On a Saturday morning, June 11, 2022, in Coos Bay, Oregon, the life of 34-year-old Amber Townsend, a Caucasian female, was tragically cut short. At approximately 8:33 AM, authorities received two 911 calls about a woman down alongside Cape Arago Highway. Responding medical and law enforcement personnel discovered Townsend by the roadside, having sustained multiple shotgun wounds. She was quickly transported to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced deceased.
Investigators determined that Townsend had been walking alone toward Charleston when she was shot.
The Coos County Sheriff's Office took the lead in the investigation into Townsend's murder. Evidence at the scene, including shotgun shell wadding found in and near her clothing, confirmed the weapon used. However, the spent shotgun shells themselves were missing, leading investigators to theorize the shots were fired from a vehicle. Surveillance footage from various locations showed Townsend walking by herself shortly before the incident.
A significant breakthrough came on June 14, 2022, when investigators reviewing video from a local business spotted a blue SUV near the scene around the time of the shooting. The video showed the SUV traveling in the opposite direction of Townsend before pulling over. The driver appeared to look in the rearview mirror, then made a U-turn, heading in the same direction as Townsend. Minutes later, the same vehicle was seen speeding away from the area. With a license plate number obtained from the footage, detectives tracked down the registered owner, who had recently sold the SUV for cash to Matthew Tyler Michel.
With Michel identified as the primary suspect, law enforcement began searching for him and the vehicle. Investigators also learned that Michel was on probation. They located him at the Global Inn in Coos Bay. Knowing he had a probation violation, officers planned to take him into custody. Upon confronting Michel at his motel room door, the situation escalated. Michel, who was unarmed when he answered the door, retreated into the room and moved toward a bed where a gun case and a knife were located. He then picked up the knife and advanced toward an officer. Two officers fired their weapons, striking Michel, who later died from his injuries. A search of his motel room and the SUV did not uncover a shotgun, but a new 12-gauge shotgun cleaning kit was found. Housekeeping staff also reported seeing shotgun ammunition in one of the rooms Michel had rented. No other suspects were identified in connection with Amber Townsend's murder.
