Dayton Matlock was a 23-year-old Black man who loved to fish and be outdoors. His mother, Marlene Buss, recalled that one of their favorite fishing spots was a pond in Waterloo, Iowa. At a remembrance event months after his death, she wrote a letter to her son, promising him, "I'm gonna get justice."
In the early morning hours of May 15, 2021, Dayton’s life was cut short by gunfire.
At around 3:30 a.m., Waterloo police responded to reports of a shooting in the 1400 block of Grant Avenue. They found Dayton in an alley, where he had died from a gunshot wound. Two women were also injured in the incident. Bobbi Lee, 39, of Waterloo, and Shanayia Hamer, 30, of Des Moines, both sustained non-life-threatening gunshot injuries.
The Waterloo Police Department began a homicide investigation, interviewing witnesses and developing leads. In June 2021, authorities publicly identified two persons of interest in the case: 23-year-old Shireca Wilson and 25-year-old Marcus Sykes. Police believed the two had fled to the Des Moines area and were hiding together. Several days after being named, Wilson turned herself in to authorities in Iowa City. She was not charged in connection with Dayton’s death.
Sykes remained at large. Investigators determined he was in possession of a firearm around the time of the shooting, and a warrant was issued for his arrest on a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was apprehended in March 2022 and returned to Iowa. While Sykes was a person of interest in the homicide, a federal judge ultimately sentenced him and sent him back to prison on what were described as unrelated gun charges.
As of March 2022, no one has been charged with the murder of Dayton Matlock. His death remains unsolved. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Waterloo Police Department at 319-291-4340.
