DEKALB COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department is searching for a 29-year-old man who went missing after a car crash in December.  

According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, Matthew Braswell hasn’t been seen or heard from since he fled into the woods after a crash on Ponder Road on December 17. Ray said Braswell was a passenger of a 2006 Chevy Tahoe, driven by 26-year-old Danny Phillips from McMinnville. 

A resident said Braswell and Phillips were going through his mailbox and he went outside to confront them. The two reportedly sped off when the truck lost control and struck several trees.  

Sheriff Ray said the two fled into the woods. Phillips was quickly captured and transported to the hospital, but Braswell has not been seen since.  

Law enforcement has conducted several ground searches in addition to aerial searches. They recovered Braswell’s white and gray jacket in the woods roughly a half-mile from the crash site, but no signs of Braswell. Neither his family nor girlfriend have heard from him.  

“The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department along with other agencies searched on foot for Braswell along with 12 K-9 cadaver/tracking dogs and drones, but we still didn’t find anything,” Sheriff Ray said after the most recent search on February 5.  

Braswell has been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) as a missing person. He is six feet tall, weighs 150 pounds, has brown hair and brown eyes. Braswell also has face tattoos, including a dollar sign near his right eye and the name “Kim” near his left eye. He also had a mustache and goatee at the time he went missing.  

The District Attorney’s Office along with the Tennessee Highway Patrol are assisting the DeKalb Sheriff’s Department in the investigation. 

If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of Braswell, you’re asked to call the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department at 615-597-4935 ext. 205. Tips can also be submitted to the DeKalb County Crime Line at 615-464-6400.