For Sophia Wood, the mystery surrounding her son’s disappearance has become a painful search for answers after his remains were identified inside a chimney at a Queens public school.
Matthew Collado, 29, had been missing since early May. His family reported him missing after he failed to show up for a planned Mother’s Day visit with his mother and stopped responding to calls and messages.
Collado was last seen leaving his apartment in Jamaica, Queens, at about 3:22 a.m. on May 9, according to surveillance footage reviewed during the search. His mother later discovered that his wallet and phone were still at his apartment, adding to the family’s concern.
Wood had expected to see her son the following day at the nursing home where his grandmother lived. When he never arrived, she began looking for him and eventually filed a missing-person report.
The search continued for weeks without an answer.
Then, on June 30, police were called to P.S./I.S. 113 Anthony J. Pranzo in Glendale after a foul odor had been reported inside the school. An exterminator investigating the smell discovered human remains inside the building’s chimney.
At the time, the school was closed for summer construction, and no students or staff were inside when the remains were discovered. The school serves students from prekindergarten through eighth grade.
The remains were initially unidentified. After forensic testing, including dental records and other identifying information, authorities confirmed that they belonged to Collado.
For Wood, the identification brought an end to one part of the search but opened an even more troubling set of questions.
She still does not know how her son ended up inside the school chimney or what happened to him after he left his apartment.
Collado’s death is particularly difficult for his family to understand because Wood says his presence at the school and the circumstances surrounding the chimney do not fit with what she knew about him. She has also said that her son was afraid of heights and disliked fire and smoke.
Collado was also pursuing music under the name A.K. Nash and had shared songs online. His family had continued searching for him while unaware that his remains had already been discovered.
The case remains under investigation. The New York City medical examiner’s office has not determined the cause or manner of Collado’s death, leaving the circumstances surrounding his final hours unresolved.
Authorities have not publicly established how Collado entered the school, how he reached the chimney or whether anyone else was involved in his death.
Wood is now asking for answers about the final movements of her son and hoping anyone with information will come forward.
For a family that spent weeks searching for a missing loved one, the discovery finally confirmed what had happened to Collado. But it has not yet explained why.
The investigation remains active as authorities work to determine how Matthew Collado died and how his remains came to be inside the Queens school.
