Ep 6. Favorite Son

The episode titled "Favorite Son" from Disappeared's inaugural season follows the mysterious disappearance of 28-year-old Matthew Chase. Matt was the youngest of six siblings and a devoted father to his young son. Living in a small town in Arkansas, Matt had a close relationship with his family, especially his mother who he talked to daily.

On the night of July 7, 2002, Matt was on his way home from a friend's house when he called his mother to let her know he was on his way. He was driving his red Chevy pickup truck and was only a few miles away from home. However, Matt never made it home that night, and his family knew something was wrong when he didn't show up for work the next day. His mother became increasingly worried when Matt didn't answer her phone calls and decided to file a missing person's report with the local police department.

The police started their investigation by searching for Matt's truck and found it nearly two weeks later abandoned on the side of the road about 40 miles from his home. His truck's doors were locked, and his wallet and keys were still inside. There were no signs of a struggle or foul play at the scene. A police search party scoured the area surrounding the truck, but they found no clues to Matt's whereabouts.

As days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, the Chase family began to lose hope of finding their beloved Matt alive. However, they remained determined to search for answers and organized their own search parties across the state of Arkansas. Despite their efforts, they still had no leads on what happened to Matt.

The police investigation continued as well, and they interviewed Matt's family and friends, including his ex-wife and the mother of his son, who was now in a new relationship. However, the interviews didn't turn up any new leads on Matt's disappearance.

Matt's family started to believe that his disappearance might be connected to his recent relationship with a woman he had been dating for several months. The woman was going through a contentious custody battle with her ex-husband, and Matt had been supportive of her through the process. However, the woman told investigators that she had no information on Matt's whereabouts.

The case took a turn when a man named John Glasgow confessed to killing Matt in a fit of rage. Glasgow was angry that Matt had started dating his ex-girlfriend and believed that Matt was interfering with his relationship with his children. Glasgow was facing the death penalty at the time for the murder of another man and hoped that by confessing to Matt's murder, he could avoid execution.

However, Glasgow's confession was later determined to be false, and he was found guilty of the other murder and sentenced to death. Matt's family was devastated that they still had no answers about their son's disappearance.

The case remained cold until 2013 when authorities received a tip that led them to search a property that Glasgow had lived on at the time of Matt's disappearance. The search revealed no evidence related to Matt, but authorities did find a gun on the property that was later matched to another unsolved murder in the area. Glasgow was charged with that murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Matt's disappearance remains a mystery to this day, and his family continues to search for answers. They hope that someone will come forward with information that can lead to the resolution of their beloved Matt's case.