10/28/2025
PLEASE SHARE: Mysterious Death of MATHEW MCGRATH - Carleton Place
On a cold January night in 2024, 52-year-old Mathew McGrath stepped out of his apartment in Carleton Place and vanished into the darkness. He left behind his phone, his dog Moe — his loyal companion he rarely went anywhere without — and no clear explanation of where he was going.
When police finally entered the apartment, they found Moe alone, the place undisturbed — as if Matt had simply walked out and never come back.
For months, his family searched desperately for answers. Posters went up across Lanark County, the Mississippi River was combed by volunteers and police, and friends clung to hope that Mathew would somehow return home.
Then, on May 12, 2024, that hope turned to heartbreak. A body was found in the Mississippi River near Carleton Place. X-rays of the spinal structure confirmed what everyone feared: it was Mathew.
The Ontario Provincial Police quickly ruled out foul play, Mathew did not have an underlying mental illness, there were no signs of violence. But the coroner’s report listed his death as undetermined, leaving more questions than answers.
Why did Mathew leave home that night without his essentials? How did he end up in the river? Bank records indicated that he withdrew $4,500 in cash the last day he was seen, and he was found with $4000 still in his pocket — something his sister, Melissa Rainville, says made no sense if he’d intended to harm himself?
Mathew’s final months only deepened the mystery. After returning from a trip to the Dominican Republic in late 2023, he seemed shaken. He’d told people he’d been robbed, yet the resort said his belongings were still in his room. He came home with little more than the clothes on his back and spoke to no one about what had really happened.
When he went missing weeks later, friends described him as quiet but not despondent. He was on medical leave from his job at the Waterfront Gastropub due to a back injury, but there were no signs he planned to disappear.
After his remains were found, the OPP closed the case, citing no evidence of a crime. But for Melissa and others close to him, that conclusion doesn’t sit right. They’ve launched petitions, called for a deeper investigation, and continued to search for the missing pieces in Mathew’s story.
As of today, his death remains one of Lanark County’s most haunting unsolved mysteries — a man who vanished without explanation, only to be found months later in the same river that winds through his quiet hometown.
Mathew’s sister Melissa Rainville manages a page in honour of her brother Bring Mathew Home which you can follow for current updates on the story.
If you have any information about the disappearance or death of Mathew McGrath, please contact the Lanark County OPP Detachment at 1-888-310-1122.You can also provide information anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at ontariocrimestoppers.ca.
Even the smallest detail could help bring answers to Mathew’s family.
