BRATTLEBORO, Vermont (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.
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The investigation into this morning’s discovery of a body in Brattleboro remains in its early stages.
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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***
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — 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.
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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 and Compass Vermont will provide updates as the investigation continues.
