Search for missing Rice student garners national attention, but few clues
Four weeks after the disappearance of Hanszen College junior Matthew Wilson, students and Rice University police are scouring the country and thinking outside the box for clues as to what could have happened to him.
But as the new semester begins, students find themselves staring at the same scant few clues as they were weeks ago. And in what may be a sign of the growing bleakness of the situation, Hanszen junior Elliot Harwell, Wilson’s roommate of two years, is looking for a new roommate.
However, there is still hope as the search still continues. Wilson’s mother is in Houston helping RUPD search for her son. The national media has picked up the story, increasing awareness of Wilson’s disappearance nationwide. Rice and Wilson’s mother are offering a $20,000 reward and Crime Stoppers are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to his return.
Wilson’s story has been picked up by the national media and covered across the country. Wilson’s mother said the media attention began when her daughter Kelly Parkrider contacted Greta Van Susteren from Fox News about the story.
Rice Public Relations has also been working to help, putting up posters and offering rewards.
“The one thing that’s common to all of these efforts is that there’s really a desire to find him and find him safely,” Vice President for Public Affairs Linda Thrane said.
Hanszen Master Wesley Morris said that although there have been reports of sightings all around the country, none of them have led to any news of Wilson’s whereabouts.
Wilson’s friends are also spreading awareness through a Facebook group that keeps its members updated on the case. Fortuna also made a Web site, findmatthewwilson.blogspot.com, with information about Wilson.
Wilson’s mother said she has found her son’s disappearance particularly difficult because her husband died in Houston when Wilson was two, after which Wilson’s mother moved her family to Oklahoma.
“Matthew was my last link to my husband,” she said. “If my husband wasn’t dead this would kill him anyway.”
Harwell first reported him missing to RUPD on Dec. 18. Captain Dianna Marshall said RUPD had no evidence of foul play but with Wilson failing to turn in finals by the Dec. 19 deadline, his mother feels that something beyond Wilson’s control must have happened.
“Something has gone very wrong for Matthew not to have turned in his finals,” Cathy Wilson, Wilson’s mother, said. “Never in his life has he not completed a class, a final or a project. Never until now.”
Hanszen junior Emily Fortuna said even if Wilson left of his own accord, his lack of communication with anyone in the past month was out of character and a cause for concern.
“He was just very easy to get in touch with,” Fortuna said. “That was never an issue. I’d call him and if he didn’t answer his phone it’d be because he was in class and he would call me right back.”
Harwell said Wilson could have left as a result of stress, but that it would be atypical of him not to inform anyone of his departure.
“He’s a great student and he works really hard,” Harwell said. “It’s clear though that whatever happened, he’s not behaving in the way I’m used to or his family is used to. Honestly, I think he probably felt like he was under a lot of stress and worked really hard and wanted to get away from things.”
However, Fortuna said she doubted Wilson’s sudden departure was due to stress.
“He’s very chill and so I don’t think it could have been like ‘Oh I can’t take the stress at finals,’” she said. “It doesn’t seem to fit.”
Wilson’s mother also found it odd that Wilson withdrew $400 from an ATM before he disappeared. She said he was frugal and did not find money important. Wilson even had three paychecks he had not picked up before he went missing.
Harwell noticed both Wilson and his car were missing on Dec. 15 but said he was not concerned because Wilson had a lot of finals to take. Harwell called Wilson on Dec. 16 and sent him an email Dec. 17, neither of which received a response. Harwell found Wilson’s cell phone in his room that evening.
Concerned, Harwell contacted Wilson’s study partners and Morris and looked for Wilson in Fondren Library, the Rice parking lots and of the Fiesta parking lot, where Wilson most frequently shopped. Harwell reported Wilson’s absence to RUPD on Tuesday.
Wilson’s mother said along with his cell phone, Wilson had also left behind the computer he built himself, something she said he would never do if he had planned to go somewhere for an extended period of time.
Cathy Wilson, who works as a pre-school teacher, said that although she hates to be away from her students, she cannot bring herself to leave Houston.
“It seems so uncanny and unreal,” she said. “I miss all the little kids at school. I bonded with them, and I hate being away from them, but I can’t just leave them and desert Matthew either.”
Wilson’s mother said she will become an advocate for missing children.
“It seems that there are so many college students missing,” she said. “I want to advise everyone at Rice and anybody, always have a buddy system to let people know where you are, and if you do seem sad or stressed, let it be known.”
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