A celebration of life for Matthew Anfeldt, a 20-year-old man who went missing between Grand Mound and Tenino in February 2019 and whose remains were found in South Thurston County in October of 2023, will take place Saturday, Jan. 13.
“The event is open to our family, friends and our beautiful community who has supported us through this,” Anfeldt’s family posted on Facebook.
The service begins at 5 p.m. on Jan. 13 at the Kodiak Room, located at 225 Sussex Ave. in Tenino. Doors open at 3 p.m. “for anyone who wishes to come a little early or for anyone who is unable to come to the actual service,” according to Anfeldt’s family.
Service organizers ask anyone who plans to attend the service in person to mark themselves as “going” on the event’s Facebook page, accessible at https://www.facebook.com/events/756343642919362/?ref=newsfeed. Updates will be posted to that page.
Anfeldt’s family plans to livestream the service on the “Help FInd Matthew Anfeldt” Facebook group page.
Anfeldt was seen Feb. 28, 2019, possibly hallucinating in the 17800 block of Old Highway 99, according to a neighbor, who said he was seen running into the roadway, causing vehicles to swerve to miss him. He left the area on foot.
At the time, Anfeldt was making claims that his family had been killed and that someone was after him, according to previous Chronicle reporting. Deputies responded to the area at 5:27 p.m. after receiving the call. They confirmed later that the claims about his family were unfounded.
Another call came in minutes later from the Speedway Grocery store in the 19200 block of Old Highway 99. Someone at the store told authorities Anfeldt had dried blood around his mouth, and was again saying his family had been killed and that someone was after him.
He left that area on foot, and that was the last verified time he was seen.
Several years later, on Oct. 28, 2023, a hunter found human remains in the “greater Rochester/Grand Mound area” and alerted deputies with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. A specific location was not provided.
On Oct. 29, detectives and search and rescue personnel conducted a search of the area using K9s from Lewis and King counties along with volunteers to look for additional remains.
On Nov. 2, the remains were identified as Anfeldt.
Anfedlt’s cause and manner of death were under investigation at the time, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
