Human remains found in woods positively identified as missing Washington man
11/07/2023 1:33 pm PST
THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. (TCD) -- Officials positively identified human remains found last month as a missing man who had not been seen since 2019.
According to a statement, on Oct. 28, a hunter in the Rochester/Grand Mound area called the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office after discovering possible human remains. Detectives from the Search and Rescue team as well as K-9s from other counties went to the location and continued the search.
The remains were positively identified Nov. 2 as 20-year-old Matthew Anfeldt.
On Feb. 28, 2019, Anfeldt’s neighbor called the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office to report he had been trespassing on her property. The sheriff’s office said in a statement at the time Anfeldt was "displaying very unusual behavior," in which he was "ranting his family was injured or dead and 'they were after him.'"
He then reportedly left his neighbor’s house, jumped over a fence, then ran into the middle of a highway where "multiple vehicles were forced to swerve or stop completely to avoid collision with him." At one point, he reportedly jumped on a car’s hood, then into the bed of a truck.
Minutes later, he ran to a grocery store. The store employee told investigators Anfeldt looked "panicked" and that he was sweating a lot and had dried blood on his mouth. Once again, he reportedly said his "family had been killed and he needed to get a ride because 'they' were after him as well."
The employee called 911, but Anfeldt fled.
Sheriff’s office deputies searched for Anfeldt, but he was nowhere to be found. They also did not receive any other calls about Anfeldt’s actions. Deputies called Anfeldt’s mother, who said there was "no validity" to Anfeldt’s claims. She told investigators she was "unsure exactly what may have triggered his unusual behavior because she felt he was currently sober."
However, the sheriff’s office said there were unfounded claims Anfeldt could have been on meth, ecstasy, and/or lorazepam.
The statement said Anfeldt was "hallucinating and made statements of wanting to 'hide.'"
Anfeldt’s mother told KCPQ-TV, "It felt like almost five years of emotion, every emotion I felt the last five years just sort of running through me at one time. I couldn’t really cry. I just remember my body starting to shake."
She said, "I want to be able to lay him to rest. I want to be able to have him home with us and if that’s all I get, I’ll take that, but I do, if somebody did something, I do want them to pay that ultimate consequence."
The Sheriff’s Office said this week they were not providing additional details about his death due to the pending investigation.
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