The Unsolved Case of 13 Y/O Matthew Margolies

When 13-year-old Matthew Margolies failed to show up for dinner on the night of August 31, 1984, authorities in Greenwich, Connecticut, began a massive search in the Pemberwick woods and the Byram River for the young boy.

Despite numerous suspects and abundant evidence over the last 40 years, police have failed to make an arrest in this senseless crime that tossed the otherwise idyllic New England town into a state of chaos.

Matthew was found dead five days after he went missing on a hillside near his home. It’s a murder case that has haunted his community and baffled investigators.

If you were ever out in the Pemberwick neighborhood of Greenwich, Connecticut, on a warm summer day back in the 1980s, you were bound to see Matthew Margolies. He was a regular at the Byram River with a fishing pole in hand. He could also be seen riding his bike to his grandparents' home or standing outside the local deli.

Matthew was a skilled angler, even as a young teen, and he learned much of what he knew about fishing from his grandfather, George. By all accounts, grandfather George was Matthew’s best friend. They fished on the Byram together not far from their homes, and George taught his grandson everything he could about the outdoors and survival in the wilderness.

When Matthew’s parents divorced in late 1983 and his father moved away, Matthew became even closer to his grandparents. He lived with his mother and sister only a few blocks away from his grandparents, but Matthew often preferred to spend the night at their house instead. The more time with George, the better, and it made for an earlier start to the next day’s outdoor adventures together.

And the outdoor adventures continued – identifying edible berries, scouting the best trout fishing spots, learning how to walk quietly on the fallen sticks and leaves in the woods – it was all part of the special time George and Matthew shared together until the summer of 1984 when George was diagnosed with cancer. It was fast moving, and George grew weak and tired as the disease took a toll on his body. Their days of fishing together were far and few between until George was eventually confined to his home…but Matthew didn’t abandon his best friend. He was there at George’s side, keeping him company and making sure he took his medication while his grandmother Stella was at work.

That was the kind of kid Matthew Margolies was. In an interview with The Daily Advocate, Matthew’s mother Maryann said he was a very giving child, not only to his family, but to anyone in need. She said that if Matthew saw another kid struggling to catch a fish, he’d share his. She described her son as charismatic, gentle, trustworthy, and said he had a natural sense of humor, too.

In August 1984, George tragically lost his cancer battle and the death of his best friend devastated Matthew. But still, there Matthew was on the Byram River, casting his line into the water and searching for a bite just like his late grandfather had taught him. For a young boy who had been through the ringer in the last year – between the divorce of his parents and the decline and death of his grandfather – fishing was his happy place.

While other kids were leaving for Labor Day weekend trips with their families, Matthew planned to spend one of the last late summer afternoons as he did every day. He slept over at his grandmother Stella’s house on Thursday, August 30 and early the next morning, he was out the door and on his bike, heading off to his favorite perch on the river with his trusty fishing rod in tow.

What happened to him?

On August 31, 1984, Matthew dropped by the Spartan Deli to prepare for his fishing day. He bought a carton of milk and a pastry, then headed to a nearby bridge. About 30 minutes later, a woman asked Matthew how the fish were biting, and he responded by showing his string of fish and saying he was catching a lot.

According to the Greenwich Time newspaper, Matthew then changed locations on the river and went along the east side of the river to Pemberwick Road. At approximately 11:30 a.m., Matthew headed back to his grandmother's house.

Stella arrived home around noon. Matthew was not there, but his wet corduroy pants were hanging on a chair, and his trout were in the sink. She left a note for him when she left to run errands that read: "Get rid of the fish in the sink."

Reports say Matthew had been seen all around Pemberwick. He had been seen walking down Morgan Avenue and at Sparta Deli later. The deli was a hangout for neighborhood teens. There was a group of older teens called "The Valley Boys" who had a reputation for malicious crimes and drugs. According to friends, Matthew began hanging around the group after his grandfather died.

At 5 p.m., Matthew's mother, Mary Ann, pulled into the driveway of her mother Stella's house. The house was empty. Stella had taken Matthew's sister Stacy to an appointment, so she waited there, thinking Matthew may have gone along.

When Stella returned home, Matthew was not with her. They waited for Matthew to come home for the next couple of hours. Matthew was a good kid, and normally, his mother didn't worry about him being a little late. However, as the hours passed, Mary Ann could not help but feel like something was terribly wrong.

Mary Ann called the police to make a missing persons report. It didn't take long, and police were scouring the banks of the Byram River for a little boy they had seen fishing so many times before.

The Search

Maybe there’d been an accident. Maybe Matthew was somehow swept up into the river or fell into a pond or injured himself. Or maybe Matthew, weighed down by grief, had taken to the woods for some alone time where he and his grandfather George had shared so many wonderful memories. Never during those first hours of searching did anyone let their mind wander to anything sinister.

Confident that Matthew was either near or in the river, the search efforts focused there and continued into the night. But darkness made the search treacherous, especially on the rocky terrain and steep hillsides, so they called it a night until a more organized effort could proceed in the light of day.

By 11 a.m. on the next morning, state police tracking dogs were assisting in the search for Matthew, working off a scent from the pants he left on a chair at his grandmother’s house. The case file shows that on September 1st, 1984, the dogs traced the scent all the way to the waterfall below a dam on the river, but the trail stopped there. Divers took to the waters below the dam looking for any sign that Matthew had been in the river.

Based on a tip from Matthew’s friends, investigators also searched an abandoned house on an old farm as well as his grandfather’s gravesite at St. Mary’s Cemetery. They even checked in with Matthew’s father in Texas, but the boy wasn’t anywhere. The first full day of searching came to an agonizing close for Matthew’s mother, and the subsequent searches over the weekend would bring more of the same for the Margolies family – no Matthew and no clue as to where he might have gone.

On his missing poster, Matthew was described as 4 feet 8 inches tall, 100 pounds with brown eyes and short brown hair. He was last seen wearing white cut-off shorts, a white t-shirt, and distinctive black and white checkered sneakers. As these posters with his photo and that description were distributed throughout the community, Maryann spoke to her son through the newspaper. She says to the Hartford Courant, quote, “I want him to come home, and I love him, and want him to know he’s not in any kind of trouble.”

Matthew’s mother seemed to consider the possibility that something terrible had happened to her son. Despite there being no evidence that he’d been abducted, Maryann asked publicly that whoever had her son to not hurt him, and to help him find his way home.

Just four days into the search, the effort began to taper off. Greenwich Police officer Michael Panza told the Hartford Courant that they’d exhausted every lead and had searched every place by air, land, and sea that Matthew could possibly be. Until they had a piece of clothing, a credible sighting, or a solid lead to follow, the extensive organized search would come to a close.

On the fifth day of the search, a United Press International article in the Hartford Courant stated that police didn’t have any reason to believe that Matthew Margolies was missing under suspicious circumstances. But the very same day that article ran, the once-dismissed possibility of foul play became an undeniable reality.

Who did it?

Later, authorities found a 10.5" knife in the area where the body was found and believed it was the murder weapon. However, the fishing pole Matthew had with him has never been located.

The FBI conducted a psychological profile in October 1984 of the potential suspect. They said the killer may have been a local white male acquaintance who was knowledgeable of Matthew's love for fishing and the outdoors. Authorities do not believe it was a person from outside Greenwich or anybody who did not know the child.

In October 2000, the New London newspaper reported on information that the suspect in the killing of Matthew may have been under the influence of drugs and taken multiple doses of mescaline that day.

Despite hundreds of leads over the years, the police are no closer to solving this case. In fact, the police have been accused of botching the investigation. Matthew's mother remains concerned that a killer is walking free.

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