Authorities in northwest Pennsylvania said on Tuesday that a popular 42-year-old local TV news anchor’s death was a suicide.
The Erie County Coroner’s Office said that the popular and beloved news anchor committed suicide earlier this week by stepping in front of a train.
Dusckas-Martin Funeral Home provided the obituary for Emily Matson. She “died abruptly” on Monday, according to the news outlet.
The Erie County Coroner said that the evidence for suicide was “unquestionable.”
Stepping in front of a train is a standard method of taking one’s own life. No one expects suicidal people to be reasoning, but forcing another person to participate in your decision can be very traumatic. Train conductors often need therapy after these gruesome ends.
Chief Dan Spizarny of the Erie Police Department, who referred to Matson as a “regular” at the station, was one of several local sources with whom she got along well.
Newscasts hosted and produced by Matson were also shown on the air in Guam and the US Virgin Islands.
The mother, Patricia Matson, posted touching memorial images of her daughter and herself on Facebook on Tuesday. The snapshot shows Emily smiling, carrying a glass of wine, whisking tomato sauce in a bowl.
Another picture of Emily and her husband Ryan showed the happy couple sitting at a table in Cabo San Lucas, smiling at each other.
Matson began her career as an overnight producer at WICU-TV in 2004, after she graduated from college, as stated in her official profile. She kept her positive attitude and became a general assignment reporter specializing in crime.
Matson worked for Erie News Now for 19 years, during which time she co-hosted the 7 o’clock and 11 o’clock newscasts with John Stehlin and Mike Ruzzi, respectively, as stated in Matson’s biography on the website of the news agency.
Many people will be in attendance at Friday and Saturday’s funeral services for Matson in Millcreek Township.
