Coast Guard member shows up after missing for 3+ months

Could have been abducted, could've been a brain tumor, could have been...

Most intriguing! I'm dying to find out more details of this unusual case.

My theory -

Decided he wanted to get away from his life for a while as he was distraught with the meaninglessness of it all, an affair, hating his job, or some such.
Just walked away and used his survival skills. He is a survivalist after all, and I have to assume fishing is relatively easy in Hawaii.
Doesn't want to deal with the embarrassment of walking away, and claims he doesn't know what happened.

This seems far more likely to me than aliens or mind control.

As for the difficulty in finding him, have you ever seen the number of beach bums in Hawaii? It really wouldn't be that hard to blend in as part of that group.

Coast Guard officials confirmed that the 15-year veteran was being investigated for illegal drug use just before he vanished.
Maestas said Tuesday that if his disappearance was the result of using illegal drugs he would be “separated” from the Coast Guard.
Meanwhile, Matthews’ family continued to receive his normal pay and benefits while he was gone, although it’s unclear whether they ever heard from him and might have known of his whereabouts these past few months, Hawaii News Now reported.
Matthews had also been dealing with personal traumas in recent years, the station said: Four of his colleagues were killed in a helicopter crash during a training session in September 2008.
In 2009, his first wife was struck by a car and she committed suicide two years later.
While the Coast Guard looks to interview Matthews, the Honolulu Police Department is closing the case because it’s not against the law to go missing, a spokeswoman said

[url=Read more: www.nydailynews.com...

reply to post by chrifive916

This seems far more likely to me than aliens or mind control

Probably more likely, but not as much fun to talk about

reply to post by goou111


I vote aliens!

And the helicopter crashes they referenced ( i think)
Training Mission Crash

Maybe it's just me, but someone else should take a look at the sheer number of helicopter crashes here. It seems off. 60 crashes in 30 yrs? Or is that a good average for a place with Hawaii's wild weather?

reply to post by Thorneblood


these guys go out in the same kind of weather that all other vessels are running in to port for. 60 crashes in 30 years is a ridiculously low number for the amount of hours they put in flying, especially when the conditions they routinely fly in are factored in to the equation.

as for the OP, my guess is homeboy knew trouble was coming his way, whether it be marital, family, drugs, job, whatever, and decided to vacate the area for a while and see what happened while he was gone. extremely easy to get lost in Hawaii and live quite well while staying off the radar. it always amazes me what a person can 'not remember' when they don't want to.

Sources told KGMB-TV that Matthews was going through a difficult time. In 2008 he lost four colleagues in a helicopter crash. In 2009 his first wife was critically hurt when she was hit head-on by a car while she was riding her bike. In 2011 she reportedly took her own life. His disappearance came one year later.

reply to post by Shamrock6


Sorry, that's civilian helicopters not military choppers as far as i can tell. Naturally it implies a reason for highly trained search and rescue in the area but it seems like a high number to me. Maybe it is just evidence to show you shouldn't get in a helicopter in Hawaii.
Crashes
Crashes
Crashes
Crashes

Aah there he is. Second shooter, where on earth have you been?

----

Intriguing case OP I'll be keeping an eye on it. It would be nice to have a genuine mystery rather than "father returns home after 3 month sex and drugs bender."

Originally posted by stirling
Moreover what happened to his car for the three months?
did he sleep in it?
You would think that his car would have been located much sooner....nothing adds up here.........

The car was found in October when he went missing.

reply to post by Thorneblood


That's about average for the number of helicopters that fly there. You used to have helicopters flying interisland on medevac missions, probably 50-100 a day between all the islands on tourist flights, the Coast Guard, the Army, the DEA, the police, the fire department.... There are a LOT of helicopters flying in Hawaii at any given time.

reply to post by Thorneblood


not unless its flown by a government agency lol. the safety record for civilian aircraft is far below that of gov't aircraft in that area. too many 8 hour pilots trying to get close to pretty waterfalls so people can take pictures.

I can tell you what happened to him. Not his specific situation. It seems to be diffrent for most in minor ways. But that almost happened to me. But i would not have been taken away for reprograming. Basicly he found out about about the real world. Or better yet it was showed to him. As is how it is done. And he was not cool with it and he went nuts trying to figure it out. And trying to figure out who all was involved. And i am sure as i found out mostly everyone. 3 out of 7 people. More or less depending on your area. It can be your eniter family ect you. Basicly the situation i am in. Anyway i am sure they tryed to make him forget thru hypnosis before it lead up to him getting taken for full erasing. Some people cant deal with it or accept it. I finaily got all my answers they where not giving i just cointeled them basicly. Now i a completly relaxed and able to move past it much more free then ever before. And you will find alot of people on this sight know exactly what i am talking about. Who knows maby because i know and am not involved i will end up in the mind erasing 3 month halls of madness i hope not tho. But one thing you will learn when you figure this out we are all on leashes. Self choice is the only thing we got but even in that they extract payment.

So in short, no to taking a helicopter tour in Hawaii.

reply to post by Shamrock6


Even then I wouldn't necessarily. There have been some interesting accidents over the years. The fire department losing a helicopter to a jacket during a rescue is one.

It reminds me of a story I just seen on Disappeared about Amber Gerweck and Dissociative Fugue....
Its rare but from what they said on the show --people who have this can still function and take care of themselves..I don't know a lot about it maybe someone here on ATS knows more..

Dissociative fugue

But I must admit the government connections always make me think something is being covered up..

reply to post by Morningglory

Sgt Kim Buffett, of Honolulu Police, said detectives had no reason to pursue the case as it is not against the law to be missing, she said. She said the police case was closed now that Mr Matthews has been found.

No it's not against the law to be missing, but wasting police time most certainly is.

And they used a LOT of resources looking for him, so naturally the police and CG would want a good reason why he didn't come forwards sooner.

The police seem to be sweeping this under the rug, or maybe they have been told to.

Heh, probably not the most tactful idea but given his recent life, it sounded a bit like what happens to Jim Careys character in the movie Me, Myself & Irene ... just that 'Hank' stayed around alot longer.

Its entirely possible, in which case the guy needs sympathy given how much it would take to make someones mind crack like that.

reply to post by chrifive916


Doesn't add up as a viable theory, although works well as a diversion from whatever the truth might actually be.

Think about it...his job was anything but meaningless.

Applicants to a position like his are screened for physical and mental weaknesses that could impact his performance.

A secret security clearance is required.

People like that don't just suddenly become 'distraught' at the boring old hum-drum and futility of a life like that, wander around babbling and then go missing for months, can't be found despite concerted searching by the authorities, only to be discovered in a car park in a state of catatonia.

Doesn't fit, at all.