Ex-Boyfriend of Missing Woman Dies After Shooting Himself

UPDATE: 6 p.m. Sunday, May 5

 Eden Prairie Police are actively investigating the whereabouts of 24-year-old Mandy Marie Matula, who has been missing since the evening of May 1.

At 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 5, a group of people searching the area around Scenic Heights Road near Eden Prairie Road (County Road 4) discovered several small pieces of paper tissue with what appeared to be blood on the surface. Police have since confirmed the source of the blood and determined it is not related to Mandy’s disappearance.

Police believe the person of interest in this case, David Roe, likely traveled within areas of Stearns County after he was last seen with Mandy. Therefore, areas of Stearns County are being searched by the Stearns County Sheriff’s Department. In addition, items of interest discovered in Carver County have resulted in a search there today, but have not resulted in any significant developments toward locating Mandy.

Over the weekend, Eden Prairie Police have received a tremendous amount of support from the community, and greatly value the leads and tips which continue to pour in.

Anyone with information on Matula’s whereabouts, or who may have seen her with David Roe on the evening of Wednesday, May 1, is asked to call the Eden Prairie Police Department at 952-949-6200.

UPDATE: 1:22 p.m. Sunday, May 5

At 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 5, a group of people searching the area around Scenic Heights Road near Eden Prairie Road (County Road 4) discovered several small pieces of tissue with what appears to be blood on the surface. As a result, Police closed off the area, including the portion of Scenic Heights Road between Red Oak Drive and Village Woods Drive, to investigate further.

This latest finding appears to be unrelated to Mandy Matula’s disappearance; however, Eden Prairie Police have designated the area as a crime scene until further notice.

UPDATE: 7:39 May 4

David Marshall Roe died at 3:04 a.m. Friday at Hennepin County Medical Center, according to a Saturday release from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office. The death has been classified as a suicide. Roe is listed as having shot himself at 1:32 p.m. Thursday.

The City of Eden Prairie announced that the Stearns County Sherriff’s Department searched areas around the Mississippi River in Stearns County in relation to the investigation. However, the announcement states that “there were no other significant developments today.”

Several emergency response agencies have assisted with the search over the past few days, including the Eden Prairie Fire Department and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

UPDATE: 4:58 p.m. May 4

Starting at 4:10 p.m., police closed a portion of Eden Prairie Road (County Road 4) in order to “expand the focus of the area being investigated.” The closed portion of road is between Miller Parkway and Candlewood Parkway, including all Highway 212 ramp access. The city is asking residents in the area to use alternate routes to get home.

Police will notify the public when Eden Prairie Road reopens.

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The man who shot himself at Eden Prairie City Center prior to being questioned about a local woman’s disappearance has died, the City of Eden Prairie announced Saturday.

David Marshall Roe, 24, of Victoria, was identified as a “person of interest” in the disappearance of 24-year-old Mandy Marie Matula, of Eden Prairie. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner says Roe is dead.

Police did not say when Roe died.

Meanwhile, the search continues for Matula. A community search team investigating the area around County Road 4 and Scenic Heights Road found an unfired piece of ammunition Saturday. Police have closed off the area to investigate further.

The closed off area is just across Highway 212 from Miller Park, where Roe and Matula were thought to have been.

Matula was reported missing after she failed to show up to work Thursday. She was last seen around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, with Roe at Matula's family home.

Matula's family told police that Roe and Matula left the house and said they might have been at Miller Park in Eden Prairie at around 1:30 a.m. Thursday. 

Matula and Roe were girlfriend and boyfriend but had broken up recently. Police would not say how long they'd been in a relationship.

Officers have searched Matula's home and Roe's home and have been following up on tips that have come in since Matula was reported missing. They've also searched Miller Park, Mitchell Lake and Round Lake Park.

At this time, police have not organized a large-scale public search but they are recommending that Eden Prairie residents interested in helping should search their own property and neighborhoods, including nearby wooded areas.

Anyone with information on Matula's whereabouts is asked to call 952-949-6200. The city has created a website with the latest information about the investigation at http://www.edenprairie.org/missingperson.

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See also: 

• Man Shoots Himself Prior To Questioning About Missing Woman
• Paper Left Behind After Man Shot Himself May Contain Clues to Woman's Disappearance