Missing Man Found Dead Wedged Inside School Chimney After Mysterious Disappearance

A disturbing mystery is unfolding in New York City after an aspiring rapper who vanished in May was identified as the man whose decomposed body was found wedged inside a chimney at a Queens public school.

Matthew Collado, 29, who performed under the stage name A.K. Nash, had been missing since May 9, according to his family. His remains were discovered nearly two months later on June 30 inside a chimney at P.S./I.S. 113 Anthony J. Pranzo School in Glendale, Queens.

The grisly discovery happened after a school custodian called an exterminator to investigate a foul odor coming from the building.

The exterminator opened the chimney’s ash dump and reportedly spotted a shoe before realizing there was a human foot inside.

Police were called just before 9 a.m., and officers later confirmed that human remains had been found inside the chimney.

The school was closed for summer construction at the time, and New York City education officials said no students were inside when the remains were discovered.

“This discovery is deeply upsetting and concerning,” a Department of Education spokesperson said, adding that support was being made available to the school community.

At first, authorities did not know who the victim was.

That changed on July 29, when Collado’s mother, Sophia Wood, said she was notified that dental records had confirmed the remains belonged to her son.

Collado had last spoken with his family the day before Mother’s Day.

Wood said he had promised to meet her at his grandmother’s nursing home for the holiday but never arrived.

After he disappeared, his family put up missing-person flyers and searched for answers online.

Now, months later, his mother says she is struggling to understand how he could possibly have ended up inside a school chimney.

“My son was afraid of heights,” Wood told the New York Daily News, according to the New York Post.

She also said he hated fire and smoke, making the location of his body especially difficult for her to comprehend.

Wood described Collado as a loving son who called and visited often.

He had grown up in East Elmhurst and was preparing to begin a new job as a residential aide at a Breaking Ground shelter, according to his mother.

Music was another major part of his life.

Under the name A.K. Nash, Collado had posted his music online, and his mother said listening to those recordings is now one of the ways she can still hear his voice.

The biggest questions, however, remain unanswered.

The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner said Sept. 17 that both the cause and manner of Collado’s death were still “pending further study.”

That means authorities have not yet determined whether his death was accidental, a homicide or the result of another circumstance.

There have also been no publicly announced arrests.

Early on, investigators considered whether the remains could have belonged to someone connected to construction work at the school, but that theory was overtaken once Collado was identified.

The school itself is located at 78-23 87th Street in Glendale and serves students in Queens Community School District 24.

For Collado’s family, the lack of surveillance footage or an obvious explanation for how he entered the building has only deepened the mystery.

Wood has said she is considering hiring a private investigator because she still wants answers about where her son was during the weeks after he disappeared and how his body ended up inside the chimney.