Mother came to Taos to find out what happened to her son

By Hamilton Kahn

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    TAOS, New Mexico (KOAT) — After leaving the military, Matthew McLaughlin moved to New Mexico “to get a fresh start,” his mother says.

Now, Rebecca McLaughlin and her teenage daughter, Kayla, are in New Mexico trying to find out where Matthew is and what may have happened to him.

After some months back in Virginia, Matthew and his puppy moved to Taos with two friends he served with in the Army, one of whom was from New Mexico. Matthew got a job at the Chili Line Depot, where he became close to a young woman.

A phone call from that woman on July 31 was the first Rebecca heard that something was amiss with her son.

“She had told me that she had tried reaching Matthew that Saturday, calling his phone because he didn’t show up for work, which is unusual,” Rebecca said. “So she called his roommate, and he stated that there was an argument Friday night, and Matt left.”

Not only that, Matthew left without his dog and, Rebecca found out later, his phone. After she heard that the roommates had not filed a missing persons report or looked for him, she sprang into action, leaving the next morning with her daughter Kayla to drive from Virginia to Taos.

From that point on, things became less clear. A friend of Matthew’s gave them a place to stay and drove them around looking for information and posting up flyers. They went to see the roommate, whose story had changed to include allegations of drug use by Matthew, which Rebecca disputes vehemently. There were unconfirmed reports that he’d been seen and that he was afraid to go back to where he lived.

Rebecca thinks that even people who don’t know Matthew should be able to identify him because of his distinctive demeanor and appearance. She said she plans to stay in New Mexico until she finds her son.

“He has a very deep country accent,” Rebecca said. “He is very friendly. He’s always, you know, ‘Yes sir, yes ma’am.’ He always shakes your hand normally when he comes to meet you. He has a black backpack almost all the time with him, and unless he’s indoors, he’s always wearing a hat like a baseball cap or something.”

Anyone who has seen Matthew or knows of his whereabouts is asked to call the New Mexico Department of Public Safety at (800) 457-3463.

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