Matthew Henry Williams

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Matthew Henry Williams
By: REED WILLIAMS | Richmond Times Dispatch
Published: December 18, 2011

Richmond police have charged three men in a burglary at the home of Matthew Henry Williams and described the suspects on Saturday as "persons of interest" in Williams' disappearance.

Also Saturday, Williams' family announced it is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that helps locate Williams, whom police suspect is a victim of foul play. He has been missing since Tuesday night.

His aunt, Debbie Owens, speaking to reporters at Richmond police headquarters Saturday, pleaded with the public to provide information on Williams' whereabouts. She also made a tearful appeal to Williams, 23, to contact his family if he is able to do so.

"Matthew, when you see this, hear this, please call us and reach out to us," said Owens, her voice shaking as she stood beside several family members. "We want you to come home. We're all here and we're waiting to hear from you. We love you and we miss you, and we're worried about you. Please contact us. Please come home."

Richmond police Lt. Emmett Williams, who is acting captain of the Major Crimes Division, confirmed Saturday that investigators have charged three men with conspiracy to commit burglary of Matthew Williams' apartment at the Lofts at Canal Walk at 1900 E. Cary St.

The acting captain declined to identify the suspects, who were captured on surveillance video at the apartment building, or provide any comment on their relationship with the missing man.

"They are and will remain persons of interest in the disappearance of Matthew," he said.

He added that the search for Williams remains focused within the city limits and that investigators have looked in the area of Kanawha Canal and along the James River.

"I won't talk about the specific leads," the acting captain said. "I can say we've developed a very, very clear and concise timeline of his whereabouts as he moved through the city that night, and we're following them closely. And it's continuing to develop as we speak now."

Williams relocated to Richmond from the Raleigh, N.C., area a few weeks ago for a job as a trust assistant at Wells Fargo. He was known to frequent bars near his apartment and has been described by people who met him as very outgoing and eager to make friends. He often would buy drinks for people he had just met and sometimes boasted that he made a lot of money, according to employees at one of the bars, The Lucky Buddha.

Police said Williams' mother last spoke with him about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. That is around the time Williams left The Lucky Buddha with two other men, said Matt Busch, managing partner of the bar on East Cary Street, just east of 14th Street.

Surveillance pictures show Williams and three other men entering his apartment building at 10 p.m. and show Williams and the three men leaving the building about an hour later.

"There's no indication at this point that he was under any duress," said Emmett Williams, the acting captain.

Police said surveillance images also show two of the same men returning about 1 a.m. without Matthew Williams and breaking into his apartment, and then leaving with his TV and a video game console.

Williams is 6 feet tall, about 180 pounds, and fair-skinned with auburn-red hair and blue eyes.

"He is an energetic, larger-than-life young man who's a friend to everyone he meets," Owens said.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call a police tips line at (804) 514-TIPS or Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000. Information can be texted to Crime Stoppers at 274637 using the keyword "iTip" followed by the tip.

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RICHMOND, VA (WTVR) - Richmond Police detectives arrested three men on conspiracy to commit burglary charges. The men were caught on security camera video breaking into the Shockoe Bottom apartment of missing man Matthew Henry Williams, Richmond Police said in a press release Monday.

Police said the men were among the last people to see Williams, age 23,  prior to his Dec.13 disappearance. Police consider all three men persons of interest in Williams' disappearance. [Click here to read more about the Willams case]

Police said suspects Tre S. Carrington, 24 and Erik S. Finger Jr., 22, both live on Nestle Avenue in South Richmond. Suspect Andrew L. Scott, 21, lives along the 1500 block of Cedar Mountain Court in Henrico County.

Police said the men were seen leaving Williams apartment with his TV and video game console on Dec. 14, 2011.

The search continues for Matthew Henry Williams. Richmond Police searched the James River for him Sunday afternoon.

Williams' family is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads them to the 23-year-old. [Click here to read about the reward]

The Richmond Sheriff's Office said that two of the three men are being held without bond until their next hearing Jan. 12, 2012.

The third person, Andrew L. Scott, who was seen with Williams but was not present when Carrington and Finger returned, has been released on $2,500 bond.

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Missing man is 'bright spot to a lot of people'

Credit: RICHMOND POLICE

Matthew Henry Williams was last seen about 10 p.m. Tuesday with three men. Two of the men were later seen trying to break into his apartment.

By: REED WILLIAMS | Richmond Times Dispatch
Published: December 17, 2011

A tightknit group of former classmates who studied trust and wealth management at North Carolina's Campbell University are anxiously awaiting news that their missing friend is alive and well.

Matthew Henry Williams, who recently moved from North Carolina to Richmond, disappeared from his Shockoe Bottom apartment complex Tuesday night under suspicious circumstances. Police believe he is the victim of foul play.

"We need to find this kid, and we need to find him alive," said Stephen Johnson, a close friend of Williams and his suitemate at Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C. "The world would be a darker place without him in it. He's such a bright spot to a lot of people."

Williams, 23, was at The Lucky Buddha, a bar in Shockoe Bottom, a few hours before his disappearance. The bar is on East Cary Street, a few blocks west of Williams' home at the Lofts at Canal Walk, an apartment building at 1900 E. Cary St.

Police said Williams' mother last spoke with him about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. Surveillance photos show him and three other men entering his apartment building at 10 p.m. and also show Williams and the three men leaving the building about an hour later.

Surveillance images show two of the same men returning without Williams to the building about 1 a.m. and breaking into Williams' apartment, and then leaving with his TV and a video game console, police said.

Authorities continued their search for Williams on Friday. "We're following up on several leads still," said police spokeswoman Dionne Waugh, declining to comment further.

Williams and Johnson both were in the trust and wealth management program at Campbell University in a class of about 50 students.

"We're a close-knit group," said Whitney Miller, who also was in the program at Campbell. "To hear about this, word travels quickly."

Williams moved to Richmond a few weeks ago from the Raleigh, N.C., area for a job as a trust assistant with Wells Fargo in its downtown offices.

"He had finally made something of himself, and he finally had impressed his friends and family," Johnson said. "He had just reached the highest point in his life."

Employees at The Lucky Buddha described Williams as very social and eager to make friends, often buying drinks for strangers and striking up conversations. He spent lavishly at the bar on the night of Friday, Dec. 9, running up a tab of about $500 at a VIP table filled with people he had just met. Employees said he had made a point of mentioning to staff that he made a lot of money.

Williams was charged in Richmond on Nov. 30 with being drunk in public, a misdemeanor. According to a missing person flier from the Richmond police, Williams takes medication for anxiety and bipolar disorder.

Miller, 24, who works for Wells Fargo in Winston-Salem, N.C., said Friday that Williams would buy rounds of drinks because he wanted to help people out, not to show off.

Johnson said Williams was driven to impress those around him.

"Honestly, he is the friendliest person I've ever met in my life, and he is the most kindhearted person I've ever met in my life," Johnson said. "He was friendly with everybody. He didn't care who you were, where you came from."

Miller said she met Williams their freshman year at Campbell, and they had a brother-sister relationship. The two redheads used to joke that they were related.

Johnson said Williams earned the nickname "Chucky" after he dressed up for Halloween as the evil red-haired doll from the "Child's Play" horror film series. "He liked that nickname," Johnson said. "He loved it."

Johnson said he remains optimistic, but he also fears that his friend's habit of spending large and talking about his money might have led to his undoing.

"I can imagine some people hearing that, and I know there are some terrible people in this world," Johnson said. "I can see why what happened, happened."

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Detective Benjamin Toderico at (804) 646-3928, Sgt. Bill Brereton at (804) 646-5034 or Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.

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More charges against 3 in case of missing city man

By: TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF | Richmond Times Dispatch
Published: December 19, 2011
Updated: December 19, 2011 - 11:29 AM

Three men identified by police as persons of interest in the disappearance of a missing Richmond man are facing additional felony charges.

Meantime, dive teams this morning resumed their search of the canal along the James River in Shockoe Bottom as part of their efforts to locate Matthew Henry Williams, who disappeared from the waterfront neighborhood six days ago.

Richmond police on Saturday announced the arrest of the three men in connection with the disappearance of Williams. Police said the three -- whose identities the department declined to release -- had each been charged with felony conspiracy to commit burglary but were also considered persons of interest in Williams' disappearance.

But records in Richmond's Manchester General District Court showed this morning that one of the defendants -- Andrew Lamar Scott, 21 -- also has been charged with felony conspiracy to commit abduction. Police spokeswoman Dionne Waugh, however, said late this morning that authorities did not intend to pursue that charge.

The other two defendants -- Tre Stephon Carrington, 24, and Erik Shawn Finger Jr., 22 -- are both facing single counts of felony grand larceny in addition to the burglary charges, according to records in Manchester.

Those court records showed that Scott was arrested Thursday, arraigned Friday and is being held pending a Dec. 27 hearing. Carrington and Finger were arrested Friday and were arraigned this morning by Judge David E. Cheek, who scheduled preliminary hearings for Jan. 31 for both men.

All three defendants listed Richmond-area addresses.

Police dive teams went to the area at 21st and Dock streets shortly before 9 a.m. today to resume a search that began Sunday afternoon. Divers spent several hours in the area Sunday afternoon before calling off their efforts for the day.

Police said over the weekend that they believe Williams is a victim of foul play. Williams, 23, of the 1900 block of East Cary Street, was last seen Tuesday night after he left a Shockoe Bottom nightclub and went to his apartment with several other men.

Richmond police on Saturday said they had arrested the three men for a burglary at Williams' apartment, but they also described the trio as "persons of interest" in Williams' disappearance.

Williams' family is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that helps locate him.

-- Joe Macenka

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Investigation into Richmond man's disappearance expands
Credit: Richmond Police Dept.

Matthew Henry Williams moved to Richmond from North Carolina a few weeks agao, enjoyed partying in Shockoe Bottom and seemed eager to make new friends.

By: BILL MCKELWAY | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Published: December 29, 2011

Surveillance images show an apparently inebriated Matthew Henry Williams being ejected from a Shockoe Slip bar about two hours before two men broke into his nearby apartment.

Richmond police released information about the new images in an effort to establish a better timeline of events surrounding Williams' movements and disappearance sometime late Dec. 13 and early the next day.

Police are asking for the public's help in developing any information about his movements. On Wednesday, they said that they are expanding interest in Williams' whereabouts far beyond the Shockoe Bottom area and the Kanawha Canal, where police units have searched for Williams' body.

Richmond police Lt. Emmett Williams said police had received new tips recently in the case and would expand their investigation beyond Shockoe Bottom into other parts of the city.

"We're spanning out over the whole city," he said Wednesday.

Three men linked to Williams, meanwhile, have all been released on bond and are scheduled to appear in Richmond General District Court for preliminary hearings Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.

"The prosecution was simply not able to show that there was any evidence that there was a connection with this man's disappearance," said attorney Devicka Davis, who argued for a bond for her client, Erik Shawn Finger Jr.

Two of the three men are charged with burglary and grand larceny. According to police, they were observed on surveillance tapes breaking into Williams' apartment about 1 a.m. Dec. 14 and leaving with a television and video game console.

Police say the two men — Tre Stephon Carrington, 24, and Finger, 22, both of South Richmond — were observed with another defendant entering the apartment with Williams that Tuesday night and then all leaving together about an hour later, about 10 p.m.

The third suspect, charged with conspiracy to commit burglary, is Andrew Lamar Scott, 21, of Henrico County. All three men remain persons of interest in Williams' disappearance, Lt. Williams said.

Matthew Williams had left The Lucky Buddha bar sometime before 9 p.m. on Dec. 13 accompanied by two of the men and then showed up at his apartment with all three defendants, police say. After the four left Williams' apartment about 10 p.m., Williams turned up at The Hat Factory, where tapes showed him being escorted from the premises at 10:57 p.m. Police believe he arrived at The Hat Factory about 10:30 p.m.

Williams, 23, had recently started working for Wells Fargo and had been living in downtown Richmond for only a few weeks. He had moved to the city from Raleigh, N.C., and already had become well-known in the Shockoe Bottom bar scene.

Divers began looking for Williams' body in the Kanawha Canal shortly after his disappearance when a tracking dog detected evidence of Williams' presence near there at some time. The canal is being drained in coming days for routine cleaning, but Lt. Williams suggested Wednesday that the canal is no longer a focal point, stressing that police are interested in any sightings of Williams that may have occurred throughout the city.

Williams lived at the Lofts at Canal Walk at 1900 E. Cary St., within easy walking distance of The Lucky Buddha and The Hat Factory.

Authorities urged anyone who thinks they may have seen Williams in mid-December to call Detective Benjamin Toderico at (804) 646-3928 or Sgt. Bill Brereton at (804) 646-5034. Calls also can go to (804) 514-TIPS or Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.

A $10,000 reward has been posted for information leading to Williams' location.

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By: JOHN REID BLACKWELL | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Published: January 08, 2012

Richmond police and fire officials removed a man's body from the canal at 21st and Dock streets on Saturday, near the apartment of a 23-year-old man who was reported missing in December.

Authorities did not comment on the man's age or his race. The body was sent to the medical examiner's office for identification and to determine the time and cause of death.

Passers-by spotted the body in the canal about 2:10 p.m. and contacted authorities, Richmond police spokesman James Mercante said.

The canal has been partially drained because of routine maintenance by the Department of Public Utilities.

Mercante said the draining process was expedited to assist police in their investigation of the disappearance of Matthew Henry Williams, who last was seen the night of Dec. 13 in the Shockoe Bottom area.

"At this time we don't know if this is the missing person," Mercante said Saturday afternoon.

Williams' apartment is at the Lofts at Canal Walk at 1900 E. Cary St., about a block from where authorities recovered the body.

Forensics detectives investigated the scene Saturday afternoon, and a Virginia State Police helicopter circled the site for a while.

Three men have been charged in connection with a burglary of Williams' apartment the night he last was seen. Erik Shawn Finger Jr., 22, and Tre Stephon Carrington, 24, both of South Richmond, have been charged with burglary and grand larceny. Andrew Lamar Scott, 21, of Henrico County, is charged with conspiracy to commit burglary. All three are free on bond, and authorities say they are persons of interest in Williams' disappearance.

Dive teams on Friday had resumed their search of a canal along the north bank of the James River in the Shockoe Bottom neighborhood for signs of Williams.

Divers periodically have been checking several spots along the river since the week before Christmas, and Friday's search was in an area of Shockoe Bottom just east of where they previously had looked.

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RICHMOND --
Police in Richmond say they have found the body of a man in the Kanawha Canal Saturday, an area near the apartment of a missing former Campbell University student.

Police said someone noticed what appeared to be a body in the water and called police Saturday afternoon around 2:30, reported WWBT in Richmond.

The Canal is near the apartment of Matt Williams, the Four Oaks man who moved to Richmond after graduating from Campbell.

Williams was last seen on Dec. 13.

Richmond Police detectives have charged three men with conspiracy to commit burglary in connection with Williams’ disappearance.

Tre S. Carrington, 24, and Erik S. Finger Jr., 22, and Andrew L. Scott, 21, are charged with one felony count of conspiracy to commit burglary.

They were arrested after being caught on surveillance video breaking into Williams' apartment on Wednesday, Dec. 14.

Authorities have not confirmed the body is that of Williams. WWBT says the body is being taken to the medical examiners office.

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Body of Missing NC Man Found in Virginia Canal

FOX8 Staff Writer
9:28 a.m. EST, January 9, 2012

RICHMOND, VA (WGHP)— The body of a Johnston County native missing since last month was found in the James River canal in Richmond, Va., Saturday, according to police.

WRAL reported that the victim was identified as Matthew Henry Williams, 23. Investigators said Williams had been missing since coming back from a nightclub on Dec. 13.

He was seen going to his apartment with three men and leaving about an hour later. Surveillance cameras caught two of the same men breaking into his apartment about two hours later and stealing items.

Three men have been arrested in connection to the break-in.

WRAL reported that Tre S. Carrington, 24, Erik S. Finger Jr., 22, and Andrew L. Scott, 21, were each charged with felony conspiracy to commit burglary.

Williams was described as a recent Campbell University graduate who moved to Richmond in late November for a job with Wells Fargo.

"He was new in the neighborhood," said Margaret Schwartzberg, Williams' neighbor in Four Oaks, according to WRAL. "He just wanted to make friends. He was making money and he was spending it and buying drinks for people."

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By: JOE MACENKA | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Published: January 09, 2012
Updated: January 09, 2012 - 12:27 PM

Richmond police today said the body found in a canal along the James River in the Shockoe Bottom area was that of a man who had been missing since Dec. 13. Foul play is not suspected in the man's death, authorities said.

Police this morning said the body was identified as that of Matthew H. Williams, 23, who had moved to the Richmond area from North Carolina in November. He had been working in Richmond and living in an apartment in the 1900 block of East Cary Street.

Williams was last seen alive late on the night of Dec. 13 after he had been drinking in Shockoe Bottom and returned to his apartment with three men.

The three were later charged in connection with a burglary at Williams' apartment, and police initially said they were considered persons of interest in his disappearance.

But Richmond police this morning said detectives do not suspect foul play and that no suspects are being sought in connection with his death.

Police said Williams' body was found with his cell phone, wallet containing his North Carolina identification and credit cards, and his keys.

Williams' body was spotted in a canal at about 2:10 p.m. Saturday by a person in the 1900 block of Dock Street who called police.

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WTF?? They arrested 3 men for robbing him but they don't suspect foul play? Did he jump in and drown in the canal in the Winter months all by himself???????

Unbelievable!! I hope his relatives pitch a fit about this!! I just don't believe that those three didn't have something to do with him being in that canal!!

Matthew Henry Williams
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Matthew Henry Williams passed away on December 13, 2011 in Richmond, Virginia.

Born in Raleigh, NC, Matthew grew up in Four Oaks, where he graduated with honors from South Johnston High in 2006. Awarded a scholarship to Campbell University, Matthew graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Trust Management in July 2011. In November 2011, he secured employment with Wells Fargo Bank in Richmond, Virginia.

During childhood Matthew underwent two surgeries on his hip and leg due to Legg-Perthes disease, but this did not prevent him from enjoying sports and keeping very active throughout his high school and college years. An avid golfer in high school, Matthew practiced often with the high school team. During his junior and senior years in high school he even organized a golf tournament at Johnston County Country Club, complete with fundraising and prizes. During the winter, Matthew enjoyed snowboarding in the mountains of North Carolina and bowling; during the summer, he enjoyed soccer, wake boarding at Lake Gaston, and tennis.

Matthew loved family and friends, always wanting to be in people’s company. He knew no strangers and welcomed everyone as a friend. His group of close friends included people from all over the world, from New York to Africa, from Sweden to Czechoslovakia. A devoted son and brother, Matthew exuded both relentless passion and unmitigated love for everything in his life. He was a free spirit who knew no bounds.

Matthew leaves a legacy of unconditional love and devotion to his family: his mother and father, Corey and Scott Williams and his brother Zachary who reside in Four Oaks, NC; his grandparents Anne and Arthur Meadows of Lumberton, NC, and Lorna and Tom Childress of Draper, Virginia. Matthew also is in the hearts of his many aunts and uncles: Tracy and George Cox, of Raleigh, NC; Jeffrey and Deborah Owens, of Chesapeake, Virginia; Joel and Janice Williams, of Goodview, Virginia; William and Robin O'Hora, of Kennasaw, Georgia; and Carl and Terri Stephens, of Youngsville, NC. Matthew was also well-loved by his many cousins: Lindsay, Nathan, Amanda, Mattie, Lorna, Ashley, Leslie, Ryan, Connor, Justin, Jacob and Samantha.

A memorial service and celebration of Matthew’s life was held at Campbell University’s Butler Chapel on Saturday, January 14, 2012.

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