Names, locations and leads

Hi Everyone,

The search for Mattie is not going well. We have investigated a lot of leads and seen a lot of dogs but I'm afraid that we're coming up empty.

We always seem to get back to a few characters and a small area near 5616 Park Lane (link) and 5960 Harney (link).  We found Mattie's crate and some of our belongings in this area. We've always heard that "Henry" had Mattie at one time. We think that James Holmes is "Henry" and is also known as "Binkie". He's currently in jail on unrelated car theft charges. We've had him interrogated and he denies knowing anything about Mattie or the car theft.

Our car was involved in a high speed chase in Cape Girardeau with Darnell Riley and James Butler being apprehended. We've taiked to both of them and they deny ever seeing a dog. Darnell gave us our initial clue to search the Harney neighborhood. James Butler is still in jail and we're hoping to hear from him when he gets out.

The name Tracy Singleton comes up often. We think that she is related to James Holmes and James Butler. We've had her on the phone a few times and tried to track her down, but she's been very elusive; she moves a lot.

Our hope remains that Mattie was set free in the Park Lane/Harney area as we've been told. We've been told that one of the kids hit him with a golf club and he ran off. Based on sightings, we think he took off towards Jennings and from there he seems to have disappeared.

If anyone knows anything about what happened or knows the people involved we would love to hear from you! In the meantime we'll keep hoping and checking out any leads we can get.

Special note to Darnell Riley, James Butler, and James Holmes:  The criminal part of this case is over and yes we will pay you the reward no questions asked.  Contact us!

Alice and Tom Matthews
616-706-6026

Still searching, 15 months later

An open letter from Tom & Alice Matthews:

Hi Everybody,

Just wanted to let everyone know that we’re still searching for Mattie 15 months later. We still like to think that he was set free and was running around near Park Lane and Harney as we were told by numerous people. We hope he was picked up by someone who doesn’t know that we’re looking for him. Unfortunately we haven’t run into this person yet. We realize that there is always that ugly possibility that he was killed, but we just can’t imagine someone doing that, so we’re going to continue to be a little hopeful.

If anyone knows anything about what happened in the days following his theft, we’d appreciate it if you’d let us know.

If anyone wants to investigate the criminal aspects of this case please contact us for information [names, locations, etc.] at 616-706-6026 or via e-mail. The reward is still good and we hope to have the opportunity to pay it someday.

PLEASE NOTE -- There also exists a smaller reward for his collar or tags that isn’t widely known about except in the immediate neighborhood around Harney.

We’re going to keep tracking down leads as we’ve been doing for the last year. We certainly do appreciate and thank all the people that have helped us in the search and also for the moral support that they’ve given us. The wonderful people we’ve met have been a bright spot in this ordeal. They have really been something!

Thanks again,
Alice and Tom

Mattie, Mattie, Mattie -- where are you?

It's been a number of months, but the search continues. The flyers are in the Metro buses in St. Louis. We are following up on possible leads. There are some upcoming animal-friendly events where we'll be aiming to get the word out even wider.

If you can volunteer to help, please don't hesitate to drop Tom & Alice Matthews a note at the e-mail address noted above.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Volunteers (updated 3/11)

Here is the current list of volunteers, along with a rough list of what each volunteer focuses on. In addition to the information below, many of the volunteers post flyers throughout the area. Send an e-mail with updates, additions, or corrections.

• Mary Anne -- Checks Florissant Animal Control and North County Animal Control.
  
• Yvonne -- Coordinates on possible spottings.
• Wendy
  
• Kim -- Checks Macklind Humane Society.
• Melissa -- Real-estate agent in the area.
  
• Lisa -- Checks County Animal Control at Seven Hills, Florissant Animal Control, Animal Control on Hunter.
  
• Kathy -- Checks the St. Charles Humane Society.
  
• Tina
  
• Kelly
  
• Tom -- Maintains the web site.
• Aswini -- New volunteer -- Welcome and thanks Aswini!!
  
• Ginny & Robert
  
• Carolyn -- Fields calls on possible sightings. Monitors the gmail account. Makes sure the shelters are being checked.
  
• Marsha -- Checks Florissant Animal Control and North County Animal Control.
• Tracy
  
• Sharon
  
• Vita -- Checks APA.
  
• Deborah -- Coordinates on possible spottings. Donates services from her business.
  
• Mary -- Checks Maryland Heights Humane Society, Animal Control on Hunter, APA.
  

More $25,000 flyers posted on Sat., 1/27

Another wave of the $25,000 flyers... on Saturday, Jan. 27... thanks to the team of 7 volunteers... Robert & Ginny (brand new volunteers -- welcome!), Kathy, Marsha & husband, Carolyn, Tom. Also, apologies to Bob & Kris for the scheduling mix-up but we hope to see you next time!

Volunteers, please feel free to post flyers anytime, of course! Please be sure to e-mail us any information so that he can update the coverage map.

The idea is to keep track of when flyers are going up so that we can all be better-coordinated and so that we know when old flyers need to be replaced. Click on the map to see it larger.

Donations to help find Mattie

Several people have inquired of the possibility to donate funds toward the search for Mattie. We have set up the following way to donate, through amazon.com. To donate, clink on the "Click to Give" button. And thank you very much!

Volunteers needed to contact radio stations

Let's get the following radio stations to help. We need three volunteers -- one for each of the radio stations listed below -- to request some additional exposure. If you can take on one of the radio stations, send an e-mail to whereintheworldismattie@gmail.com.

• 100.3 - The Beat FM
• 107.7 - Z107.7 -- will be covered by volunteer Christine
• 104.9 - Magic 104.9

Our request is that the radio stations help their listeners understand that...

1. ...the $25,000 reward is REAL. Tom & Alice will pay the $25,000 to the party who reunites them with Mattie. A local bank account is set up from which the funds will be withdrawn. The person receiving the reward will get the reward in the form of cash if desired.

2. ...there is one and only reason for the high reward: Getting Mattie back. Mattie is family to them. They would rather pay $25,000 to get Mattie back than to buy a new car -- they value Mattie's return as greater than the value they'd get from a new car.

3. ...if requested, the identity of whoever comes forward can and will maintained in confidence by Tom & Alice.

4. ...any information -- even if it's not-so-good news -- is appreciated. Tom & Alice want to find closure in this situation and stop worrying themselves sick about their dog.

Also, Tom and Alice are available for interviews. They have been featured multiple times on NewsChannel 5, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and the Suburban Journals -- with an outpouring of responses from the community.

Ch. 5 segment on Mattie and $25,000 reward

With the reward for Mattie increased to $25,000, Ch. 5 interviewed Alice Matthews on the 10:00 p.m. news. Also, the print story from Ch. 5's web site:

Michigan Couple Increase Reward For Missing Dog
Created: 1/6/2007 9:08:45 PM
Last updated: 1/7/2007 2:44:19 AM

(KSDK) - There's now a $25,000 reward to help find a Michigan couple's missing dog.

Mattie, a mixed breed, vanished in November when Tom and Alice Matthews' car was stolen from the Delmar Loop.

Police recovered the car. The alleged thieves told the Matthews to search Jennings. That's where they found Mattie's cage. But so far there have been no confirmed sightings of the dog.

The Matthews have returned to the St. Louis area several times searching for the dog. A small group of local volunteers is also keeping the search alive.

Anyone with information about Mattie is asked to contact the Matthews at 616-706-6026.

"Tell everyone you know about Mattie"

Alice Matthews talked with private detective who specializes in finding lost pets. Based on the situation with Mattie, she advises the following:

• Mattie could be a few miles away from the area where he's been seen from time-to-time, or he could be a few hundred miles away.
  
• Tell everyone you know about him.
  
• One of your good neighbors may have adopted or purchased Mattie, under a completely innocent context. Please look in the back yards of your neighbors.
  
• If you suspect that a dog in your neighborhood could be the missing Mattie, call Tom & Alice Matthews at 616-706-6026.
  

Video message from Tom & Alice Matthews

One way volunteers can help -- coordinating with small businesses

For Mattie to be found, we feel it is essential for businesses to join in -- businesses such as beauty shops, churches, pet grooming shops, liquor stores, convenience stores, gas stations, and more. In general, places where people come together and talk! We need volunteers to reach out to such businesses and request that they:

1. Post a "Mattie Reward Flyer" in a prominent location.
2. Provide a stack of "Mattie Reward Leaflets" for customers to take with them.

The volunteer who coordinated things with a given business is then asked to keep in contact with the business to see if any customers offered any reports of seeing Mattie, and to make sure that the business doesn't run out of "Mattie Reward Leaflets."

If you can volunteer in this capacity, send an e-mail to whereintheworldismattie@gmail.com.