Body of man missing since 2023 found buried in Rio Linda, girlfriend arrested
RIO LINDA — A Rio Linda man who was missing since 2023 has been found dead and his former girlfriend was arrested for homicide, authorities said Monday.
Matthew Clark, 47, was found buried in a shallow grave on a property on U Street in Rio Linda, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said.
Clark's body was mummified when law enforcement officials found it. An autopsy confirmed him as the deceased.
Sofia Fermin, 38, who was in a relationship with Clark and lived with him at the time he went missing, was arrested after a forensic pathologist identified five gunshot wounds on Clark's body, the sheriff's office said.
In January 2024, Fermin's brother called the sheriff's office to report that Clark had been missing after engaging in an argument with Fermin in December 2023. Fermin's brother told law enforcement that he believed his sister was involved in Clark's disappearance after she had recently sold Clark's pickup truck and other property belonging to him.
Missing persons detectives located the truck in San Joaquin County in June 2024. The sheriff's office said that after recovering it and processing it, detectives discovered fingerprints belonging to 42-year-old Jeffry Mulford.
Sometime after, the sheriff's office said detectives spoke to Mulford, who was jailed for an unrelated incident and told them that she believed Clark was likely in a rehabilitation center somewhere in California.
Homicide detectives took over the investigation in September 2024 and came to the belief that the December 2023 argument resulted in Fermin shooting Clark.
While Fermin is in custody, an arrest warrant was also issued for Mulford who is accused of being an accessory after the fact in Clark's killing, the sheriff's office said. Mulford is believed to be out of state.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office.
Fermin faces a murder charge and is being held in the Sacramento County Main Jail. She is ineligible for bail and is expected to appear in court on March 27.
