Charles Van Di Veir was found shot to death in his home on Malone Avenue in Port Charlotte on a Monday in late March 2026. Neighbors identified the resident as Charlie Anderson, but law enforcement linked the killing to 32-year-old Matthew Ryan Cross, whose escape prompted a large manhunt and soft lockdowns at nearby schools.

Deputies from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, assisted by other agencies, focused the search in woods near Yorkshire Street and Veterans Boulevard. A SWAT team used megaphones during a several-hour standoff while residents were warned to stay indoors. When officers located Cross later that day he reportedly pointed a gun at his head and then at law enforcement; seven officers from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office and the Northport Police Department fired, fatally wounding him.

Court documents show Cross had prior charges including burglary and grand theft of a firearm and a documented history of mental health problems and a traumatic brain injury that had led to a finding of incompetence to stand trial. The investigations into the Malone Avenue homicide and the officer-involved shooting are ongoing.

Did anyone in Port Charlotte know Charles Van Di Veir or see activity near Malone Avenue that week?