News Report From: News Channel 36
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A Matthews man working with a college ministry group in Washington, D.C. is missing and is the subject of a widening manhunt.
Matthew Hill, 26, was last seen around 10:30 Tuesday morning in the Chinatown area of D.C. He'd dropped a student off there, after working with him on a ministry project, and colleagues believe he planned to head back to Capitol Hill Baptist Church where his organization works. The student he worked with said Hill seemed just fine when he left him.
Friends and family tell police that it would be very out of character for Matt to take off without notice. Police say his cell phone is shut off.
"I've tried not to let my mind wander too much because it's already traveled the full spectrum of possibilities, none of which are very good," his father, Holger Hill said Friday afternoon.
Holger and his son Daniel arrived in D.C. Thursday to assist with the search.
"Know that we love you and we are doing everything we can, and that everything is going to be just fine," Holger Hill said.
Matt Hill had been working with an organization called Campus Outreach at George Washington University since last August. The group provides tutoring and Christian-based support for college students. Hill's friends and colleagues have used Campus Outreach's home church, Capitol Hill Baptist, as a home base for a massive search, combing the area near his Foggy Bottom apartment.
"We just confirmed he got a parking ticket on Tuesday, the 24th at 11:09 a.m. That would lead us to believe the car ended back here on 26th Street," said Thomas Snow, Hill's roommate.
His car, a 1996 Honda Civic with license plate DT2747, is still missing.
Thursday, friends also began searching gas stations in Virginia after police said Hill's credit card was used at a station in Arlington. Police hoped to view surveillance video from the gas station Friday to determine if Hill used the card himself.
Hill is an Elon University graduate and baseball player who grew up in Matthews and has many friends in the area.
"You feel like you're in a dream. You watch this on TV, You don't think this is going to land in your neighborhood," said Andrew Holbrook, a pastor at Christ Covenant.
Holbrook has been friends with Hill for five years. He spoke with Hill's mother just before speaking with NewsChannel 36 Friday.
"Any mom out there could imagine how she is doing. It's very hard," said Holbrook.
Hill's friends have started a Facebook page athttp://www.facebook.com/findmatthill#!/findmatthill to call attention to the disappearance.
"We need people to get involved and give as much information if they have any to helping us find his whereabouts," Holbrook said.
Anyone with information in the case is asked to call police at 202-727-9099.
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