Matthew Eugene Marshall Jr., a 29-year-old American Indian / Alaska Native man, was reported missing from Hot Springs, South Dakota, after last being seen in the area of Huntington Alley and Idaho Falls Alley. Case information from NamUs listed his last contact as July 23, 2024, and noted that he may possibly have been in the Rapid City area. He was described as having black hair, brown eyes, standing about 5 feet 9 inches tall, and weighing about 150 pounds.
When last seen, he was reportedly wearing a black tank top.
Matthew’s identifying features included several distinctive tattoos, which would have been important for recognition during the search. NamUs listed a black-ink cursive tattoo reading “Death Before Dishonor” on his left forearm, a black-ink letter “M” behind his right ear, a black-ink tattoo on his right forearm with letters, symbols, and possibly numbers, a candle tattoo on his lower torso, symbols on the right side of his chest, and an umbrella tattoo on the top of his right hand or wrist. The Hot Springs Police Department was listed as the investigating agency, with the case reported to law enforcement in early August 2024.
Public reporting said Matthew had been last seen in Hot Springs in late July 2024 and that his family reported him missing on August 4, 2024. Missing People in America reported that he had reportedly told several friends he was going to walk from Hot Springs toward Rapid City, though witnesses later saw him heading back into town that evening. After that, family and friends had not heard from him, prompting concern and search efforts.
Search efforts continued for months and involved local, state, federal, and volunteer agencies. The South Dakota Attorney General’s Office reported that multiple searches were conducted over roughly ten months by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Attorney General’s Murdered and Missing Indigenous Persons Program, the Hot Springs Police Department, the Fall River County Sheriff’s Office, Custer County Search and Rescue, and the BIA Missing Murdered Unit, with assistance from groups including the South Dakota Wing Civil Air Patrol, Oglala Lakota County Emergency Management, Mako Sica K9 Search and Rescue, and Medicine Wheel Riders.
In June 2025, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced that a search in Fall River County had led to the discovery of human remains believed to be Matthew’s. The Attorney General’s Office said the remains were found on May 29, 2025, by Custer County Search and Rescue, and that personal belongings found in the area indicated the remains were likely Matthew’s. At that time, officials said positive identification was still pending, and the death investigation was ongoing but did not appear to involve foul play.
NamUs case data now lists Matthew’s case resolution status as deceased, meaning this is no longer an active missing-person case and that he was regrettably located deceased. The publicly available reporting described the discovery as bringing long-awaited answers after nearly a year of searching, while still reflecting the profound loss felt by those who loved him and searched for him.Last Seen: Jul 23, 2024
