The father who took off after he was named a person-of-interest in his infant daughter's disappearance was killed by police on Monday. Matthew Graham was killed in Dunsmuir, Calif. after a car chase with police and a shootout.
Authorities say Graham stole a semi-automatic gun from his mother on Sunday, according to the Associated Press via Yahoo, after hearing the police had a lead in his daughter's case. Graham then vanished. Michael Prado told authorities the 23-year-old Graham slept in their Shasta Lake yard, which Prado discovered at about 6:15 a.m. on Monday when he went out to get his newspaper. Graham approached Prado and his wife. "He said, 'Don't be scared. I'm afraid too,'" Prado said. "Stay together."
Prado said Graham made him get the keys to his 2007 Buick Lucerne and instructed him to start the car. Graham had the gun trained at Prado's wife's head the whole time. Before Graham drove off, Prado said Graham warned him not to call the authorities until noon. Moments after Graham drove off, Prado called 911.
The stolen vehicle was traced via the navigation system and police chased the driver of the Buick for 48 miles. When police caught up to Graham, he was hiding in a garage in Dunsmuir. After an exchange of gunfire, a Siskiyou sheriff shot and killed Graham.
Baby Ember is still missing.
For more on Matthew Graham's evasion of authorities and the possible whereabouts of 6-month-old Ember, check out HNGN's previous coverage of the case.
