(July 2, 2008)--Police say they found books and notes on how to assume a new identity in the abandoned car of missing Rice University Matthew Wilson.
Police found Wilson’s 2004 Dodge Neon in mid June on a street in Berkeley, Calif.
Wilson, a 21-year old computer science major from Haworth, Okla., has been missing since Dec. 14, 2007.
Police spokesman Andrew Frankel told the Houston Chronicle that there was literature in the vehicle on how somebody would go about pursuing a new identification or persona.
Other items in the car included a book on how to live cheaply in nearby San Francisco, a can of beans, rice and instant noodle soup.
Police say Wilson withdrew $400 from an ATM about 3:30 p.m. the day he disappeared and withdrew another $100 just over an hour later, but officers didn’t believe he was forced to make the withdrawals because he returned to his apartment later.
Wilson's roommate says he heard Wilson come in about 11:00 that night with what sounded like plastic grocery bags.
He was last seen just before midnight putting gas in his car.
Crime Stoppers of Houston has offered a $5,000 reward for information and Wilson’s family is offering another $10,000.
Wilson is 5-foot-7, weighs 135 pounds and has red hair and green eyes.
He had a full beard when he was last seen.
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