Sophia Wood is seeking answers after her 29-year-old son, Matthew Collado, disappeared in May and was later found dead inside a Queens public school’s chimney. Collado failed to meet his mother for Mother’s Day, and his family reported him missing after finding his phone and wallet at his flat; police later confirmed his identity through dental records and photographs.

A pest-control worker discovered human remains at PS 113 in late June while investigating a foul smell, which pupils said had lingered for weeks. Collado was last seen leaving his building shortly after 3am on 9 May; his cause and manner of death remain undetermined, and police say the investigation is ongoing. His mother said the circumstances seemed inconsistent with his personality, noting that he feared heights and disliked fire and smoke.