An Alabama man has been charged with the murder of Cody Scott Matney, who went missing in 2002 at the age of 24. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced that new evidence led to the arrest and indictment of Christopher James Havrilla. According to WSMV, Matney was last seen in a parking lot on West State Street in Bristol, Tennessee. His vehicle was later found abandoned, leading to a years-long search across multiple states.
In 2024, new information led Bristol detectives to reopen the case. Last Wednesday, the Sullivan County Grand Jury indicted Havrilla on charges of first-degree murder and murder during a kidnapping. Two days later, Havrilla, 52, was arrested in Orange Beach, Alabama, and extradited to Tennessee for trial, as reported by WKRN.
Law enforcement agencies, including the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Bristol Police, the 2nd Judicial District Attorney General's Office, and Virginia State Police, are investigating Matney’s disappearance and murder. He was last seen at Confetti’s Sports Bar near the Virginia state line, making a call from a pay phone before speaking with someone in another truck. Havrilla, a suspect in the case, is in Sullivan County Jail as the investigation continues, as per the TBI Newsroom. Authorities are seeking additional information and urge anyone with relevant details to contact the Bristol, Tennessee Police Department or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. They emphasize that the charges against Havrilla are accusations and that he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
