ACTION 8 UPDATE: Body of missing Elmore County man found

ELMORE COUNTY, Ala. (WAKA) – Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin has confirmed to Action 8 News that the body of William Austin Mathews has been found.

Franklin says the body was found by a man and his wife yesterday morning. They had been riding an ATV along some trails near a densely wooded area south of the Slapout community.

Franklin says a cell phone and a gun were found by Mathews’ body. He said no foul play is suspected. Mathews was still in the same clothing he had been in when he was last seen on Ring camera footage. His body and items gathered at the scene were sent to forensics.

As Action 8 News has reported, 29-year-old Mathews was last seen on Saturday, August 29, in the Holtville area.

Mathews was the son of former longtime Montgomery County EMA Director Christina Thornton. She had described him back in September this way, “Austin was a smart child. Austin is a smart man. He graduated from high school early. He’s been working at Hyundai. He loves his job. He loves his co-workers. He’s a gentleman.”