STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

VERMONT STATE POLICE

 

Autopsies completed as part of continuing investigation into Brattleboro deaths

 

BRATTLEBORO, Vermont (Thursday, July 21, 2022) — Autopsies were completed Thursday, July 21, 2022, at the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington on Mary Anderson and Matthew Davis.

 

Anderson, 23, of Harvard, Massachusetts, died of a gunshot wound to the head, and the manner of her death is a homicide. The Vermont State Police is working with other law-enforcement agencies in Massachusetts and New Hampshire to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death, including when and where she was killed and whether she was abducted.

 

Davis, 34, of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, is considered a person of interest in Anderson’s disappearance and death. Davis died following an officer-involved shooting Tuesday night in West Brattleboro after he ran from investigators seeking to question him, and then lunged at police with a knife.

 

Anderson’s cellphone was among the evidence that investigators located in the area where Davis ran from police.

 

The autopsy determined Davis died of gunshot wounds to the torso, and the manner of his death is a homicide. This is a medical finding indicating the death of an individual was caused by the intentional act of another person and is not a legal determination regarding whether the shooting was justified. A ruling on the justification of the police use of deadly force will be made in separate, independent reviews by the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the relevant county’s State’s Attorney’s Office.

 

Police continue to ask that any member of the public who might have information that could aid investigators in this case call the Vermont State Police Barracks in Westminster at 802-722-4600 or provide an anonymous tip online at http://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.

 

 

***Update No. 5, 6:40 p.m. Wednesday, July 20, 2022***

Police in Vermont and Massachusetts are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the suspicious death of 23-year-old Mary Anderson of Harvard, Massachusetts.

 

A concurrent investigation also remains active into the fatal police shooting of Matthew Davis, who is considered a person of interest in her disappearance and death. Davis, 34, of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, died following an officer-involved shooting Tuesday night in West Brattleboro. The shooting occurred after a short foot pursuit when Davis pulled a knife and lunged at police who were seeking to speak with him regarding Anderson’s death.

 

Autopsies on Anderson and Davis were planned for Wednesday, July 20, 2022, at the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington, but that work now is not expected to be finalized before Thursday.

 

The two Vermont State Police troopers who fired their department-issued handguns are Detective Sgt. Jesse Robson and Detective Sgt. Samuel Truex. As indicated in a previous release, under department policy related to critical incidents, they will be on paid administrative leave for a minimum of five days.

 

Robson joined the state police in 2001 as a trooper assigned to the Shaftsbury Barracks. He was promoted to sergeant and patrol commander in 2012, and then transferred in 2018 as a detective sergeant to the Bureau of Criminal Investigations – Troop B East out of the Westminster Barracks.

 

Truex was hired in 1998 and assigned to the Rutland Barracks. He worked as a trooper at the Rutland and Shaftsbury barracks before becoming a detective trooper in Rutland in 2008, and then promoted to sergeant in 2010. In the Criminal Division, he has worked out of the Rutland Barracks and at Headquarters as a member of the Polygraph Unit. His current assignment is with the Major Crime Unit – South.

 

The Brattleboro Police Department member is identified as Patrol Officer Ryder Carbone, who has worked for the agency since 2019. He fired his department-issued shotgun during the encounter with Davis. Per standard protocol, Carbone is on paid administrative leave following the shooting.

 

As part of the ongoing, multi-state investigation into Anderson’s killing, police would like to speak to anyone in New England — especially Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont — who might have seen Anderson, Davis, or Anderson’s truck from late Saturday night through early Tuesday morning. The vehicle is a blue 2017 Toyota Tacoma with Massachusetts license plate PC 8DXW20. Brattleboro police located the truck with Anderson’s body inside at about 12:55 a.m. Tuesday parked on Elliot Street in Brattleboro. Investigators are continuing to work to determine what if any connection Davis or Anderson might have had to Brattleboro.

 

Anyone who has information to share with the authorities should call the Vermont State Police in Westminster at 802-722-4600 or provide an anonymous tip online at http://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.

 

The Vermont State Police will continue to provide updates when new information becomes available.

 

 

***Update No. 4, 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 20, 2022***

The Vermont State Police is continuing its investigation early Wednesday morning into the fatal police shooting of the person of interest in the disappearance and death of a missing Massachusetts woman, 23-year-old Mary Anderson.

 

Following notification of next of kin, the state police is able to release the preliminary identification of the deceased man: Matthew Davis, 34, of Fitchburg, Massachusetts. His body will be transported to the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to confirm the cause and manner of his death.

 

The fatal shooting occurred in a wooded area between Bonnyvale Road and South Street southwest of Western Avenue in West Brattleboro. A detective with the Vermont State Police was conducting a neighborhood canvass when he recognized a person who fit Davis’s description walking on Western Avenue. Members of the Vermont State Police and Brattleboro Police Department rapidly responded to the area and were on scene at the time of the fatal police shooting. Two troopers and a Brattleboro police officer fired their weapons in the course of the encounter with Davis, who was armed with a knife. Two detectives with the Massachusetts State Police also were in the area. Police rendered first aid to Davis following the shooting and called for EMS personnel to respond, but he was pronounced dead on the scene. The knife was located near Davis’s body. No other injuries were reported.

 

Per standard protocol related to shootings involving members of the Vermont State Police, the circumstances of the shooting of Davis are under active investigation by detectives with VSP’s Criminal Division who are assigned to offices from elsewhere in the state to avoid potential conflicts of interest. Investigators remain at the scene early this morning, and their work is active and ongoing. Further details will be released as the case continues.

 

In accordance with regular procedures, the identities of the officers who fired their weapons will be released a day after the shooting. The state troopers will be placed on paid administrative leave for a minimum of five days. When the Vermont State Police investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office and the relevant State’s Attorney’s Office for independent reviews of the police use of deadly force.

 

 

***Update No. 3, 9:20 p.m. Tuesday, July 19, 2022***

A person of interest who was being sought in connection with the suspicious death of a missing Massachusetts woman was located Tuesday night while walking in West Brattleboro by members of the Vermont State Police and the Brattleboro Police Department. During an attempt to speak with the man at about 7:45 p.m., he was shot by police and has been pronounced deceased.

 

This situation is unfolding, and all circumstances surrounding what occurred are under investigation, including which officers discharged their weapons. The name of the deceased man will be withheld pending notification of his next of kin. The Vermont State Police is unable to provide further details at this time.

 

The inquiry into the fatal shooting is in its infancy and involves members of the Vermont State Police, including the Major Crime Unit, Bureau of Criminal Investigations, and Crime Scene Search Team. VSP will provide updates as soon as more information is available.

 

The person of interest was being sought by the authorities as part of the ongoing investigation into the disappearance and death of 23-year-old Mary Anderson of Harvard, Massachusetts. Anderson, whose body was found early Tuesday morning inside her pickup truck parked on Elliot Street in Brattleboro, had been missing since the weekend. She was last seen at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday in Hudson, New Hampshire.  

 

Earlier Tuesday, the Elliot Street scene and the truck were processed by the Vermont State Police Crime Scene Search Team. Anderson’s body now will be transported to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to determine cause and manner of death, and make positive identification. The autopsy is expected to take place Wednesday, and VSP will send an updated news release when the results of the autopsy are available.

 

The state police would like to speak with anyone who saw anything suspicious or who might have video that shows the area on or around Elliot Street on Monday, July 18. People with video should call the Vermont State Police in Westminster at 802-722-4600, or the Brattleboro Police Department at 802-257-7946.

 

Vermont State Police investigators are working with counterparts at the Brattleboro Police Department; the Massachusetts State Police, including detectives assigned to the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office; and the Harvard (Massachusetts) Police Department.

 

VSP will continue to share additional information it becomes available.

 

 

***Update No. 2, 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 19, 2022***

The Vermont State Police has scheduled a media availability regarding the investigation into the suspicious death of Mary Anderson.

 

Maj. Dan Trudeau, commander of VSP’s Criminal Division, will be available at 5:30 p.m. outside the Brattleboro Police Department, 62 Black Mountain Rd., No. 101.

 

 

***Update No. 1, 2:40 p.m. Tuesday, July 19, 2022***

The investigation into this morning’s discovery of a body in Brattleboro remains in its early stages.

 

The Vermont State Police has been able to preliminarily identify the victim as Mary Anderson, a 23-year-old woman from the town of Harvard, Massachusetts, who had been reported missing over the weekend. Brattleboro police located her body inside her truck, which had been sought as part of the missing-persons investigation.

 

Police are looking to locate and speak with Matthew Davis, 34, of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, who may have information relevant to this ongoing investigation. Davis is Anderson’s former boyfriend. He has connections to the area of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Davis is white, about 5 feet 6 inches tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. A photo of him is attached to this release.

 

Anyone with information on Davis’s whereabouts should call their local police department or the Vermont State Police in Westminster at 802-722-4600. People also may provide an anonymous tip online at http://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.

 

The Vermont State Police is coordinating on this investigation with the office of Windham County State’s Attorney Tracy Shriver, Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, and the Town of Harvard Police Department.

 

VSP will release additional details as the investigation unfolds.

 

 

***Initial news release, 9:55 a.m. Tuesday, July 19, 2022***

The Vermont State Police and the Brattleboro Police Department are investigating the death of a woman whose body was found early Tuesday morning, July 19, 2022, in Brattleboro.

 

Officers with Brattleboro police located the body in a vehicle on Elliot Street at about 12:55 a.m. Tuesday. The death appeared to be suspicious, and the Brattleboro Police Department requested assistance from the Vermont State Police.

 

The investigation is in its preliminary stages and includes members of the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit, Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Crime Scene Search Team, Victim Services Unit and Field Force Division, along with the Brattleboro Police Department.

 

The body of the victim will be brought to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. Her identity will be released following further investigation.

 

Anyone with information that could assist investigators is asked to call the Vermont State Police in Westminster at 802-722-4600, or the Brattleboro Police Department at 802-257-7950. Tips also may be submitted anonymously online at http://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.

 

No additional information is available at this time. VSP will provide updates as the investigation continues.

 

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