Officials confirm body found in swamp was that of man missing since July 2022

By KC Downey

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    HAMPSTEAD, New Hampshire (WMUR) — Officials have confirmed that skeletal remains discovered earlier this week belong to a man reported missing last year.

The New Hampshire Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed with Hampstead police that John Matson, 79, was the man found dead in a swampy area between Emerson Avenue and Route 111, officials said.

Matson was last seen on July 6, 2022. He suffered from dementia, and the entire community was part of the search to bring him home.

Officials said Conservation Officer Rob McDermott used the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s newly purchased drone to look over an area that had been searched before, and after about 90 minutes, he spotted a white shoe that looked like the shoes Matson was last seen wearing.

“When I originally identified Mr. Matson’s body, I had a hard time believing it,” McDermott said.

McDermott said that after reviewing his footage, he was confident that the skeletal remains in the swamp were Matson’s, the man he and others had been searching nearly 300 days for. Officials confirmed that fact on Thursday.

Hampstead police said previously they believe there was no foul play involved.

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