Still missing

Above is Rice student Matthew Wilson's current Facebook photo. Matthew is still missing. He was last seen by his roommate, junior Elliot Harwell, at noon on Saturday, December 15, at their apartment on Dryden Rd. Rice University and Matthew's mother, Cathy Wilson, are offering a $20,000 reward for information. I don't know Matthew personally, but ever since I received the text message sent through the Rice University Emergency Notification System in December, I have been following the story. I was surprised to see it had even made it in The New York Times. I don't know much, but I just don't understand how, in this day in age, a person, or a car, cannot be found.

There are a couple of things I continue to ask myself. What was the cause of Matthew's father's death, in Houston, when Matthew was two years old? Matthew's father's death is mentioned here and there, but there hasn't been an explanation. And why does Matthew's Facebook page say, "non sum qualis eram?" I believe it translates to "I am not what I once was," and is in the title of the poem "Non sum qualis eram bonae sub regno Cynarae" by Ernest Dowson.

You can read a report on Matthew in The Rice Thresher. Below are details from the blog, Help Us Find Matthew Wilson!:

Hair color: red, full beard
Eye color: green, wears glasses normally
Height: 5' 7"
Weight: 135 lbs
Race: Caucasian
Car: silver 2004 four-door Dodge Neon with Oklahoma license plate 863 MCZ

Anyone with information about his whereabouts should call the Rice University Police Department at 713-348-6000.

$20,000 reward total -- Rice University and the family are both offering $10,000 for information related to Matt's return.