IA IA - Matthew Ferris, 20, Des Moines, 7 March 1991

[Bit of hope]

Can somebody take a look at his Namus file and see if there are any UID's checked and ruled out, being Matthew. Thank you upfront.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Matthew John Ferris – The Charley Project

Ferris departed from his family's home sometime during February 1991, driving a silver 1982 Pontiac, and apparently traveled to Custer State Park in South Dakota. His loved ones believe he visited the park due to his interest in Native American folklore.
Ferris's whereabouts since that time are unknown; it's possible he headed to the West Coast. His family reported him as a missing person to authorities on March 7, 1991. He has never been heard from again.

When his grandmother died in 1995, he was listed in her obituary as having survived her. His case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency
Des Moines Police Department 515-283-4800

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Can somebody take a look at his Namus file and see if there are any UID's checked and ruled out, being Matthew. Thank you upfront.

Bumping up case. I don't have an account to see Rule-outs.

 

[Bit of hope]

@carbuff sorry for asking, but can you do us a favor and take a look? Thx upfront.

 

[carbuff]

No problem. That's why I'm here.

He's been ruled out against these UIDs, all from Virginia. These are probably from a couple of years ago when the Virginia cold case unit made a concerted effort to compare all the UIDs in the state with all potential missing people in the country.

UP2230 08/19/1991 Richmond VA
UP6304 08/01/1993 Clarke VA
UP6762 10/08/1995 Richmond VA
UP6303 01/26/1997 Warren VA
UP2560 03/05/2003 Norfolk VA
UP6637 10/07/2006 Fairfax VA
UP6639 07/28/2007 Fairfax VA
UP2667 08/18/2008 Dinwiddie VA
UP11248 08/20/2012 Alexandria VA

 

[Bit of hope]

No problem. That's why I'm here.

He's been ruled out against these UIDs, all from Virginia. These are probably from a couple of years ago when the Virginia cold case unit made a concerted effort to compare all the UIDs in the state with all potential missing people in the country.

UP2230 08/19/1991 Richmond VA
UP6304 08/01/1993 Clarke VA
UP6762 10/08/1995 Richmond VA
UP6303 01/26/1997 Warren VA
UP2560 03/05/2003 Norfolk VA
UP6637 10/07/2006 Fairfax VA
UP6639 07/28/2007 Fairfax VA
UP2667 08/18/2008 Dinwiddie VA
UP11248 08/20/2012 Alexandria VA

THX! I think you are right about the VA rule outs.

 

[Bit of hope]

I think it's kind of weird family didn't knew what kind of 1982 Pontiac he was driving. For instance did it have an open roof (Trans Am) or not? What could be the reason for that? Did they never actually see him with it?

Just to display a possible route he might have taken. It's approx. a 9 - 10 hours drive.

It's also hard for me to believe there are only 3 unidentified males found in South Dakota. IIRR they are notorious for not putting missing and unidentified persons in Namus. Still.......I counted approx. 90 missing persons (clearinghouse SD), only 28 are entered in Namus.

 

[carbuff]

South Dakota is so big and so sparsely populated that the likelihood of a body being found is rather low. Though I think you're right that many of the ones they do have are not in Namus.

If they're right about him heading west, then Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington state and Oregon ought to be checked. Montana too.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Moving Matthew's case back up to the top of the forum.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Here's Matthew's NamUs profile:

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

I would hope there is family DNA in Codis and also that they tried to get enough information on his vehicle to find out if it was ever recovered. He was so young. But it's also been a few decades so possibly impossible now to try to trace the vehicle. I feel for his family.

 

[spartanx]

young boy who surely got involved with the wrong people... maybe something with drugs or some robbery... at least his family knows that he disappeared, he left a note at some point but he still doesn't have closure... I hope that one day they can to know the truth...
rest in peace

 

[Bit of hope]

The words "apparently traveled to Custer State Park in South Dakota" still triggers questions. Was his car found there? If so, it doesn't mean he drove it there himself. Somebody else might have taken/stole it or he may have even sold it to somebody else. Being in a manic state could have resulted in risky or impulsive behavior. A friend of mine f.i. once left all his belongings out on the gallery of his appartement for no (rational) reason other then to give it away to others. Maybe he himself never traveled to South Dakota and we should search for Matt in Iowa or Nebraska.

 

[DD Byrd]

Just reading this for the first time, my impression is that drugs might be involved. He could have been having a mental episode when he returned after a week and was "frightened." But he could also have been tripping. Drugs could also mimic the mania his father seems to have witnessed. If he was interested in Native American folklore, could he have been experimenting with 'mind-expanding/visionary' drugs? It doesn't necessarily shed light on where he is, but is another possible lens as to what he was thinking or where he may have gone (at least initially).