Family refuses to give up search for son
By Juniper Rose, Sacramento Bee
The missing-person fliers for Vernon “Cody” Matthews hang at trailheads, campgrounds and businesses from Placerville to Tahoe.
It has been six weeks since the 23-year-old UC Berkeley senior disappeared after telling his parents he was going for a day hike. Matthews’ family members say they’re not giving up the search and will add to the 600 fliers that already have been posted throughout El Dorado County and along the Highway 50 corridor.
“Because there is no evidence that he is dead, we are choosing to believe that he is still alive,” said Matthews’ father, Vern Matthews.
Vern and and his wife, Cyndi Matthews, lived in Southern California before their son’s disappearance from the family cabin in rural El Dorado County. Cyndi Matthews has since taken early retirement, and the couple have moved to the cabin so they can search full time.