Why the "we just want to move on" answer doesn't work!

I don't believe the family and close friends have really exhibited the attitude of "we just want to move on".

When you "just want to move on", you don't make music videos and accompanying interviews describing the murder and allow them to post them on YouTube for promotion... as Angel apparently did.
You don't give interviews with details about the murder and then decide that you've been too forthcoming and try to stop the interview from being made public, and then turn around and post the parts you want to be public on YouTube... as Hannah apparently did.
You don't 'move on' by putting pressure on family members and friends to not discuss the case publicly if your motivation is to let it go.

These, in my opinion, are all examples of trying to control the narrative. It's not about putting it behind you, it's about self-interest. They don't appear to be interested in what would be best for Matt, but in what would be best for them.

On the other side, it's my understanding that Matt's family has had opportunities in the past to have major media look into the case, but have declined. Matt's parents have been remarkably silent on the case. His sister seems more concerned with what the rest of the family might think about her interview than with how her information might help push someone to come forward.

You'll even find 'friends' of Matt on Facebook who will actively lobby others to not discuss the case... not on Facebook, not on the podcast, not even in line at the store with friends. This is outrageous to me. The silence and secrecy surrounding this case has not done it any favors in nine years other than to make it less inconvenient for the people who would typically be at the forefront of wanting justice. They have created a culture, apparently on purpose, that hides information rather than seeks the truth.

I can only wonder... if it were one of them that had been brutally murdered instead of Matt... what would Matt have done?
Do you think Matt would have moved on?

Great points Steve and Batman !


Throughout the course of my work on the podcast, various people have confirmed that, at a certain point in time, the America's Most Wanted TV Program was actively pursuing filming a segment about Matt's unsolved murder. Several of these sources claimed that what ultimately killed the project was the immediate family's refusal to participate. This correlated with other accounts I had heard from reporters like Jonathan Weaver, formerly of the Statesville Record and Landmark, who recalled getting significant push back from the family when attempting to do a story about the murder.



However, there is no evidence that the family wishes to simply "move on" and not talk about it. To the contrary, both the family and church community have consistently shown an abundant willingness to speak about the murder publicly, but solely within the context of their personal experiences coming through the tragedy. (As you can see from these videos Angel's story and Hannah's video)

The push back only comes when someone starts asking questions about who could have killed Matt, for what reason, or the specifics of how the event transpired.

Maybe this is a motive for his murder. If Matt wasn’t the type of person to let things just lie, then he maybe was silenced because of that. All speculation but it’s an interesting theory.

I think Freddie posted links to both videos in his post that is a few above yours... but if they don't work you can find the one from Angel in the media section on this forum.

Having grown up in and among the evangelical Christian culture, it is not surprising at all to me, the closing of ranks around those closest to this tragedy. Especially in more charismatic Christian environments there tends to be an attitude of 'we're special, God has special plans for us, we don't have to follow or cooperate with what the 'world' thinks or does, we only have to follow where the Spirit leads and what the pastor says and what the Bible says.' I'm not saying this to be hurtful or judgmental, but as another perspective in regard to the behavior surrounding this incident from those closest. I credit my more charismatic experiences with much of the really cool ways that I relate with Christ and the Holy Spirit. But I've moved on from being deeply involved with any church and I've come to see some of the ways in which this veneer can breed unhealthy stuff, from secrets and lies to just plain old denial. The interviews with the people from the church who didn't think searching for justice for Matt should be a priority, and that there is eternal justice and 'I've given it to the Lord' were not at all surprising to me - nor was it surprising that when Freddie asked, 'do you ever think that it could be important to catch the killer/s for the safety of other people - after all, there is a killer running loose?' the answer from two of them was 'oh, I never really thought about that.'. I just rolled my eyes. You can look at it as a sinister plot to aid and abet killer/s that are part of the church community (definitely possible), or see it as a sad by-product of this kind of mind set that can sometimes disconnect people from the bigger picture. There is definitely some hinky stuff in this story, I just don't know if the way that some of the family has seemed to 'leave it behind'and not pursued justice is suspicious or just a faith-based coping mechanism.