The Murder of Matthew Collins
For this case, I watched an episode of Snapped. It’s season 31 episode 21.
A young man is reported missing by his new girlfriend.
Background
Matthew Collins grew up in Williamstown, New Jersey, but moved to Leigh County, Florida, a few years after high school. He worked a variety of jobs, including in constructing and landscaping.
In his early 20s, Matthew became addicted to drugs, and was known to commit home invasions. In 2014, Matthew was arrested for burglary and trafficking stolen property. Matthew was also known to brag about his home invasions if he was able to steal money.
In 2016, he was released from prison after serving about a year 1/2. Matthew wanted to turn his life around. He seemed to focused on finding work, and in 2017, he met a woman named Francesca on Plenty of Fish. Matthew and Francesca moved in together after 4 weeks of dating, and seemed to be talking about their future together.
Matthew Collins
The 911 Call
On October 13, 2017, Francesca called the police. She asked how long she had to wait to report a missing person because she hadn’t seen Matthew since the day before.
A Leigh County Sheriff’s Deputy named Justin McMenamin went to Francesca’s to file the missing persons report. Francesca told him that Matthew had left their house on October 12 at about 3pm. She said he borrowed her car, a maroon Chrysler 200, to get a haircut. Francesca said Matthew had texted her later that day to say he was on his way home, but he never showed up.
A BOLO (be on the lookout) was put out for Francesca’s car. The police also were able to confirm that Matthew’s family and friends hadn’t seen or spoken to him either.
A Crime Scene
On October 18, 2017, Francesca’s car was located in an abandoned area known as Leigh Acres. A woman had reported it after seeing it in the same spot for several days.
On the windshield, the police found a bullet hole covered up by tape. There was also dirt and blood found on the inside. The electronics had been ripped out, and the license plate was missing.
On October 19, the car was towed and sent to the forensics unit. The car was tested for DNA and fingerprints. The forensics unit found blood and drag marks on the back bumper.
The police opened the trunk, and had thought that Matthew was maybe inside. He wasn't, but there was a large amount of blood and dirt. It was clear that something had been in the trunk.
The Theories
The police spoke to Matthew’s father, Mike. He was forthcoming about Matthew’s past, and said that Matthew was known to have a temper.
Mike told the police that in the days before Matthew disappeared, he hadn’t been feeling well. Mike feared that Matthew had turned back to drugs or was suffering from withdrawals.
Mike told the police that he was concerned about Francesca. He said Francesca had called him several times with new concerns and had spoken about Matthew in the past tense. Mike said he didn’t trust her.
Francesca was interviewed on October 19. She again went over her story from the day that she reported Matthew missing. She said Matthew left around 3pm to get a haircut, and texted her about 7pm saying he was coming home.
Francesca worked nights in the medical field, and told Matthew that she was going to take a nap. She said when she woke up, he still wasn’t home. She went to work, and continued trying to reach out to him.
Francesca told the police that a woman named Tiffany had texted her saying Matthew was with her now. She said she received a message from Matthew that said that he was cheating on her. She tried to get him to call her, but the phone went dead.
The police asked Francesca if she still had the text messages, but she said no she deleted them for her sanity. The police were suspicious of her at first, but eventually they confirmed her story after obtaining Matthew’s phone records.
The Phone Records
The police discovered that on the day he disappeared, Matthew had made several calls to a woman named Tiffany. This woman was interviewed, and confirmed that she and Matthew were supposed to meet on October 12. They had met on an online dating site, but had never met in person. She also said she had never sent any messages to Francesca. She was eventually eliminated as a suspect.
The police studied Matthew’s GPS coordinates from October 12. The GPS led them to a gas station in Ft. Myers. The police obtained the surveillance footage, and learned that Matthew was with another man that day. They were seen getting in and out of Francesca’s car.
The police followed Matthew’s GPS again. It was the last location Matthew had been before his phone went dead. The police went to the door, and spoke to the owner. The owner was a woman, who said that her son, Nathan Ortiz, and Nathan’s girlfriend, Aria Armstead lived with her. She said they hadn’t been home in a few days.
The police ran a background check on Nathan, and learned that he matched the description of the man seen at the gas station with Matthew.
The Unlikely Suspects
Nathan, 20, and Aria, 19, had met in 2014. Aria was a former beauty pageant contestant, and had won Ms. Congeniality in Florida.
In 2017, Aria’s relationship with her mother changed because she didn’t want to compete in beauty pageants anymore. Nathan also convinced her that she didn’t need to speak to her mom, and to move in with him.
While the police were at the Ortiz home, one detective noticed that there was a freshly dug area next the house. After obtaining a search warrant, the police discovered that it was just a freshly dug hole filled with dirt.
The police also obtained a warrant for the inside and garage of the home. The police found two shovels and a wheelbarrow. The dirt seemed to match the dirt from the hole and from inside the car.
Nathan and Aria agreed to come to the police station to speak to the police.
Aria’s Story
Aria was interviewed first. She said that she and Natha usually hung out with Matthew. Matthew had shown up randomly at Nathan’s house on October 12.
Aria said they drove around and listened to music. She said everything was good until Matthew pulled out some drugs, and became aggressive. Aria told the police that Matthew had also pulled out a gun.
Aria said she was pregnant, and was in the back seat freaking out. Aria said Matthew had made comments to Nathan about how he was going to take Aria, and was saying “fuck you.” Aria said Nathan was able to smack the gun away from Matthew. Aria said she ended up pulling the trigger, and killed Matthew.
The police spoke to Nathan, who told them the same story. The police knew that they were lying. They had learned from Matthew’s family that he had a medical condition that would’ve affected his right hand.
The Cover Up
The police asked Aria what had happened after Matthew was shot. She said they had decided to dig a grave next to the Ortiz home, but the ground was too hard. They put Matthew’s body in the trunk of the car, and went to an area across the street to bury him.
A few days later, they were looking up ways to get rid of a body, and decided to light Matthew’s body on fire. Aria made a statement that she was pageant girl, and didn’t do things like that.
They ended up putting out the fire, and reburying Matthew’s body again. Aria agreed to show the police where Matthew’s body was. The area was excavated, and human remains were found. The medical examiner was able to determine that Matthew was shot once in the head. The evidence from the car matched Aria’s story that she was the one who had pulled the trigger.
The Convictions
On October 28, 2017, Nathan and Aria were arrested and charged with tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse. Aria was also charged with murder.
The police believed that the motive had more to do with Matthew having access to drugs than about self defense. The police also learned that Aria wasn’t actually pregnant.
Nathan accepted a plea deal if he agreed to testify against Aria. He was sentenced to 42 months in prison and 10 years of probation. He also told the police where the gun was located. They had thrown the gun into a lake, and it was recovered by a dive team.
On August 20, 2018, Aria pled guilty to first degree manslaughter, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse. She was sentenced to 40 years, and will be eligible for parole in 2037. All of her appeals have been denied.
Nathan was released from prison in October 2020.
Aria Armstead and Nathan Ortiz
FINAL THOUGHTS
Matthew was just trying to start his new life, and it was completely taken from him. He met two troubled people, and was in the wrong place at the wrong time that night. I don’t believe Nathan and Aria planned the murder, but maybe decided to do it when they saw that Matthew had drugs. At least once of them is serving almost their whole lives in prison.
Sources
https://www.fox4now.com/news/local-news/missing-person-investigation-ends-in-homicide
https://www.oxygen.com/snapped/crime-news/former-teen-beauty-pageant-queen-aria-armstead-kills-man
