Dateline: Secrets Uncovered- What happened to Matt Landry?

Matt Landry, a 21-year-old resident of Detroit, Michigan, is the focus of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered Episode 39 Season 10. The tenth season of the show, hosted by Emmy-winning journalist Craig Melvin, will shed light on the mysterious disappearance of Landry, a bank robbery, and a case of carjacking, along with the link between the three incidents.

The official synopsis of the episode states:

"He was a drummer who never missed a beat, then vanished; his family and the police were determined to work together; it was a race against the clock to find him."

Let's take a look at who Matt Landry was and the ill-fated incident before the episode reairs on November 2, 2023, at 9 pm EST.

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Who is Matt Landry and what happened to him?

Matthew Robert Landry, the son of the late Robert L. Landry and Doreen Landry, was a heavy metal and rock fan and the youngest of the five siblings in the family.

A still of Matt Landry (Image via Detroit Police)

Born on October 26, 1987, in Chesterfield Township, Matthew "Matt" Landry was just another young man delivering pizzas door to door, playing with his band, and spending his time with friends skateboarding. Matt was dating Francesca Bommarito at the time, who recounted him as being a person who only got out of his bed to play music.

Matt formed a band with his friends and ferociously played the drums in his basement. His bandmates recalled:

“With Matt, there was never a dull moment. He was always thinking of something crazy to do.”

Francesca mentioned that Matt had brewed her some tea and made her a hot bath before he headed out for some errands on the unfortunate day.

Francesca Bommarito and Matthew Landry (Image via Landry Family)

Francesca, who was then a waitress, recalled being sick on August 9, 2009. After noticing that Matt was unreachable for a couple of hours, Francesca reached out to the hospitals in the area and the local police as well. She said:

“I wanted to know maybe if he had gotten into a car accident, maybe he got a flat tire on the side of the road, maybe he’s in a ditch. I don’t know what happened.”

Matt's mother, Doreen, had access to her son's bank account and logged in to check for any suspicious activity when she discovered three separate withdrawals of $100 made at an ATM on 7 Mile—an area known for its crime rates. Finding these transactions strange, Matt Landry was reported missing the following day.

The search for Matt began with the Chesterfield Police combing through 7 Mile and the adjacent areas, including the Gratiot Avenue area, for any clues. Matt's body was found with a gunshot wound to the head in an abandoned Maddelein Street, Detroit house by Roseville Lt. Ray Blarek on August 13, 2009.

Stills of Ihab Maslamani and Robert Taylor (Image via Detroit Free Press)

As the investigation unfolded, two men were arrested in association with Matt Landry's disappearance and murder—Robert Taylor (16) and Ihab “IHOP” Maslamani (18). The two were reported by eyewitnesses and caught in surveillance cameras as they robbed the Flagstar Bank in Harrison Township of $50,000 on August 10, 2009, and attempted to carjack a red Honda Civic at a nearby Walmart parking lot on August 11, 2009. The duo abducted Landry outside a Quiznos restaurant in Eastpointe, used his cards to withdraw money, and shot him dead.

Both Ihab Maslamani and Robert Taylor have been sentenced to life in prison without parole with seven and five charges, respectively.