STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY — Matthew Sheerer left his apartment on West Main Street on April 18 and hasn’t been seen since. He’s 42. His residence, according to the Stroud Area Regional Police case file, is 2015 W. Main St. — Business Route 209, walking distance to I-80’s Exit 304 and the Pocono Pony stops along Main.
Nobody reported him missing for five days. Police didn’t put the case out publicly until April 27, four days after that. The case file, reference 2026-009719, lists it as non-criminal. SARPD says he left voluntarily.
In a release to news outlets — not the public Crimewatch posting — police added that Sheerer has a history of mental health concerns and substance abuse. That’s the kind of detail that should be on the public notice, because it’s the reason a sighting matters fast. Adults have the right to walk away from their lives. They don’t lose that right because they’re struggling. But the people most likely to disappear voluntarily and not come back are the ones with exactly Sheerer’s profile, and the people most likely to recognize him are strangers — neighbors, gas station clerks, bus drivers — who need a reason to call.
The two photos SARPD released are a Pennsylvania driver’s license and a state ID record. Head and shoulders. That’s it.
What’s not in the file: height, weight, hair color, identifying marks. What he was wearing. Whether he had a car. Whether his phone has been pinged or his cards used since April 18. Who actually called it in.
Eleven days is a long time to have that little out there. Pocono Review has asked SARPD for a full description and will update when one comes back.
If you’ve seen him
The address is about two miles west of downtown Stroudsburg, near the Brodhead Creek corridor — the same general stretch where Dana Smithers’ remains were found in 2023, almost a year after she walked away from a friend’s place. Same department, same chief.
Drawing that line this early isn’t comfortable. But it’s where these cases sometimes end up around here when nobody calls in a sighting in time.
Tips don’t have to be certain. “I think I saw him at the Wawa Tuesday” is the kind of call that gives investigators something to pull surveillance against.
- Monroe County Control Center: 570-992-9911
- SARPD tip portal: Submit here
- SARPD main line: 570-421-6800
If you know Sheerer and want to talk to a reporter before you talk to police, get in touch with us: tips@poconoreview.com