California dad, 40, who runs Santa Barbara surf school is arrested at the border after 'stabbing his two children to death with a wooden stake' on Mexico ranch
A California surfing school owner and father of two has been arrested for stabbing his two young children to death with a wooden stake in Mexico.
Matthew Taylor Coleman, 40, of Santa Barbara, was detained on Monday by US Customs and Border Protection agents tying to cross the US-Mexico border after the toddlers' bodies were found on a farm on Monday morning.
Coleman had traveled with his son Kaleo, three, and daughter Roxy, 10 months, to Rosarito, Mexico, a coastal town about 60 miles south of San Diego, and checked into a City Express hotel room on Saturday, according to local news reports.
The children’s mother Abby Coleman reported her husband and children missing on Sunday, after they had been gone for more than 24 hours, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
She said she was concerned for their well-being, according to police.
Matthew Taylor Coleman (pictured left with wife Abby, three-year-old son Kaleo and 10-month-old daughter Roxy), 40, of Santa Barbara, was detained by US Customs and Border Protection agents while crossing the US-Mexico border after his two young children were found bloodied in some brush on Monday morning
Video footage showed Coleman , Kaleo and Roxy (not seen in the picture) checking into the City Express Hotel in Rosarito on Saturday
CCTV footage shows Coleman leaving the hotel on Monday morning at 2.54am with his two children, Kaleo and Roxy
Coleman returned alone later Monday morning and then left the hotel for good in a Mercedes-Benz vehicle, authorities said. Investigators in Mexico believe that Coleman took his children to a ranch near to his hotel. It is not known why the surf instructor could have murdered his children
Investigators in Mexico believe that Coleman took his children to a farm near to his hotel on Monday morning and CCTV footage shows him returning later on Monday without them, said Hiram Sanchez Zamora with the Baja California AG's office.
Zamora said that a farmhand discovered the bodies when he saw splattered blood on the ground while walking the property near El Descanso ranch.
The boy had been stabbed 17 times, and the girl was stabbed 12 times, Zamora said.
Coleman is expected to be extradited to Mexico to face murder charges and the bodies of the dead are expected to be transported back to the US soon.
Coleman could be extradited to Mexico to face charges of aggravated murder for slaying his son Kaleo , three, and daughter Roxy , 10 months
The children's mother Abby Coleman reported her husband, son and daughter missing on Sunday after they had been gone for 24 hours. She said she was concerned for their well-being, according to police
It is not known why the surf instructor could have murdered his children and his wife has not spoken to local media to give any indication about his state of mind.
Pictures posted to his social media show images of a loving family and he was posting videos online of his surf tutorials up until three weeks ago.
Prior to the deaths, Coleman posted frequently about his wife, children and Christian faith online.
In a November 2020 Facebook post he wondered whether 'there is a type of Great American Renaissance following the years of Covid, censorship, and political divisiveness... that will empower each person's heart to come alive and explode with innovative ideas, new business models, new music sounds and never seen ways to build an amazing community?'
A farmhand found the bodies when he saw splattered blood on the ground while walking the property near El Descanso ranch. 'I immediately notified my manager to call the police to come investigate,' he said. The Baja California police received a 911 call about the discovery at 7.27am
The worker, who wished to remain anonymous, told Border Report that he 'teared up' when he saw the bodies. 'I was scared and sad because these are tiny children who don't know any better' he said
And in October Coleman celebrated the birth of his youngest child, Roxy Rain, with his wife Abby Coleman in a gushing Instagram post.
The caption read: 'While waiting for her to come, I kept feeling this sense that she was going to be born at a very pivotal time in history and that she would represent a dawn, or even awakening, to years of great blessing for our family and nation.
'Another picture that came to me was of God reaching down into a river bed and picking up a small stone , examining it intently. Just as David had done before slaying Goliath, God examined the stone and was confident that it was just the perfect one for the battle. Although it was small, smooth and somewhat harmless looking, he knew that it would become great when placed into the palm of a skilled hand.
'My declaration over Roxy Rain is that she has been hand picked by God to slay the giants in the land.'
Coleman lives in Santa Barbara, California with his wife and two kids. He left on Saturday and checked into the City Express Hotel in Rosarito, Mexico. Two days later he was arrested after trying to get back in the US at the San Ysidro Point of Entry for the murder of his two children
Coleman and his two children were staying at the City Express Hotel in Rosarito, Mexico
The farmworker who found the dead children said one of them was in diapers, according to Border Report.
The worker, who wished to remain anonymous, told Border Report: 'To be honest I teared up. And I immediately notified my manager to call the police to come investigate.
'I was scared and sad because these are tiny children who don't know any better. Hopefully they find whoever is responsible because this is a terrible thing.'
Baja California prosecutor Hiram Sanchez Zamora gave a press conference on Tuesday about Coleman's arrest. The FBI, US Customs and Border Protection, the Santa Barbara Police Department and the Mexican authorities are working to return the children's bodies to California
Coleman was heading back into the US on Monday when he was stopped at the at the San Ysidro Point of Entry in California after officials released an alert searching for him. He was immediately taken into custody.
US Customs and Border Protection did not respond to The San Diego Union-Tribune's request for further information about the arrest.
It wasn't clear whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Coleman co-founded the surfing school Lovewater Surf Co in Santa Barbara, California - where he was born - with his wife. The site is still live with pictures of Coleman and his smiling family
Coleman had not been formally charged as of Tuesday evening but if found guilty, he could face up to 120 years in prison, as reported by El Debate.
The FBI, US Customs and Border Protection, the Santa Barbara Police Department and the Mexican authorities are working to return the children's bodies to California.
Coleman co-founded the surfing school Lovewater Surf Co in Santa Barbara, California - where he was born - with his wife.
According to the surf school's website, 'Matt and Abby enjoy finding ways to better lives through surfing, experiential education and community-based projects'.
The site is still live with pictures of Coleman and his smiling family.
Coleman was heading back into the US on Monday when he was stopped at the at the San Ysidro Point of Entry in California after officials released an alert searching for him. He was immediately taken into custody and had not been formally charged as of Tuesday evening. If found guilty, he could face up to 120 years in prison
The unexplained murder is all the more baffling considering Coleman's very public love for Abby, Kaleo and Roxy.
He often fawned over his wife on birthdays, anniversaries or just because and the two appeared very happily married for the past four years.
Coleman captioned Instagram photos of her saying he's 'deeply in love' and 'so proud' of her for giving birth to his two children.
He also shared photos of father-son days spent with Kaleo, to which he said: 'When I'm with him, things that I’ve experienced a thousand times start to feel new and awe-inspiring.
'He has this special gift in being able to recognize the glory all around him, and then bringing other people into it.'
'You could say I enjoy being a dad,' he wrote in an earlier post with his only son.
Coleman co-founded the surfing school Lovewater Surf Co in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife. According to the surf school's website, 'Matt and Abby enjoy finding ways to better lives through surfing, experiential education and community-based projects'