Dateline: 5 harrowing details about Matt Landry’s murder, explored

The 2009 carjacking case gained national attention when a 21-year-old boy first went missing and then later, his body was found in a bandoned building. The Dateline episode, "Taken", featured the crime and explored the resilience and heartbreak of the family who learned about the gruesome kidnapping and death of Matt Landry. It was his mother who traced his bank account and sensed some fishy withdrawals. The location from where the money was withdrawn shook the entire family, as it was one of the dangerous areas known for gangs and crimes.

Let's dive deeper into the case and know the five harrowing details of the murder of Matt Landry as shown in Dateline.

Here are the 5 harrowing details about Matt Landry's murder, as shown in Dateline

The investigation of Matt's murder, as featured on Dateline, unveiled several harrowing details of the case. His parents and girlfriend still remember him and how he used to love metal music. His girlfriend Francesca also revealed how caring he was towards her. He never hesitated to make some coffee or draw her a bath when she was sick. Here are the 5 harrowing details from the case:

Matt was abducted in broad daylight and held captive

Matt had just stepped out for a quick errand after caring for his sick girlfriend when he was randomly targeted and carjacked outside a Quiznos sandwich shop in Eastpointe, Michigan. Investigation revealed that Matt was kept hostage for hours before finally killed. This suggests that he endured hours of confusion, fear and uncertainty.

Matt's family began a private investigation

Matt's mother works in Banks, and she accessed Matt's account. She was surprised, noticing $100 being withdrawn thrice from Matt's account. She concluded that this is not at all his character. When she traced the location—Detroit, it was of an area associated with gangs and crimes. This further worried the family. It was Fancesca, Matt's girlfriend, who called the police when, till the next night, Matt didn't return. Later, she was also driving around Detroit, looking in dumpsters for clues.

Matt had a gunshot wound

After using his Bank account and robbing him, his body was found in an abandoned building after disappearing for over 7 days. The building was a vacant house in Detroit, and the body had a gunshot wound to the head. He was murdered and discarded like trash in a decaying building, a heartbreaking and degrading end for someone so loved. The investigators also found his car had been burned a few days before in the same area. It suggests that the killer tried to destroy the car to cover their tracks.

Another similar case happened with Sarah Maynard

On the very same day, in another Detroit suburb (Harrison Township), 19-year-old Sarah Maynard was nearly abducted during a bank robbery. She was cashing her paycheck when she was held at gunpoint by a man demanding $50,000.

“I handed them my check and then as soon as I set the check on the counter, I felt a gun to the back of my head,” Maynard recalled to "Dateline"

He tried to take her as hostage, but she refused to go. She sat down on the bank floor firmly, and eventually frustrated, the men left her.

Surveillance Footage helped find the culprit

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Chesterfield Police obtained a gas station surveillance footage of the person using Matt’s debit card. This was the point when the case transformed from a potential disappearance to abduction. This and Sarah's case then led the investigators to the real culprits. Behind Matt's murder were 2 men. The police identified them as Ihab “IHOP” Masalmani and Robert “Fat Daddy” Taylor, who were involved in Matt’s carjacking and murder, robbing banks (including the one Sarah Maynard was in), and terrorising Detroit suburbs. Robert was only 16 when he committed this crime.

Both Masalmani and Taylor were ultimately convicted of murder and kidnapping and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

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