Bethlehem man Matthew Thompson believed dead after remains found near Mount Pocono

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Human remains discovered near the Mount Pocono Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facility on March 8 are believed to be those of Matthew Thompson, a 43-year-old Bethlehem man who had been missing since Feb. 13, the Bethlehem Police Department announced Monday.

An autopsy is scheduled for March 10. Preliminary observations did not reveal any clear signs of foul play, police said.

Thompson had traveled to the Tobyhanna area that morning to complete paperwork for a new home, according to his wife, Joselyn Burgos, who was the first to sound the alarm publicly about her husband’s disappearance. He stopped communicating by phone that afternoon.

His vehicle was later towed from a private roadway. That same evening, Thompson attempted to request an Uber ride near the unit block of Fork Street in Mount Pocono — but left before the driver arrived. Surveillance footage from that location represents the last confirmed sighting of him, police said.

Burgos reported Thompson missing on Feb. 15, telling investigators he had last been seen around 9 a.m. on Feb. 13. She had described him as a disabled Navy veteran living with PTSD and bipolar disorder, and appealed to the public to focus on finding him alive.

“He wasn’t involved in anything weird,” Burgos said at the time. “It’s just a disabled veteran who has a mental illness, probably is missing, is disoriented, or is probably injured.”

Police addressed inaccuracies that spread online during the search, including an earlier report from this publication based solely on the family’s account, which did not include police comment.

Police said that within hours of the initial missing person report, investigators checked hospitals, correctional facilities and surrounding law enforcement agencies and entered Thompson into national law enforcement databases. License plate reader data was also reviewed.

Investigators said they believed early in the case that Thompson may have already been deceased before the missing person report was filed, and that the recovery of his remains may shed light on what occurred during the late evening hours of Feb. 13 and into the early morning of Feb. 14.

The Bethlehem Police Investigations Unit was assisted by the Pocono Township Police Department, Pocono Regional Police Department, Pennsylvania State Police and regional search and rescue teams.

Police Chief Michelle L. Kott extended condolences to Thompson’s family and asked the public to respect their privacy.

Burgos did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday morning.

Additional information will be released as it becomes available, police said.