her grandson ending up in the Berkeley area doesn't seem coincidental, as he'd applied to attend school there before Rice accepted him with a full scholarship.

"It is just mind-boggling," she said of his disappearance.

She suspects he pushed himself so hard to be perfect that he burned out and needed a break.

"Matt has done this from the day he started school — push, push push," she said. "He drives himself and has never gotten anything less than an A in his entire life."

If she could get a message to him, Mary Wilson said she would like him to know that he is missed.

"I would love to get a call from him, and we could get all this straightened out," she continued. "I really want to just help him. I want to tell him we love him."

Robin Forman, Rice's dean of undergraduates, welcomed the latest development on the straight-A student.

"We've been waiting for months for some signs that he is well, so we'd like to view this news as positively as possible," he said. "It remains a difficult time for his family, so our thoughts and prayers remain with Matthew and his family."

Among the lingering questions: Why did Wilson walk away from his life?

His friends and family have been debating the matter on an Internet bulletin board.

Although he pre-registered for the spring semester at Rice, Wilson did not turn in his final fall exams, due in December.

Wilson withdrew $500 from his checking account and bought charcoal and matches, a car cover and window shade before his disappearance, police have said.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/5866896.html

[Nut44x4]

When Matthew Wilson disappeared seven months ago, what bothered his mother most was what he left behind; his laptop, the one thing he would never live without, was still in his bedroom in Houston.

For a long time she believed that Matthew, 21, had been kidnapped or worse. He'd gone missing right before Christmas, after all, and before finishing his finals, something that Matthew, a diligent student at Rice University, would never do. But then clues started suggesting otherwise: he'd withdrawn $500 from an ATM right before he vanished. Last month, his car was found in Berkeley, along with his clothes, his digital clock and a book on identity theft.

And over the past two days, at least four people have reported seeing someone who looked just like him - slight build, pale skin, a full head of curly red hair and a shaggy red beard - walking on a mile-long stretch of Ygnacio Valley Road in Walnut Creek.

"It's the most unlikely thing in the world that he would disappear like this. He always went to school, he was never in trouble," said Cathy Wilson, 52, who flew to the Bay Area this weekend to search for her son. "But when we couldn't find him and I went to his apartment and his computer was there, that was when I thought something must have gone terribly wrong. Maybe it (life) all just got to be too much for him."

After the car was found on June 10, dirty and abandoned, on Allston Way in central Berkeley, a Pleasanton group that helps families search for missing loved ones got involved. The organization, called Trinity Search & Recovery, created a Web site with photos of Matthew and set up a telephone number for tips. A $25,000 reward is being offered by his mother, Rice University and Crime Stoppers of Houston.

Police in Berkeley and at Rice University have said they do not suspect foul play in Matthew's disappearance. The book on identity theft suggests that Matthew may have considered changing his name, his mother said, but if that's the case, it seems unlikely he would keep his flaming red hair and beard.

Still, Cathy Wilson admits that it seems likely that her son ran away - perhaps he was under too much pressure at school, she said, or something happened that made him leave.

If he wants to disappear and start over, she'll accept that decision, Cathy Wilson said. But first she wants to know that he's OK.

"Maybe he needed time to get away. But it's been seven months now. It's tormented our family," Cathy Wilson said. "All he's got to do is call and say, Mom, I'm OK. That would be such a relief. I could let him go for a little while."

Matthew Wilson was raised in Haworth, a small town of just 350 people in southeast Oklahoma. He was always a bright child, said his mother, who is a preschool teacher. He was valedictorian of his high school graduating class, and he led an academic quiz team to the state finals, she said.

Computers and games were his passion. He built his own computer at age 17 and had dreams of owning his own computer-programming business someday.

He was in his junior year at Rice, studying computer science and taking 19 hours of classes - more than the typical undergraduate, his mom said.

His family last saw Matthew at Thanksgiving, when he was his usual somewhat quiet, reserved self but seemed happy to be with his mother and sisters. He last talked to his mom on Dec. 7, when they discussed plans for the holidays. He was last seen by his roommate on Dec. 14.

Nearly seven months later, he's now missed Christmas and his birthday in March. He will likely miss the birth of his sister's baby next week.

"He knew I was pregnant," said his sister, Kymberlee Getts from her home in Tulsa, Okla. "He would know the birth is happening at any time now. It's just such a shock. He was somebody you could always depend on. You never had to worry about Matt."

Matthew had never talked about visiting California, although he had applied to UC Berkeley and been denied, his mother said. Despite growing up in such a small town, he seemed comfortable in a big city like Houston.

She said it's hard to imagine her son living on the streets in the Bay Area. She can't imagine him being happy without a computer, without the Internet.

Walking through an encampment of the homeless in Berkeley's People's Park on Saturday morning, showing pictures of her son, Cathy Wilson said if she found Matthew in such a place, "I would drag him right out of there. I won't let my son live like that."

The search for Matthew Wilson
Description: white male, age 21, 5 feet 7 inches tall, 135 pounds, with red hair and green eyes. He was last seen with a full beard.

Web site: www.findmattwilson.org
Tips: (925) 846-2319

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/12/BAVK11OE18.DTL

[Audie]

It is good, to imagine that Cathy is now somewhat relieved to hear about the car and the sightings, but it must still be taking a toll on her. I have a feeling this person will be sighted again and hopefully it will be Matthew.

[TigressPen]

I wonder if they should do a forensics check on his computer and see what type sites he visited. How long had he planned his disappearance, and why could be there waiting to be dicovered, if in fact he willingly left. And I wonder if they did any on his car. I hope this person will be sighted again, so his mom will know for sure whether it is her son.

[Grande]

Missing Rice University Student Found Alive
Student Has Been Missing For 8 Months
UPDATED: 7:16 am CDT August 14, 2008

BERKELEY, Calif. -- A Rice University student who was reported missing in December has been found alive, KPRC Local 2 reported.

Matthew Wilson, 21, was found inside Dwinelle Hall at the University of California at Berkeley on Wednesday.

Berkeley police said he was arrested on suspicion of theft at the university and later revealed his identity.

Wilson, originally from Haworth, Okla., was a junior seeking a computer science major at Rice University before he went missing on Dec. 15, 2007, from his off-campus apartment.

Rice University police called Wilson's mother to let her know he had been found alive.

"I was just having dream that Matthew, his sister and I was lost," Kathy Wilson said. "And Police Chief Taylor from Houston called me and I didn't know I still wasn't having a dream. This was the first dream I've had about Matthew in all this time. It's too ironic. I don't want my Matthew to be in trouble. Something's wrong."

Matthew Wilson's car was found in West Berkeley on June 10. Police said there were books inside the car about assuming a new identity.

"I don't know much," Kathy Wilson said. "I'm just glad that he's alive."

Several entities, including the Wilson family and Rice University, were offering a total of $25,000 in reward money for information regarding Matthew Wilson’s disappearance. It is not clear whether he knew police and his family had spent so much time and money looking for him.

No charges have been filed against Matthew Wilson.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/17186694/detail.html

[Audie]

Missing Rice student found at UC-Berkeley campus

By DANE SCHILLER
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Aug. 14, 2008, 9:49AM

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 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.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5942772.html

[Faith]

I'm so thankful Matthew is alive. This is one case that had me puzzled.

[Polonius]

Here's the link to the Houston Chronicle report: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5942772.html

[KittyMom]

Glad he was found safe.

[nanabillie]

I just saw that!!! That is wonderful news!!!!!!!!