more rural areas of Ecuador or fled the country entirely. However, there is no evidence to suggest that any luggage had been packed or arrangements for travel made through airlines or bus. In the summer of 2015, Matthew made his way from Northeastern Ohio to Ecuador in order to teach abroad, much to the grief of his closest companions and relations. Still, some thought that he was foolhardy, a liar, and most likely a cheat. Though there exists no record of these claims being made verbally, an investigation into his social media accounts revealed that Matthew had recently received messages from people he loved condemning him as irresponsible and dishonest. Whether these messages had any influence on him or not is a mystery, but his journals reveal that he was very troubled by the lack of faith. As part of the search, his journals which span fifteen years are being carefully read for clues which may lead to his discovery.
It is known that Matthew had been in contact with a Norwegian journalist before his disappearance and had been offered the opportunity to sail around South America, a notion that he often spoke about with colleagues. An attempt to find the Norwegian journalist has begun as well as a joint effort with Ecuadorian and Venezuelan authorities to locate the proposed ship, known as Ser y Nada. The owner of the ship, Victor Guerrere, refused to speak to the police, as he was under scrutiny for other unrelated, criminal activity.