The body of a missing 19-year-old gay student from New York was discovered last week lying on freight train tracks in Brooklyn. DeAndre Matthews, also known as Dre, was found on Nostrand Avenue near SUNY Broome Community College where he was a student. Matthews’ body had a gunshot wound to the head, burn marks throughout his body and suffered from smoke inhalation prior to his death. His family is left distraught and is demanding answers.
DeAndre’s mother, Danielle Matthews told WCBS-TV, “Now, as a mother, I’m suffering. My daughter don’t have a big brother. My sister don’t have a nephew, my mother don’t have a grandson.” His sister Dajanae Gillespie told WNBC that DeAndre was gay and wondered if the murder might have been a hate crime.
According to family and police, Matthews left work at the Buggy Service Center in Crowne Heights last Monday, February 6, around 5 p.m. He stopped by his mother’s residence to borrow her Jeep, and nobody saw him after that. When he didn’t respond to her attempts to reach him, Matthews was able to track the location of the burned-out Jeep. Police were able to locate his body a short time later. Matthews studied criminal justice at SUNY Broome Community College. His friends remembered a warm and trusting person, and at least one friend speculated if Matthews might have been too trusting of others.