CA Ca - Matthew Dix, 27, Arcata, 2 Dec 2017 Murdered

[Butterfly_Rises]

On Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017, at approximately 3:16 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the 1700 block of Victor Blvd, Manila for a report of a subject needing medical aid. Upon arrival, deputies located Mathew Thomas Dix, 27, deceased inside a vehicle in the driveway of a residence. Dix’s cause of death is determined to be from a gunshot wound. Dix’s death is being investigated as a homicide.

Man Found Dead of Gunshot Wound Inside Car in Manila Driveway Saturday; Sheriff's Office Investigating as a Homicide


At 10 PM on 1 Dec 2017, Matthew told his live-in girlfriend he would be back in 10 mins. She fell asleep but woke up at 3 am and found Matthew shot in his truck.

Please help solve his murder

 

[Inspector Gidget]

His obituary:Mathew T. Dix's Obituary on Syracuse Post Standard

 

[Butterfly_Rises]

His obituary:Mathew T. Dix's Obituary on Syracuse Post Standard

Inspector Gidget
Thank you

 

[burblestein]

Found some more clips on Mathew's murder. I skipped a number of repetitions.

www.times-standard.com/article/NJ/20171204/NEWS/171209945
Name Released in Manila Homicide
UPDATE: Sheriff’s office IDs Manila man who was fatally shot; case now investigated as homicide

Additional info: He moved to Arcata from New York several weeks ago. When Mathew was found, his truck's engine was still idling. Didn't find anything about the girlfriend that Butterfly mentioned.

 

[Lilibet]

Kym Kemp has quotes from Mathew’s brother regarding the girlfriend finding him and other info. None of this is mentioned in any other news source or by LE....so take it FWIW.

According to Dix’s brother, Mathew’s girlfriend told him that last night about 10 p.m., the victim told her that he would be gone about 10 minutes. He left the house wearing flipflops, sweatpants, and a hoodie. He did not take his phone.

The girlfriend told Dix’s brother that she fell asleep almost immediately after he left. About 2 a.m. she got up looking for him. She called and discovered he left his phone at the house. According to Dix’s brother, she “found his truck idling in the driveway. She goes out and finds him shot in the head with no murder weapon.”

The girlfriend said that Matthew was planning to meet someone named Chris from Hoopa.

‘He Got Murdered in His Own Driveway,’ Says Family of Victim

 

[Lilibet]

Matt’s FB. No entries since late 2016. I wonder what brought him to Humboldt. The Fedex job?

Matt Dix

 

[Lilibet]

A LoCO article prior to the first one on the thread, before Matt was identified.
Sheriff's Deputies Conduct Early Morning Homicide Investigation in Manila

The neighbor had a lot to say....FWIW.
About the truck:

I first noticed it running around 11 p.m. When I came out at 1 a.m., it smelled like there were pounds of weed around me everywhere, like, a lot.

About the vehicles and house (which had started to be remodeled a month prior to the murder):

Those vehicles are brand new, just showed up about two-and-a-half weeks ago,” he said, pointing to the GMC truck and a Jeep on the property. “They just moved in, but I haven’t met any of them. Every light has been on in that house day and night for a month straight.”

 

[burblestein]

Found the murder site on Google street view: Google Maps

Apparently address is 1776 Victor Blvd.

 

[Lilibet]

I suspect that Mathew had been hired by FedEx for the Christmas holidays. Since he had only been in Humboldt for a few weeks, perhaps the hiring process is shorter for those jobs. Someone in the comments already knew his route was not in the Hoopa area and not far out in one of the main growing areas.

I’m still wondering what brought him to Humboldt. If the neighbor’s sense of smell is to be trusted, I think it’s likely that the marijuana industry rather than a FedEx job or the beautiful scenery was behind his move. He was probably naive about the dangers. It’s possible that he had met someone in NY who encouraged the move and wanted him to transport marijuana from Humboldt to the east coast, promising big money. He may have been bored working for his brother’s landscaping company. He was here such a short time that getting connected to someone who would murder him seems unlikely unless he had made a connection before moving. Did getting a job at FedEx play a role?

 

[Lilibet]

Mathew’s girlfriend said he was meeting with someone named Chris from Hoopa who works in the Three Creeks Mountain area (actually closer to Willow Creek and a grow area).
‘He Got Murdered in His Own Driveway,’ Says Family of Victim

I wonder if this could be Chris Hunter who may have been one of the last to see Jeff Joseph. He lived in Salyer at the time.
$10,000 Reward for Information About Missing Man Jeff Joseph
CA - Jeff Joseph, 45, Hoopa, 21 June 2014

He was wanted by LE for burglary and assault as recently as 2016. And he was also on Trinity county’s most wanted list in 2014 and wanted by Eureka Police in 2013.
The Latest Edition of 'Humboldt County's Most Wanted'
ROBERT CHRISTOPHER HUNTER
EPD Asks, Do You Know This Man

This shows he was captured, but not sure when. Northern California Most Wanted - Serving The Bay Area and Surrounding Counties

If he was released from jail in Humboldt’s notorious “catch and release” he may be out and about.

Photos.
RCH MOST WANTED
Help Find Jeff Joseph

 

[Shiressleuth]

So would a vehicle engine keep running from 10 p.m. to 2a.m. without running out of fuel? Very strange.

 

[azshadowwalker]

Don't see any reason it wouldn't run for four hours without running out of fuel. It's not taxing the engine very much. I have driven for 8+ hours without needing fuel. Just sitting there idling isn't going to use so much that the truck would stop running.

When I visited Arcata and Eureka back in 2011 to interview at Humboldt State University, I decided not to go because it was so remote and prone to being cut off due to mudslides on the road leading down to Mendocino County and on to the Bay Area. There aren't a lot of jobs there that pay much outside of the university. Mostly tourist stuff and grow ops. I seriously doubt he moved across the country for a FedEx job. There are enough unemployed or underemployed people there that FedEx isn't hiring temp workers from New York. I have a friend who still lives in the area, and she's scraping to get by on whatever she can find, mostly agricultural or truck driving work. Wouldn't be surprised if he didn't have ties to someone. Lots of young people go out there to work in the grow ops, and don't know what the hell they're getting into.

 

[burblestein]

To me, the question is not whether the truck engine could run that long. I find myself wondering why no one was bothered by the racket. Diesel engines are rackety.

 

[Lilibet]

To me, the question is not whether the truck engine could run that long. I find myself wondering why no one was bothered by the racket. Diesel engines are rackety.

We had a 2500 Heavy duty Chevy Silverado diesel which is basically the same as the GMC. They are the quietest IMO, which was one reason we chose it. A Dodge Ram is really noisy and Fords are a little noisier than the GMC and Chevy. When we were RVing, I could always tell a Ram was coming into the RV Park! So I’m not surprised the GMC didn’t really disturb anyone, except possibly the neighbor who said he first noticed it at 11:00 and came out at 1:00 and smelled a lot of pot.

 

[Butterfly_Rises]

We had a 2500 Heavy duty Chevy Silverado diesel which is basically the same as the GMC. They are the quietest IMO, which was one reason we chose it. A Dodge Ram is really noisy and Fords are a little noisier than the GMC and Chevy. When we were RVing, I could always tell a Ram was coming into the RV Park! So I’m not surprised the GMC didn’t really disturb anyone, except possibly the neighbor who said he first noticed it at 11:00 and came out at 1:00 and smelled a lot of pot.

Lilibet
Thank you for sharing the information I had a diesel truck a couple of years ago and it was a Chevy Silverado and it was loud. But don't you think even a quieter diesel truck could be easily heard in such a remote area I mean if the neighbor heard it why didn't the girlfriend even if she was sleeping
I mean I kind of find it suspicious that the girlfriend didn't realize something was wrong for a couple hours when he left he said he would only be gone 10 minutes and then she apparently went right to sleep and fell into a deep sleep??
Scratching my head

 

[Lilibet]

Lilibet
Thank you for sharing the information I had a diesel truck a couple of years ago and it was a Chevy Silverado and it was loud. But don't you think even a quieter diesel truck could be easily heard in such a remote area I mean if the neighbor heard it why didn't the girlfriend even if she was sleeping
I mean I kind of find it suspicious that the girlfriend didn't realize something was wrong for a couple hours when he left he said he would only be gone 10 minutes and then she apparently went right to sleep and fell into a deep sleep??
Scratching my head

Good question. Loud is relative. I compare everything to a Dodge Ram! It’s not super remote. Neighbors are across the street and one did hear it. The bedroom may have been on the other side of the house. Was she used to the sound of the truck? Did she take something to sleep maybe?

I agree that it does seem strange that she fell asleep so quickly and didn’t even hear a shot.

 

[burblestein]

Loud is indeed relative. Diesel engines are relatively louder than gasoline engines.

 

[Butterfly_Rises]

Good question. Loud is relative. I compare everything to a Dodge Ram! It’s not super remote. Neighbors are across the street and one did hear it. The bedroom may have been on the other side of the house. Was she used to the sound of the truck? Did she take s6omething to sleep maybe?

I agree that it does seem strange that she fell asleep so quickly and didn’t even hear a shot.

Lilibet
I find it suspicious too that there has been nothing else reported, nothing from the girlfriend, cops or family. I live near Matthew's family in NY, where he's from. I do know his younger sister died of an OD in 2014, as reported in the news. Judge Cecile in Syracuse NY, stated JD didn't show up for drug court the day she was discovered deceased in her family's home. Manlius police said it's a drug overdose.

Drug Court seeing dramatic changes thanks to CNY heroin problems

 

[Lilibet]

Lilibet
I find it suspicious too that there has been nothing else reported, nothing from the girlfriend, cops or family. I live near Matthew's family in NY, where he's from. I do know his younger sister died of an OD in 2014, as reported in the news. Judge Cecile in Syracuse NY, stated JD didn't show up for drug court the day she was discovered deceased in her family's home. Manlius police said it's a drug overdose.

Drug Court seeing dramatic changes thanks to CNY heroin problems

That’s tragic! Now the family has lost two young people to drugs (assuming in Mathew’s case).

Often these cases just sort of disappear from the media. I don’t think they’re dropped by LE, but they reach a dead end.

Another mysterious case is the murder of Stephanie Gawboy in Redway, southern Humboldt County in 2016. I just searched and found nothing new.
Redway Woman’s Shooting Death Still a Mystery

CA - Stephanie Gawboy, 52, shot to death, Redway, 17 Aug 2016

 

[Butterfly_Rises]

Yes. So sad. Let me look at the Stephanie Gawboy case.