In 2000, He Mysteriously Vanished From His College Town Just Before Graduating: His Car Was Found Abandoned In Another State Containing His Personal Belongings And Some Odd Journal Entries
Twenty-three years ago, a young man’s parents were instantly concerned when they found out that their son, who was a college student in Tennessee, was missing and his car was abandoned in a different state.
That young man was Matthew Pendergrast, who’s been mysteriously missing from his college town since 2000.
At the time of his disappearance, Matthew was 23-years-old and was only a few weeks away from graduating from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. His friends and family remember him as kind, selfless, and passionate about helping others.
But on December 1st, 2000, Matthew mysteriously went missing.
That morning, the landlord he was renting a room from allegedly heard him rise and leave his residence around 7:30 am, which wasn’t unusual, as he had a Spanish class that morning. He left home in his navy 1998 Toyota 4Runner.
However, Matthew never showed up to class, and he hasn’t been seen since.
Later that day, some hunters found Matthew’s car suspiciously abandoned near Interstate 40 in Lonoke County, Arkansas. After the car had been parked there for over a day, the hunters decided to look through it and eventually found a phone number on an oil change receipt. The number was to Matthew’s parents’ home, and his mom answered the phone.
Once they heard their son’s car was in Arkansas, Matthew’s concerned parents contacted his landlord and campus security. Neither knew where Matthew was, so they called the police and reported him missing.
Upon further investigation of where his car had been parked, police found some of Matthew’s clothes, wallet, credit cards, identification, and $46 in cash about 100 yards away. His clothes were eerily folded neatly in a stack.
SeanPavonePhoto – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Inside the car was a journal belonging to Matthew, with odd entries about “silver elves” and wanting to “become one with nature.” To this day, police aren’t sure if these entries play a major part in Matthew’s case.
Investigators conducted several searches for Matthew in Tennessee and Arkansas but found nothing. His disappearance has been classified as suspicious, and some authorities believe the site where his clothing was found was staged. However, there’s been no solid evidence that gives a clear answer to what happened to him.
Still, after 23 years, his loved ones and investigators are asking for anyone with any information on Matthew at all to come forward so they can get some closure.
At the time of Matthew’s disappearance, he was five foot six, weighed 110 pounds, and had brown hair and blue eyes. He also had dimples and would have been 46 years old today.
If you have any information regarding his case, you are urged to contact the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Department at (501) 676–6494.
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