A Matthews woman who had been missing for roughly three months was safely located yesterday, police announced, closing out a case that began with her disappearance from an apartment complex on Windsor Hill Drive back in late May. Alexandra Eileen Martin, born September 3, 1987, had last been seen on May 27 in the 1900 block of Windsor Hill Drive, a multi-family residential community in Matthews.
The Matthews Police Department shared the news in a media release posted to its Facebook page, confirming Martin was safely located after issuing a public assistance alert earlier the same day under case number 20260831004, according to the Matthews Police Department. The department had described Martin as a white female, five feet five inches tall, weighing approximately 150 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes, in the initial alert seeking the public's help.
Before she was found, police had asked anyone with information about Martin's whereabouts to call 911 or the department's non-emergency line. That same tip line remains staffed at the department's headquarters on Crews Road, which handles both emergency dispatch and non-emergency reports from the community.
A Three-Month Gap Before Resolution
The nearly three-month span between Martin's last known sighting in late May and her safe recovery this week stands out even against the backdrop of how North Carolina law enforcement typically handles these cases. Under North Carolina General Statute § 143B-1761, agencies receiving a missing person report must immediately enter the information into the FBI's National Crime Information Center database and notify the state clearinghouse, with no mandatory waiting period before action begins, according to the North Carolina General Assembly.
State law also treats missing adult cases as open matters that cannot be closed in law enforcement databases until a person's safety is confirmed, per standards outlined by PowerDMS. Any individual 18 or older whose location is undetermined qualifies as a missing adult under that framework, which is why Martin's case remained active in the months between her disappearance and this week's update.
Mecklenburg County Sees Heaviest Caseload in the State
Matthews sits within Mecklenburg County, which consistently logs more missing person reports than any other county in North Carolina. The county recorded 2,844 such reports in 2023 alone, including 888 involving adults and 1,956 involving juveniles, according to Enlace Latino NC. Statewide, the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons fields more than 10,000 missing person reports annually, with white adults representing the largest single demographic among missing adults at 710 reported cases in 2025, per the NC Department of Public Safety.
Despite those high volumes, state public safety officials note that most adult missing person cases stem from personal, health, or voluntary circumstances rather than foul play, and the majority of those individuals are eventually located safely. Martin's case fits that broader pattern the department describes, ending without any indication of criminal involvement disclosed in the department's release.
Department Leadership and Local History
The Matthews Police Department is led by Chief James E. Avens Jr., who was appointed in June 2025 and oversees a department of roughly 87 full- and part-time personnel, according to WFAE. Avens previously served as president of the North Carolina Police Executive Association before taking the helm in Matthews.
Matthews Police have issued several public missing person alerts in recent years, including cases involving teens Jahamya Herndon, Mikayla Harlin, and Ethan Demaison, each of which Hoodline has covered as the department sought community help and later confirmed safe outcomes for those individuals. Martin's case marks the latest instance of the department turning to public alerts and swift updates to resolve a missing adult investigation.
