In the quiet community of Surprise, Arizona, a heart-wrenching scene unfolded in May of 2024, forever altering the lives of a local family. Six-year-old Lydia Mater, a young girl, became the victim of a devastating act of violence that also claimed the life of her seven-year-old brother, Alex. The tranquility of their neighborhood was shattered by what authorities would later describe as an apparent murder-suicide.
The series of events leading to the tragic discovery began when the
children's mother grew concerned. Her children were visiting their father, 34-year-old Brock Mater, from whom she was estranged and in the process of a divorce. When the school reported that Lydia and Alex were absent, and she was unable to reach their father, a sense of unease prompted her to request a welfare check at his home.
Responding to the call, officers from the Surprise Police Department arrived at the residence. After receiving no response at the door, they made a forced entry into the home. Inside, they found a grim and sorrowful scene. Lydia, her brother Alex, and their father, Brock, were all deceased. All three had sustained fatal gunshot wounds.
Investigations into the incident pointed towards Brock Mater as the perpetrator of the children's deaths before taking his own life. A rifle was discovered across his lap at the scene. Neighbors later recalled hearing loud noises that they had initially dismissed as fireworks on the evening before the bodies were discovered. The investigation by the Surprise Police Department and a subsequent report from the Arizona Department of Child Safety confirmed that Brock Mater inflicted the injuries on his children before his self-inflicted gunshot wound. The case was closed with the determination that no other suspects were involved.
