NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Skeletal remains discovered last fall behind a strip mall on Murfreesboro Pike have now been identified through DNA testing, according to Metro Nashville Police.
The remains were found Oct. 10, 2025, in a wooded area behind the strip mall at 818 Murfreesboro Pike. A community policing officer located them while following up on a tip.
Police said the remains were inside a large plastic garbage bag when they were discovered.
Investigators later identified the person as Matthew Edward Madewell, who would have been 40 at the time of the discovery.
Madewell was last seen in late 2024 and may have been living near Trinity Lane. Police said he may also have been working for a construction company building hotels in the downtown area.
Cold Case detectives are asking anyone with information about Madewell’s last known whereabouts to contact them at 615-862-7329.
September 11, 2001 is a day most associate with terror and tragedy. Austin Pollack shares a story from that day about hope and persistence: the effort to save a little girl’s life – with an organ donation. The problem? The young patient was in Houston, and her life-saving liver here in Nashville. With the grounding of all civilian aircraft, how could it be done? “Nobody ever said this isn’t possible.”
- Rhori Johnston
