Matthew Ryan Stewart

Matthew Ryan Stewart was a man deeply rooted in his Mooresville, North Carolina, community. Known as Matt, the 31-year-old male was a devoted husband and a father to three children. He had grown up in Mooresville, graduating from Mooresville High School and later Mitchell Community College. As a registered nurse at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center, he was admired by colleagues for his bright spirit and diligent work ethic. Matt was also a committed member of his church, Riverlife Fellowship, where he volunteered with the youth ministry. Friends and family remember him as a stable, kind man who loved his family above all else.

The peace of the Stewart family’s life was shattered in the early morning hours of June 9, 2009. At about 12:40 a.m., an intruder entered their home in the quiet Gabriel Estates subdivision. The assailant went to the master bedroom and opened fire on Matt and his wife, Angel, as they slept with their one-year-old son beside them. Angel was shot in the wrist but managed to grab their son and escape. Covered in blood, she ran to a neighbor’s house to call 911. The couple’s eleven-year-old daughter was at a friend's house for her first-ever sleepover, while their three-year-old daughter remained inside their home.

According to 911 logs, Mooresville Police officers arrived at the scene at 12:49 a.m., just minutes after the call. However, believing it could be a hostage situation, law enforcement did not enter the house until 2:30 a.m., more than an hour and a half after their arrival. Once inside, they found the couple’s three-year-old daughter unharmed in her bedroom, having apparently slept through the entire ordeal. Police discovered Matt’s body in the master bathroom. He had been brutally attacked, suffering multiple gunshot and stab wounds in what was clearly a desperate fight for his life.

The investigation, led by the Mooresville Police Department with assistance from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, was puzzling from the start. There were no signs of forced entry into the Stewart home, and no valuables were reported stolen. An autopsy later revealed that two different caliber bullets,.40 and.38, were used in the attack, suggesting the possibility of more than one weapon or perpetrator. In the weeks that followed, public speculation grew about a possible link to Patrick Tracy Burris, a serial killer from Gaffney, South Carolina, who had been active in the region. However, after a thorough investigation, police publicly ruled out any connection between Burris and Matt’s murder.

In January 2010, authorities released a composite sketch of a suspect based on Angel's description, hoping it would generate the key tip they needed. Then-Mooresville Police Chief Carl Robbins stressed the importance of keeping the case in the public eye, stating, “We need to keep this case on the forefront of people's minds because someone coming forward with even a minor piece of information could change everything.” Despite this, leads grew cold, and the case faded from the headlines for several years.

Over the years, Matt's family and community have kept his memory alive. A substantial reward was offered by the family, law enforcement, and the governor's office for information leading to an arrest. The case received renewed attention in 2018 with the launch of the podcast "UNFORGOTTEN: The Unsolved Murder of Matt Stewart," which delved into the case details and featured interviews with Matt's friends, family, and neighbors. Another podcast, "Hell and Gone," also featured the case in a March 2026 episode, hoping to generate new leads.

As of March 2026, more than 15 years after the brutal home invasion, Matthew Stewart’s murder remains an open and unsolved investigation. No suspect has ever been publicly identified, and no arrests have been made. The motive for the vicious attack inside a family home remains a mystery. A reward is still available for information that helps solve the case. The Mooresville Police Department continues to ask anyone with information, no matter how minor it may seem, to contact them at (704) 664-3311.