Local News

Remains found in swamp thought to be man missing since last July

John Matson was last seen walking in a nearby neighborhood, according to police. The 79-year-old had dementia.

April 24, 2023

2 minutes to read

Police in Hampstead, New Hampshire, say skeletal remains found in a dense swamp area over the weekend likely belong to a local man missing since last summer.

While investigators have yet to make an official identification, the Hampstead Police Department said it believes the location and evidence point to a “very high probability” that the remains are that of 79-year-old John Matson, who was last seen on July 6, 2022.

Matson, who had dementia, was last seen walking in Emerson Village and heading toward the woods, Hampstead police previously said. The remains were found near Emerson Avenue and Route 111 Sunday, the department said in a news release.

In the months following Matson’s disappearance, efforts to locate the missing man included the use of search dogs, drones, door-to-door canvassing, and dive teams — all to no avail, according to Hampstead police.

The lack of foliage on the trees helped with visibility, and on Saturday, New Hampshire Fish and Game Conservation Officer Rob McDermott picked up drone footage of skeletal remains and clothing, Hampstead police said.

Officers returned to the swamp Sunday, enduring heavy rain and chest-deep water as they made their way to the remains, which Hampstead police said were located approximately 500 feet away from “dry land.”

“It should be noted that this area consisted of marsh clumps and channels of deep, mucky swamp beds,” the department added.

Even with an exact GPS location, it took a five-person search team nearly 30 minutes to find the remains and almost three hours to create a path so the remains could be carried out of the swamp, according to Hampstead police.

“Our preliminary investigation leads us to believe that foul play was not involved,” the department said.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said the state medical examiner’s office will officially identify the remains in the coming days.

Matson’s family has been notified of the find, according to Hampstead police.

“The mystery of John Matson has weighed heavily on this community for the past 10 months,” the department said. “There was not a day that went by, where Mr. Matson and his family were not on the minds of our community, this police department and many more. Once these remains have been positively identified, we hope this will give the Matson family the closure they deserve.”