Who is Matthew Coleman? California dad, 40, arrested for 'stabbing' toddlers with wooden stake
SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA: A 40-year-old surfing school owner from California has been arrested for stabbing his two young kids to death with a wooden stake in Mexico. Matthew Taylor Coleman of Santa Barbara was arrested on Monday, August 9, by US Customs and Border Protection agents crossing the US-Mexico border. His arrest came after the toddlers' bodies were found on a farm on August 9 morning.
According to reports, Coleman left with his son Kaleo, three, and daughter Roxy, 10 months, to Rosarito, Mexico, about 60 miles south of San Diego. He checked into a City Express hotel room on Saturday, August 7. After the trio had been gone for 24 hours with no information, the kids' mother Abby Coleman reported her husband and children missing on Sunday, August 8. According to police, she stated she was concerned for their well-being. In a similar incident, an Iowa dad, Christopher Phelon killed his two sons, 6 and 3, before shooting himself last month. The case also brings to mind the crime of Chris Watts, who tried to kill his two young daughters, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, before killing his 15-weeks-pregnant wife Shanann at their Frederick, Colorado, home on August 13, 2018. He later managed to suffocate the girls and dumped their bodies in an oil field.
READ MORE
Mark Redwine: Dad killed 13-yr-old son after boy found pics of him in women's underwear eating feces
According to investigators in Mexico, Coleman took his children to a ranch close to his hotel on August 9 morning. CCTV footage of the hotel showed him returning later in the day without his children, said Hiram Sanchez Zamora with the Baja California AG's office. Zamora further noted that a farmhand discovered the kids' bodies when he spotted splattered blood on the ground while walking on the property near El Descanso ranch. Reportedly, the 3-year-old boy was stabbed 17 times and the 10-month-old girl was stabbed 12 times. The worker, who discovered the bodies wished to remain anonymous. He reportedly told Border Report that he "teared up" when he saw the bodies. "I was scared and sad because these are tiny children who don't know any better, " he said. He also noted that one of the dead children was in diapers.
The cause of the 'horrific bloodshed' executed by Coleman is not known at the moment. His wife, Abby has not spoken about the incident to the local media or given any indication about his state of mind yet. Matthew Taylor Coleman is expected to be extradited to Mexico to face murder charges. The bodies of the kids are also expected to be transported back to the US soon for proper last rites. Prior to the 'horrid' incident, Coleman regularly posted pictures of his 'loving' family and videos of his surfing tutorials up until three weeks ago on social media. He frequently posted about his wife, children and Christian faith online.