Ember Skye Graham

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Shasta County Sheriffs Office (CA)

Missing From:

Anderson, CA

Summary:

Ember Skye Graham was last seen in Happy Valley, California on July 2, 2015, when she was with her father, Matthew Ryan Graham, while her mother was packing to move into his trailer. She has never been heard from again. Authorities believe Ember is dead and Matthew is the sole person of interest in her disappearance.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

On the night before July 2, 2015, Matthew had left Ember asleep in her playpen and then smoked marijuana. When he woke up at 5 A.M. the next day, he realized his daughter was gone. He called the police at 5:26 AM. Matthew said he had taken Ember on a drive to help her fall asleep; her anti-seizure medication made her restless. He said he made a U-turn to return home after leaving the store. However, surveillance video shows that Matthew didn't drive past the store again until over an hour later. Police grew skeptical of the claim that Ember had been abducted after searching the 25-foot camper trailer, which had no running water or functioning bathroom and was covered in rubbish. The trailer was enclosed by two fences and guarded by dogs. The door was also broken and could not be opened without a screwdriver, which would have been noisy.

Additional Details:

Because he had been smoking marijuana, he was arrested that night for violating probation. Police held him for two days. Matthew was publicly named as a person of interest in his daughter's disappearance. On July 10, a pacifier was found off Platina Road in the remote Ono, California area. Ember's mother identified it was her daughter's, and DNA testing subsequently determined Ember's DNA was on the pacifier. On July 11, Matthew stole his mother's cellular phone, some cash from her purse, and a semi-automatic handgun, and fled. Matthew Graham was shot and killed in Dunsmuir around 7:45 a.m. on July 13, 2015 after police used a tracking device on a car he allegedly stole to locate him. While he was hiding in the garage, Graham shot himself under the chin, but did not die. Officers who heard the shot fired into the garage. According to a press release issued Aug. 6 2015 by the Shasta County Sheriff's Office, the FBI was involved as part of the Child Abduction Response Team when Ember was first reported missing. Authorities have offered a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the discovery of Ember Graham's location or the resolution of the case.

Case Last Updated:

Jul 11, 2026