Ryan Godbey Obituary, Death; – A Stark County grand jury has indicted Daniel Mattay for the murder Ryan Godbey, a Canton drag performer whose “suspicious” disappearance in June led to an area-wide search that quickly turned into a homicide investigation.
Mattay, a 34-year-old Massillon native, was first arrested in July for allegedly killing Godbey. On Wednesday, grand jurors charged him with the following crimes:
Murder (special felony)
Assault (second-degree felony)
Strangulation (second-degree felony)
Escape (second-degree felony)
Domestic violence (third degree felony)
Tampering with evidence (third-degree felony)
Gross abuse of a corpse (fifth-degree felony)
Mattay is currently being held in the Stark County Jail on what is now a $3 million bond. He is due to be arraigned on Friday.
CASE DETAILS
Godbey, 26, often performed drag shows under the stage name “JJ” at Darlin’s CREW in Canton. Godbey left the club on the night of June 19, but has not been seen alive since, with his family reporting them missing three days later.
On July 4, police formally accused Mattay — Godbey’s ex-boyfriend — of murder. Though Godbey’s body still hasn’t been found, Chief John Gabbard claimed that “new evidence makes it clear that he is deceased and that Mr. Mattay is responsible.”
3News Investigates obtained some of that purported “new evidence” last week, including investigative reports detailing the events surrounding and following Godbey’s disappearance and potential murder.
Police detailed seeing a “large amount of blood” in Godbey’s apartment, and a neighboring witness recalled hearing someone being “thrown around and screaming,” followed by desperate cries for help: “Help me, he is choking me,” and “Call for help.” She also told investigators she heard someone being dragged down the steps, glass breaking, and furniture moving before the apartment fell quiet, but did not call police because her husband told her not to get involved.
In interviews with police, Mattay claimed he was not with Godbey that night, but after searching in and around his minivan authorities found a trash can containing clothing in trash bags, two empty bleach bottles, and two latex gloves. They also found a white Nike shoe, which Godbey’s mother identified as belonging to her son.
A $15,000 reward is currently being offered for information regarding the location of Godbey’s remains. Regarding her son, Jackie Godbey says, “We’ve just got to find Ryan and bring Ryan home.”
“We know and we’ll pray justice will be served, and we just want to bring Ryan home,” Jackie told 3News in July.
Along with the murder case, Mattay is also facing separate felony drug charges. His girlfriend, Amanda Williams, was also initially held on accusations of drug possession and trespassing but was released from custody after a grand jury declined to indict.
