Missing Harvard woman Mary Anderson found dead in Vermont; Ex-boyfriend killed by police
BRATTLEBORO, Vermont – The body of missing Harvard woman Mary Anderson was found in Brattleboro, Vermont Tuesday afternoon. An ex-boyfriend wanted in connection with Anderson's death was shot and killed by police in West Brattleboro Tuesday night.
According to Vermont State Police, Anderson's body was found inside her truck on Elliot Street in Brattleboro early Tuesday. The truck matched the description of what Massachusetts State Police had been searching for in connection with Anderson's disappearance. An autopsy will confirm her identity and cause of death Wednesday morning.
Police announced earlier in the day they were searching for Matthew Davis, 34, of Fitchburg, as a person of interest in the investigation. He was an ex-boyfriend of Anderson.
Major Dan Trudeau of the Vermont State Police said Davis should be considered dangerous. "I'm not saying that he's a suspect, but he is important to us, that if the public were to see him walking around, I would not approach him," Trudeau said.
Davis was spotted walking in West Brattleboro Tuesday night by members of the Vermont State Police and Brattleboro Police.
"During an attempt to speak with the man at about 7:45 p.m., he was shot by police and has been pronounced deceased," Vermont Police said.
Also on Tuesday, Massachusetts State Police and investigators from the Worcester County District Attorney's office launched a search on Still River Road in Harvard, according to Harvard Police. The D.A.'s office told WBZ-TV the search was related to the Anderson case.
Anderson was last seen in Hudson, New Hampshire on Saturday around 10:30 p.m.
"That's the sad part for me as a mom, to know that whatever she experienced these last four days -- just heart wrenching, she was alone. She wasn't with her mom and her siblings. I think that's the devastating part of knowing what she was going through the last four days," said Sheila Anderson, Mary's mother. "She was a beautiful daughter."
"I just know that Matt had anger issues," she added.
Sheila found what she believed was Davis' backpack in her Harvard yard on Sunday, prompting the search by police.
Friends and family told WBZ-TV on Monday that they feared she was in danger and was worried she was with an ex-boyfriend. They said there were strange social media posts on fake accounts under Mary's name last week.
"She had some weird stuff going on with her Snapchat and Instagram accounts that I know was not her posting directly," Mary's friend Abagail Pettinato said.
