Houston Police Searching For Rice Student Missing Nearly 2 Weeks
By JOHN PORRETTO Associated Press Writer
HOUSTON, Texas(AP) – A straight-A computer science major at Rice University has been missing for nearly two weeks, but police said Wednesday they have few clues to go on.
Matthew J. Wilson, 20, of Haworth, Okla., was last seen by his roommate at their off-campus apartment on the evening of Dec. 14, five days before the deadline to turn in take-home exams.
Earlier that day, Wilson had withdrawn $400 from his bank account, which his family and authorities said was an unusual transaction.
Wilson’s car is also missing. Rice Police Chief Bill Taylor said Wednesday that investigators have checked the account for further activity or clues but turned up nothing.
“There’s no indication of any foul play,” Taylor said. “We’re at a wait and hold.” Meanwhile, Wilson’s mother, Cathy Wilson, said she waits at home in Haworth, a bit frustrated, for any news from Taylor.
She said she’s considering hiring a private investigator. “I adored him,” she said. “He’s my life. I can’t live without him.” Taylor said there’s nothing to suggest the $400 withdrawal was coerced because Wilson was back at his apartment that evening, along with his roommate.
Authorities and Wilson’s family in Oklahoma hoped the junior had gone off in search of solitude to prepare for finals. But the Dec. 19 deadline passed with no sign of him. Wilson’s roommate notified police Dec. 18 that Wilson had not been back to the apartment since the previous Saturday.
The roommate tried to call Wilson’s cell phone but discovered the phone was inside their apartment. Cathy Wilson said it’s not unusual for Matthew to ignore phone calls or e-mails while studying for final exams, but he never would have missed the deadline for tests and projects at school.
“I’ve never had to worry about Matthew until now,” she said. “He’s a 20-year-old who acts like a mature 50-year-old man. He’s not only intelligent, he uses good sense – a child most mothers would like to have.”
Wilson last saw her son at Thanksgiving, at her daughter’s home in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Mansfield.
They were supposed to spend Christmas at another daughter’s home in Tulsa, Okla. Wilson said Matthew’s father died when the boy was 2 at a hospital in Houston, not far from Rice’s campus.
“It was Matthew’s choice to go to school there,” she said. “I’ve never liked Houston since.”
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
