Man interviewed on TV about dead body found near home knew it was his mother, police say

The man appears dumbfounded about the incident on camera just hours before his arrest

A man interviewed on television about a dead body found in a creek near his home knew it was his mother, police have said.

Matthew Haverly, who lives in Wyalusing Township, Pennsylvania, appeared dumbfounded about how a woman’s body wrapped in tarp appeared near his home on camera while speaking to a local news station. However, just hours after the woman was identified as his mother, police arrested Mr Haverly because they suspected he had killed her.

"I'm like, 'What the hell is going on?' And now I realise that's what they were actually doing. I had no clue. It's sad to say that that's someone's either daughter, mother or whatever," Mr Haverly had said late last week when Newswatch 16 had asked him about the shocking discovery of the body in the quiet community.

He also said he thought “it was some kind of a hit, and something happened. Something went bad, and this is like a rural area, so they just wanted to plant the body somewhere else besides wherever the hell they were from”.

It was not until later that day that police identified the body as 60-year-old Patricia Haverly, Mr Haverly’s mother who lived with him across the street from the creek.

Mr Haverly had even spoken about his mother’s possible reaction to a body being found so close to their home: "I'm guessing my mother, she would be concerned. Probably a lot of the other neighbors would be concerned”.

Neighbours expressed shock at the arrest of Mr Haverly, who had admitted to police that he and his mother were in an argument the evening before her body was found. She had reportedly attempted to come into his room as they were fighting and he shoved her away, police said.

Vanessa Billings of Camptown, Pennsylvania, told Newswatch 16: "It's heartbreaking because he comes across concerned, and that's what's scary because you don't know what's going on next door at your neighbour's house”.

Ms Billings said the area where Ms Haverly’s body was found is “a small community where you don't have to lock your doors and everyone knows your neighbors and everyone's friends, and to have this right in the heart of Camptown is very concerning. It's heartbreaking”.