Matthew's mother met a woman in 1983 who called herself Kathy Johnson. She was a worker at a rodeo that had stopped in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Matthew's mother needed help with child care, so she asked Johnson to stay in her Van Buren, Arkansas home for a week to watch her three children. There was a party at Matthew's home on the night of June 9, 1983, and alcohol was served. When Matthew's mother woke up in the morning, he and Johnson were both gone and the family car, a 1973 Chevrolet Vega, was also missing. Three other children were left at the trailer, including Matthew's one-year-old sister, who shared a crib with him. The stolen Chevrolet was found abandoned at a rest stop near Sallisaw, Oklahoma the next day. Neither Matthew nor his abductor has ever been seen again. When he was last seen, Matthew had a concave chest.