Police: Woman found dead in Brattleboro died of gunshot wound to head

Jul. 22—BRATTLEBORO — Police say they located the cellphone of the missing Massachusetts woman found dead in town Tuesday morning near where they shot and killed a "person of interest" in her death that night.

An autopsy determined Mary Anderson, 23, of Harvard, died of a gunshot wound to her head, Vermont State Police said in a news release Thursday evening. On completing her autopsy that day, the Chief Medical Examiner's Office in Burlington determined she died by homicide, the release states.

That office also conducted the autopsy of Matthew Davis, 34, of Fitchburg, Mass., who officers shot and killed Tuesday night after a short foot pursuit in West Brattleboro, according to police.

Vermont State Police have described Davis — who police say drew a knife and lunged at officers who had been seeking him for questioning — as a person of interest in Anderson's disappearance and death. The agency has stopped short of calling him a suspect.

On Tuesday afternoon, State Police identified him as Anderson's ex-boyfriend and asked for the public's help to locate him. Anderson had been found dead in her truck on Elliot Street in Brattleboro early that morning, after her family reported her missing over the weekend.

Police are continuing to investigate when and where Anderson was killed and whether she was abducted, Thursday's news release states.

Her cellphone was among the evidence investigators located in the area near where Davis ran from police, according to the release. The shooting occurred around 7:45 p.m. in a wooded area between Bonnyvale Road and South Street, and Davis was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. He died of gunshot wounds to the torso, the release states, without specifying how many times he'd been shot.

The two Vermont State Police troopers and one Brattleboro officer who fired their department-issued firearms during the incident have been placed on paid administrative leave, per protocol. Vermont State Police identified them Wednesday as Detective Sgt. Jesse Robson and Detective Sgt. Samuel Truex and Brattleboro Patrol Officer Ryder Carbone.

A Vermont State Police spokesman said detectives are reviewing body-camera video as part of the investigation into the shooting by police. He did not answer an emailed question from The Sentinel about how many shots police fired.

That spokesman also confirmed Davis had a prior criminal conviction. In 2010, a judge in Berkshire County, Mass., sentenced Davis to four to nine years behind bars for hiding in the closet of another ex-girlfriend and stabbing her boyfriend, according to The Berkshire Eagle. He pleaded guilty in that case to charges including armed assault with intent to kill.

After asking for the public's help to locate Davis Tuesday afternoon, Maj. Dan Trudeau, commander of the Vermont State Police's Criminal Division, warned he could be dangerous.

"At this point I would consider him dangerous," Trudeau said at a news conference outside the Brattleboro police station, hours before Davis was shot. "I'm not saying he's a suspect but he is of importance to us."

Investigators are continuing to work to determine what, if any, connection Davis or Anderson might have had to Brattleboro, State Police said Wednesday night. As of Thursday evening, police had yet to announce that connection.

Anderson had last been seen in Hudson, N.H., at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, according to police. Police have asked anyone who might have seen her, Davis or Anderson's truck between Saturday night and early Tuesday morning to come forward. The vehicle is a blue 2017 Toyota Tacoma with Massachusetts license plate PC 8DXW20.

Anderson's mother, Sheila, told NBC 10 that Davis and her daughter went through a difficult breakup in November, and that Davis had anger issues. Speaking to Boston-area media outside her home on Wednesday, she said the loss of her daughter is the second death for the family within a year.

"[It's] devastating news," she said. "Eleven months ago I lost my son to another tragedy, and my two children and I are trying to cope with this."

Natalia Dutkewych, a family friend who started a GoFundMe page Tuesday as a memorial fund honoring Mary Anderson, described her as "very down to earth and one of the most kind girls ever."

The campaign had raised more than $18,000 toward a $20,000 goal as of Thursday evening.

Back in Brattleboro, Interim Town Manager Patrick Moreland issued a news release Thursday afternoon about the recent events in town.

"Our community has been witness to a slowly unfolding tragedy," Moreland said. "While we are all still stunned by what has happened, the Town of Brattleboro wants to acknowledge this heartbreaking moment on behalf of its community."

He called for patience as police continue to investigate Anderson's and Davis' deaths.

"As we wait together, let us take a moment and remember the families of those that have been lost. Our hearts go out to them."

Ryan Spencer can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1412, or rspencer@keenesentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @rspencerKS