Johnston Co. man's death in VA was an accident

Authorities confirmed that a body found Saturday in the Kanawha Canal is that of a missing man who had been drinking heavily and apparently fell in and drowned nearly one month ago.

Richmond police said Monday that the death of Matthew Henry Williams, 23, was an accident and not the result of foul play. Authorities also said that three suspects accused of committing a burglary at Williams' home within a few hours of his disappearance on Dec. 13 had nothing to do with his death.

Police had said after Williams disappeared that they suspected foul play and had described the burglary suspects as "persons of interest" in his disappearance.

Authorities said Monday that Williams had met the men that night and gone with them back to his Shockoe Bottom apartment, where they did some drinking. At least two of the suspects returned later to Williams' apartment and stole a TV and video game console, authorities have said.

Authorities declined Monday to say what prompted the men to return to the apartment.

"We're carrying that as two separate incidents," said Richmond police Maj. Steve Drew, referring to the burglary and Williams' death. He declined to elaborate.

Passers-by discovered his body Saturday afternoon in the canal along the 1900 block of Dock Street north of the James River, a short distance from Williams' apartment at the Lofts at Canal Walk, at 1900 E. Cary St.

Investigators believe he fell into the canal Dec. 13 sometime after 10:57 p.m., when he was escorted out of the Hat Factory, a nearby establishment.

Once he fell into the canal, there was no way for him to get out on his own, police said.

Police had searched the roughly mile-long canal multiple times for Williams, using divers, sonar equipment, an airplane and cadaver dogs. A tracking dog had detected evidence of Williams' presence near the canal at some time. But he wasn't discovered until Saturday, after the city partially drained the canal.

Williams had his keys, wallet and cellphone on him when he was found floating in shallow water. Police found no signs of trauma on the body. The state medical examiner's office has not determined the cause of death, but police investigators believe Williams drowned.

"It allows for a little bit of closure to some extent," said Whitney Miller, a friend of Williams' from Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C. "Not the way we had wanted it to come to a close."

Miller added: "There's a lot of things that don't fit. We'll never really know the details of what happened that night."

Williams had recently started working for Wells Fargo and had been living in Richmond for only a few weeks. He had moved to the city from Raleigh, N.C., and had become well-known in the Shockoe Bottom bar scene.

On the night of Dec. 13, Williams went to The Lucky Buddha, a bar on East Cary Street just east of 14th Street, and left there about 8:30 p.m., said Matt Busch, managing partner of the bar. Police said Williams' mother last spoke with him about 8:30 p.m.

Williams, who was known as extremely outgoing, met three men outside Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar, also on Cary Street, and they went to a liquor store. They then went to his apartment around 9 p.m. and drank, police said.

At 10:37 p.m., they all arrived at the Hat Factory, but Williams went in alone. The other three men stayed out because one wasn't allowed in because he was too drunk, said Richmond police Lt. Emmett Williams.

Matthew Williams was escorted from the bar at 10:57 p.m. after his ATM card was declined, police said. A woman saw Williams by himself wandering drunkenly in the area of the 1900 block of Dock Street, but she did not see him fall into the canal.

Two of the men who had accompanied Williams to his home earlier can be seen on surveillance video about 1 a.m. going into his apartment and leaving with a TV and video game console, authorities have said.