Missing
Matthew Jay Broncho
Broncho, approximately 2019; Broncho's Toyota Tacoma pickup truck; Broncho's Dachshund, Afa
Date and time person was reported missing : 03/20/2019
Missing location (approx) :
Fort Hall, Idaho
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
Native American
DOB : 11/13/1984 (36)
Age at the time of disappearance: 34 years old
Height / Weight : 5'10, 210 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A gray Nike pullover sweatshirt, blue jeans, black Under Armour sneakers a black Raiders baseball cap and gold-rimmed Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses.
Medical conditions : Broncho may have been depressed over personal problems at the time of his disappearance.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Native American male. Black hair, brown eyes.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Broncho disappeared from the 100 block of Rio Vista Road in Fort Hall, Idaho on March 20, 2019. He has never been heard from again. He disappeared with his dog, a red Dachshund named Afa with a yellow collar. A photo of Afa is posted with this case summary. The day before he went missing, Broncho withdrew the last $250 from his bank account.
On March 21, witnesses saw Broncho's 2011 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck parked on Interstate 84 eastbound in Snowville, Utah, near the exit 7 off-ramp. Broncho was walking Afa nearby. He has never been heard from again and there were no indications he planned to leave home for an extended time period. On March 22, Broncho's mother tried to find his cellular phone via GPS and located it in the place it had been seen the previous day. This is 95 miles south of Fort Hall, about a two-hour drive.
A photo of the truck is posted with this case summary. It was locked, with Broncho's cellular phone, wallet, tribal identification card, driver's license and bank cards inside. His mother, who had a spare key to the truck, took it to the nearest gas station and refueled before she drove it back to Fort Hall. Broncho's mother asked people at two gas stations, two cafes and a hotel in Snowville if they'd seen Broncho, but no one recognized his photos or remembered him or his dog. The next day, she reported him missing.
On March 27, a person in Snowville contacted Broncho's mother and said someone had found Broncho's dog Afa at exit 5 on Interstate 84, two miles west of exit 7 in Snowville. Afa was alive and well, although the people who found her had a hard time catching her. There was still no sign of Broncho himself, however.
Broncho had been working with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Commodities Department, but he was terminated on March 18, two days before he disappeared. He had a bachelor's degree in political science from Idaho State University, with an emphasis in environmental and federal Indian law/economics, and planned to return to school to get a master's degree. It's uncharacteristic of him to leave without warning or to abandon his dog, whom he loved.
Authorities believe Broncho may be living a transient life now and may have joined groups in the homeless community, possibly on another reservation outside his own tribe. His case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
Fort Hall Tribal Police
208-238-4000
September 2021 updates and sources
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
